Sioux

Lars felt lost. He had run from the Christians and made the Skrallings kill them. He saw the ship drifting down the river. There was no sign of life on board. He figured it would be best not to check it out, but forget all about it. Still he had doubts if that was necessary. He simply had to convince himself that, in order to go on. He thought it should not be the first thing to mention to the Vanirs though.

While paddling his canoe, he was thinking; where would the Vanirs go? They liked the nature more than most people. The tribe was used to waters and they were not very tactical in finding sites. He figured that the best options would be to paddle as far as possible and keep a good look for clues. He paddled for a week, and felt more alone than ever. Sometimes he thought about giving up and return. But then again, wasn’t it just what the Vanirs would do, go as far from the sea as possible? They wanted to get away, forget about it all, just like himself. Then it occurred to him that he had all the time he could think of. Here it was an exciting and unexplored land and the possibility to do just that. He should enjoy the exploration rather than fear solitude, he thought. Once realizing that, the journey became joyful to him.

He reached the end of the river after paddling another week. There was a great lake. He figured that it must be where the Vanirs settled. This is where I would like to settle, he thought. That is the way they must have been thinking too. They appreciate the sun, so they would settle at the north side of the lake. Then they will get direct sun and reflection instead of shadows from a forest. He paddled at the northwest side for two days but could not see anyone. What he saw instead was another river leading southwards to another lake. Way up the river, there was the greatest waterfall he had ever seen. Luckily, he was at the lower end of it. He imagined how dangerous that could be, if he came the other way and suddenly found himself in the streams to the waterfall. He stood there for a long time and watched the magnificent sight. He figured it would be safest to simply walk around. It took him some hours to reach the top. On the way he could clearly see that many people had passed. Now he was certain that the Vanirs had gone this way. Once again he searched a lake but did not find anyone. Once again he found a river leading further into the country. This river was leading north to an even larger lake.

Once again he had to remind himself that this journey was the best scouting he had ever experienced. Petty he could not share it with anyone, though. He kept on paddling north to the shore. From there he paddled west for several days. He tried to keep the direction as far northwest as he could. No surprise, once again there was a river that led to the biggest lake he had ever seen. This time, he though; this time I am going to find them. He paddled westwards for several days, until he heard some familiar voices. Finally he had found his friends and his new home.

It was a welcome he had never felt before. The whole Vanir tribe seemed to love him. Being the scout leader was certainly an important task, but now it seemed that he got all the credit for finding them a new home. It was a great place, indeed. It looked just like the Scandinavian inland. The people were beginning to think that it actually was Scandinavia and not at the other side of a great sea.

The people had become custom in building camps. Now they did it better than ever. This time they were certain. This time they build for settlement. There were mostly tents at the site, but several buildings of wood were there too. This whole camp was a celebration of nature. The Vanir had felt so discriminated for a long time by the Christians and the Asirs. Now they had the chance to form a place of their own by to own likings. So they did. They did not clear an area to make room for buildings. They left plants between the buildings. They made gardens, rather than fields. They rather enjoy, than rush the work. Long lunches were a part of the working day.

After a few days, Lars had settled as well. He felt good about the situation. He would always come up with ideas about some new possible threats, though. What about the Skrallings, he asked a friend. Are there Skrallings here? Yes, there are. They live over there. He pointed in the woods on the other side of the lake. Have you met them? Are they friendly? Lars was curious. Some of us have encountered them, but not really met them. We stay here and they stay there. We think it also is best not to engage them until the camp is finished. A war could be disastrous for us now. I agree, but do you think they mean the same? That question got his friend thinking.

The next day, the two boys paddled over the lake and in the direction of the strangers’ camp. They had to cross the woods. Lars could see that it was not the same kind of people as those he encountered by the river. He felt relieved. A new tribe, a new opportunity, he thought. These ones seemed much more like a settled tribe. Once outside the camp, some guards came rushing. The boys were scared. They did nothing and wanted no fight. The guards looked curiously at the boys. One of them pointed at the knife Lars had. Reluctantly, he handed it over to the guard. He studied it closely. It was a fine knife with metal blade. It was from Island. Then he took an amulet from his neck and handed it to Lars. He did not really want to trade, but could not find a way to say no, without appearing hostile. The guard pointed at himself and said; Lakota Sioux. Lars thought he understood, pointed at himself and said Vanir. Then the guard pointed at the boys and said; Vanir Sioux. They did not understand, but thought it was good. The meeting was over, the guards left. It was time for the scouts to go home.

