Ásinnar's Journey to the Underworld
Ásinnar's Journey to the Underworld is one of the most popular Faren myths, telling of the time when the Hero Ásinnar descended to Waumin, the land of the dead, to save his father Leitandár . On the journey she met the Stone Giants guarding the Gates of Waumin, and finally confronted the Lord of the Underworld after defating the monsters guarding his land.
She demanded to enter, and the giants came and seized her and took her to their king Femur. Ásinnar gave her gift of ??? to Femur. Femur then offered her a drink. The beverage smelled of mud, and Ásinnar hid it within her robes. Then when the giants got drunk of the nectar, she only pretended to get drunk and tired. When the night came they left her sleeping beside the throne, but the hero was awake, and snuck out.
She found the Gates of Waumin, and when the demons saw that she was alone and that no giants were with her, they opened the gates for her. Then they tore away her clothes, struck her with bone clubs, and mocked her. But the giants' beverage Ásinnar hid within her clothes and bore their strokes. Then Ásinnar could hear the noice of the giants approaching the gates, searching for her. The demons fled back into the shadows. Ásinnar chew the sailors' root and dove deep into the waters, but she did not drown.
Then Ásinnar saw the Great Spiders, the herd of the dark lord. Grazing in the dark corners of Waumin, they spun their dark silk, into the ropes of shadows to clothe the Lord and his demons. The spiders encirled her. Their claws tore apart her skin, they spat their venom in her eyes and blinded her, they bound her limbs with the silk, and dragged her in front of the throne of Ulalte.
Ulalte the Lord of all Death rose on the throne, and demanded Ásinnar to surrender her spirit to him, for all he was the Lord of all Souls. He looked on the Hero with the gaze that wipes out all life. And the Hero looked into the eyes of death, and she saw nothing, for she was blinded. She asked for Leitandár, just to hold the hand of his father once more, if she could not see him. Ulalte summoned fort his soul, and Leitandár appeared. He was pale and and his laughter had died. The joyful man held the hand of his daughter, but he could not laugh. Ásinnar begged to take her back on the Earth, but Ulalte declined. He was now the winemaker of the Deep. If he were to leave, who would brew the drinks of Waumin? Ásinnar took up the nectar of the giants, she brought fort the beverage hidden within her hair. She offered it in exchange for his father.
Myth
Lord of the Underword, Ulalte, had taken captive Leitandár, the god of wine and the father of Ásinnar, and forced him to work for him in the Underworld. When Hero Ásinnar heard of this, she sought the counsil of the Divines, who revealed to her a secret entrance to the Underworld. But the way to the Gates of the Underworld was perilous, because it was located deep within Bonehold, the great city of the Stone Giants. So the divines adviced Ásinnar to take ??? with her as a gift for the giants, so they might let her pass through. They adviced her to not eat or drink anything given to her either by the giants or the demons. They gave her Sailor's Root so that she would not drown in the waters of the deep. So the Hero did as they adviced, and she travelled to the doors of Bonehold.She demanded to enter, and the giants came and seized her and took her to their king Femur. Ásinnar gave her gift of ??? to Femur. Femur then offered her a drink. The beverage smelled of mud, and Ásinnar hid it within her robes. Then when the giants got drunk of the nectar, she only pretended to get drunk and tired. When the night came they left her sleeping beside the throne, but the hero was awake, and snuck out.
She found the Gates of Waumin, and when the demons saw that she was alone and that no giants were with her, they opened the gates for her. Then they tore away her clothes, struck her with bone clubs, and mocked her. But the giants' beverage Ásinnar hid within her clothes and bore their strokes. Then Ásinnar could hear the noice of the giants approaching the gates, searching for her. The demons fled back into the shadows. Ásinnar chew the sailors' root and dove deep into the waters, but she did not drown.
Then Ásinnar saw the Great Spiders, the herd of the dark lord. Grazing in the dark corners of Waumin, they spun their dark silk, into the ropes of shadows to clothe the Lord and his demons. The spiders encirled her. Their claws tore apart her skin, they spat their venom in her eyes and blinded her, they bound her limbs with the silk, and dragged her in front of the throne of Ulalte.
Ulalte the Lord of all Death rose on the throne, and demanded Ásinnar to surrender her spirit to him, for all he was the Lord of all Souls. He looked on the Hero with the gaze that wipes out all life. And the Hero looked into the eyes of death, and she saw nothing, for she was blinded. She asked for Leitandár, just to hold the hand of his father once more, if she could not see him. Ulalte summoned fort his soul, and Leitandár appeared. He was pale and and his laughter had died. The joyful man held the hand of his daughter, but he could not laugh. Ásinnar begged to take her back on the Earth, but Ulalte declined. He was now the winemaker of the Deep. If he were to leave, who would brew the drinks of Waumin? Ásinnar took up the nectar of the giants, she brought fort the beverage hidden within her hair. She offered it in exchange for his father.
by Siaraon James
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