Once back at home they were not greeted kindly. No one was allowed to interfere with other tribes until the site was finished and we have a proper defense. That was made clear. However, it had been done and now the elder were curious about the encounter. You gave them a knife? Here we are trying to figure out how to protect ourselves, if attacked. And you give them a knife? It sounded crazy. I got this Lars said, and showed them the amulet. I think that is good. Let’s hope so, the elder said. Let me have a look at your amulet. It did not tell him anything. Do you know what it is, he asked. Lars admitted that he did not know anything about it except that it seemed to be valuable to him. Oh yes, there was one thing, he remembered. He called his people Lakota Sioux and called us Vanir Sioux. Interesting, the elder said. They obviously call themselves Lakota and see us related to them. That might be important. Maybe that amulet is a sign of friendship. We certainly need friends and not enemies around here.

Lars went out hunting one day in the following week. There were several reasons for that. The hunting itself was a natural reason. But it was also that his tribe wanted to know more about the area. A scout was the most properly person to figure it out. But most of all, he wanted to be alone in the nature, and no one really wanted to join him on such trips anymore. It was the best way to get some thinking done and it was the best way to adapt to it. He had developed some strange personal expressions by being so much alone. He could watch an animal, study it and try to imitate it. As a true Vanir he believed in the magic and spirits of the nature. He believed that he would be a better hunter if he imitated a pray. He believed he could be a better scout if he imitated an eagle. He believed that if he got in touch with the spirits of nature, he would be much better off in it. This nature, he could sense stronger than ever. He concluded that he had been wrong the whole time, and searched the wrong places. It was not the seas; it was the mountains that called for him.

He was not really a hunter either. He was a scout. That meant that he did not really feel an urge for killing. He seldom did, except for defense and for food. Up here, he could sit and live on nuts and berries. There were some minor mammals that bothered him though. He had however figured a way to keep them at distance. He did as they do, mark the territory with urine.

Lars woke up one morning, noticing there was a person sitting next to him. At first he was alerted, but realized there was no immediate threat. He thought he recognized the boy as one of the Sioux. But it was not the one that got the knife. The Sioux handed him some fruit and nuts. They ate for a while and watched the nature. After eating, the boy pointed at himself and said Lakota Sioux, and then he pointed at Lars and said Vanir Sioux. Lars did the same and the agreement was done. The Sioux noticed the amulet around Lars’ neck and nodded in recognition.

The boy pointed at his eye and then Lars. In a next move he pointed at the sun and raised all five fingers at the other hand. So I have been tailed by a spy for five days, Lars thought. He did not really mind. There were no secrets to hide. Then the Sioux draw a knife. It was the one that Lars had given away. Now, he had regrets. Then the boy did something strange. He raised the other hand and slowly cut himself inside the hand, while looking at Lars. There was not threat in the action; it only looked like a sincere death-wish to Lars. Somehow, he was not that surprised when the boy handed Lars the knife, and then pointed at his hand and then pointed at Lars. The Sioux had to nod for Lars to break his hesitation. Ok then, Lars though, let us show that we are equally stupid. He cut his hand in the same way. The boy smiled and reached his hand out. Lars did the same and then they shook their bloody hands together.

Lars was thinking, is this some kind of ritual? He was thinking of all the rituals the Vanirs have. Not the trickster rituals of Rafka, but the traditional rituals to the forces of nature. It could even include sacrifices, like spreading the blood of a rabbit on an alter. Blood was of some vital importance. Blood represented what they really are. He thought of mating and the secret bounding that made between a man and a woman. They were sharing their innermost secrets and actually sharing fluid too. Maybe this ritual was some kind of bounding? Maybe it meant that they had a special bond from now on? Lars got serious. He did not know and for a short moment felt lured. But then, maybe he should have known better, coming to their land and settle without asking. Maybe this was one of the best gifts he could get in return for the knife.

The Sioux stood up. Then Lars noticed the tuft of hair that hung from his belt. He was shocked. Was that really human hair? Wasn’t there some skin in the other end? By Njord, it a human scalp, he thought with a scared expression in his eyes. The boy had a question in his eyes. Lars pointed at the scalp and shook his head. The Sioux boy burst into an open hearted laughter. He understood the misunderstanding and could easily understand the reaction. He had to sit down and laugh for a long time. At first Lars felt embarrassed. Then he felt relieved and a little more secure about the situation. Then he laughed along. After the relief, the boy pointed at the scalp and said; Cheyenne Nadouessioux. He repeated Nadouessioux and shook his head. Lars understood that it meant not-friend. Vanir Sioux; Lars repeated several times.

Then they went hunting together. They taught each other a lot about scouting and hunting. Lars also learned about which plants to eat and which not to eat. The Sioux was very impressed about the knife. The metal blade was much stronger than the flint blades he was used to. To him it was like a next step in tool making. He asked for more knifes, but unfortunately, that was not something Lars could offer. The Sioux understood by the simple fact that Lars did no longer have any metal knife. He wanted to make up for the gift and started making a bow and arrows in his best fashion. Lars was overwhelmed. Never had he seen a finer weapon. He pointed at the scar in his hand and nodded. Then he got private lessons in using bow and arrows.

That evening, they sat on the mountain side and watched over the valley. The boy had made food as always. Now they were merely sitting and watching the views. Lars felt more than relaxed. He felt an intense sensation, like every sense was at alert. He saw more clearly, smelled richer and the ears picked up more detailed sounds of the nature. Then the Sioux pointed at two great eagles flying over the valley. It was a magnificent sight. He was thinking of his homeland and remembered seeing an eagle once. Then the though occurred to him, maybe the spirits of Hugin and Munin could take many forms. They were said to be all over the world and could most certainly here too.

Suddenly Lars felt like someone laid his hand on his shoulder. It could not be the boy, because he was too far away. He heard some talking in his head that he did not understand. He merely sensed that it was old, calm and friendly. Then it disappeared. The boy could see that Lars was wondering about what it all was about. He tried by pointing at his head, then use both hands to show the whole sky and said a single word; Manitou. Lars imagined that it meant some spiritual thing like Odin, or even greater. Maybe it is not such a bad idea to mix religions. He speculated on how a Sioux-Vanir religion could be like. That would rather be a pantheistic than polytheistic religion, he thought. It would have a superior spirit instead of the violent Asirs. Not bad at all, he concluded. I should get two eagle feathers to remind me of who we are, he thought. One feather of Hugin, our souls, and one feather for Munin, our memory.

The boys went back down to the lake the next days. It was a long way, and they got to know each other more. There were words, there were nature, and there were jokes. Strangely enough, Lars felt that this was the one person he knew best of all. The Sioux might think of them as blood brothers, but he thought of them as soul mates. Maybe they had words for that too, he thought. But he left the question for a later occasion. Now there were larger decisions to make. He wanted more of this.

Once in the camp, Lars went to see George. He was always happy to see the boy. Lars knew that, and was sorry to disappoint him. Therefore he asked to join him for a dinner of the rabbit he had caught. The two of them sat a long time by the fire, making the food and talked about Lars’ experiences. As more George heard, as more he realized that this was an utmost important event. They were actually about to get friendly relations to very resourceful neighbors. In long terms, that could be crucial for their future in the area. George knew that they had cut of all relations to their past. There was no turning back for them. In the end, this relation could mean life or death for the whole tribe.

When Lars let his final decision be known, there was no objections at all. George expressed sadness for loosing one of his finest boys. He had mixed feelings about that as a father in law has about loosing a daughter to an important groom. Lars was taken by surprise when George asked; what you need? He had thought about it and realized that this was the time to ask. He used some extra time on this one. They live on the other side of that forest. There is a great plain over there. The thing I would need the most, is a horse. Give me a horse and you can have my canoe and fishing net. I can even teach you about hunting and fishing before I leave. And one thing more, the horse must be a stallion and every second pony he makes will be mine. You have turned out to be capable and smart boy, George laughed. Sure my friend, you will have your horse.

Most people of his tribe came to wish him luck the day he left. He laughed about it. Don’t make yourself a stranger. I will be living in the neighborhood, you know, he said. He had to ride around the lake in the wilderness. That made the journey longer than he had anticipated. But he did get a good chance to get to know the horse.

Once in the Sioux camp, he was looked all over. They had never seen a horse before, and Lars looked strange to them too. He showed the amulet, which cleared the passage. He jumped off the horse and went by its side into the camp. Someone had obviously found his blood brother. That made the breakthrough. The Sioux told all about his blood brother and they were led to the chief’s tent. There was a long welcoming ceremony. Lars had the feeling that they checked him out. But he also noticed that the horse was of particular interest to them. It was not much to say, because they could hardly understand each others language. However, he could show them what the horse was good for.

He sat himself on it, and rode for a while. Most of them had come to watch. Lars did not take it to gallop, because he was not the most skilled horseman. He would rather not fall of and show himself incapable. He realized that he had exchanged the canoe and now had to master the horse as well. He was already a popular boy in the tribe. He joined them for dinner and stayed for supper too. When it was late, his blood brother offered to stay the night. He agreed. But he also wondered if they would get tired of him after some days. That was not his intention.

He wanted his blood brother to try riding the horse the next day. He sat himself on it and made it clear that the Sioux should jump on too. A brave Sioux could not say no to that. This was a test of bravery. Once on, they rode away. They rod the whole day and saw more of the plains than the Sioux had seen in one day. They even picked up some berries that grew too far away to pick on a daytrip by foot. This was impressive. The blood brother said that riding was like flying, that they went to the forest, the mountains, the rivers and the grate plains of tall grass in a single day. Surely the chief could see the advantages a tame horse brought. They talked about all the adventures the whole evening. Finally Lars was offered to sleep over once again.

The next day, his blood brother was to ride the horse himself. They started out slow, with Lars holding the rope to the horse. He went by its side. But the Sioux was soon tired of that. He had learned how to start, stop and turn during the ride the day before. Soon he was riding the horse himself. But he also found out that a horse is not like a pet, but a strong and rather wild animal. He fell of a couple of times before he accepted that. Lars was also scared that the precious animal could run free. They agreed on using the time required to learn to ride. That also meant that Lars had to stay in the tribe for a long time. They were happy that he was so kind to do them that favor. Soon Lars was adopted as a member of the tribe.

Lars actually felt homesick a few months later. He simply had to go home and visit his own tribe. Then it struck him. Maybe his blood brother could come and stay by them like he had stayed at their place? It was hard to explain without appear rude. But they understood perfectly well. They rode towards the lake the very same day. This time, his blood brother sat in front and rode the horse all the way over to the Vanir camp. George and all the others were happy that they had not lost Lars after all. They were very welcome to stay. Most of the Vanirs ways was new for his blood brother, even though camping is basically about the same. The Vanirs had different cloths, they were not warrior oriented, they build houses of wood, the depended heavily on fishing and most of all them were all pale and talked as strange as Lars. The Sioux did not feel as fit as Lars did at his tribe.

There was a woman that was skilled in languages. She got to know his speak quickly. Within a day, she had picked up enough to have a simple conversation with him. This was especially useful for George and Lars. She could be the interpreter they needed to get knowledge of this land. The Sioux was told by George that they once were one tribe of thousand people, that there was catastrophe which caused them to go to this land. However, the tribe divided into three. One fraction stayed and one fraction went south to search for some pyramids. She drew a picture of a pyramid with the top cut of. The Sioux stared at them. He asked; did your brothers go to the pyramid people? They are in danger, he added. George expressed his worries about them, but said they were quite capable and that they were going to stay here. He waited a little before adding; if we may.

The boys decided to go back to the Sioux, after a couple of days in the Vanir tribe. This time they brought the interpreter. She was eager to learn more about the Sioux language and culture. The Vanirs went while the Sioux were allowed to ride on his own. He had become rather skilled and did not fall off at all. Once at the tribe, they were all welcomed. There was a profound trust between the tribes now. It was about learning more than ever about each other. Both tribes had a culturally advancement. A month later, a Sioux woman came to join the Vanir tribe for exchange. Within a year there was an intertribal marriage.