This is the lorepage, also available on the Wattpad edition. But extended with major spoilers.
So I decided to have a little foreword here, because this does need a little explanation, and this part will be updated as the story progresses (believe me there are two volumes of this). So I don’t want this to be a wall of text so I will update it with whatever you need to know for now.
There are 9 worlds in the universe. I moved them around a little, in regards to the ‘official’ versions of Yggdrasil – but you know what? I don’t care, because this makes much more sense to me, and so that is how I decided the universe looks.
I like to play around with the real stories from Norse mythology, and it’s important to me, that you know – I am aware of the real stories, much more than you know. And this is also why I have no issue whatsoever playing around with them. And I like to mix the real stories with my private fantasy take on it, but even if my fantasy theories and worlds are far out, they all have roots in the stories I grew up with, and is a part of my cultural heritage (I’m from Denmark, in case you didn’t know that).
Below you find the quick introduction to the world of Nine.
In this universe it’s about balance.
Odin had two brothers, Vile & Ve. And in this story, they set out to rule each their world.
As the oldest Odin got Asgard, Vile got Vanaheim, and Ve got Muspelheim.
Once the brothers were close, and their respective realms were very alike, and interlinked, they would trade peacefully, and prosper. However once their father Borr died, they slowly turned on each other, and over time became the realms which the characters speak of in this story.
Soon after Borr’s death, Odin marched his armies on Vile, and the peaceful scholars of Vanaheim. The war left Vanaheim in ruins, but Odin pulled his forces when Ve threatened to get involved. Some of the prisoners of war from back then, still resides in Asgard, such as Njord and his children.
Odin and Vile signed a peace treaty, and went on with their lives. However soon after this, Odin had a massive wall erected around Valhalla. None from the other realms knew why he would do that, but often people will refer to the time before, and after the wall.
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The Nornir: In this story they are hideous creatures trapped in a pond of sludge, people will travel to them if they wish to learn of their possible fates, because unlike in the ‘real’ stories, these Nornir weaves many fates, many possibilities. They will demand a payment of their own choosing, which is often something like a finger, a ear, tongue or eye. They have cosmic wisdom in their madness, but some things they will not speak of.
The Myrklings: these are the dark nornir, they reside in the cold dark of Niflheim. Unlike the Nornir, the Myrklings will not speak of fate, they will give you a prophecy, often contradicting both the Nornir, Mimir, and any Volv. They have also been known to answer direct questions, weaving a new fate for you right on the spot. The Myrklings demand payment too, but they demand a life. It’s known that the seeker can suggest the offering of a life themselves, but if the Myrklings does not find the offering true, or enough. They will demand their own price, a price you will pay, since you already entered their abode.
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Changelings: These are people who undergoes the ritual of nine, to become one of the mythical creatures we know from the stories. Sometimes referred to as a ‘shiftling’
The need for Changelings arose right around Odin erected the wall. Odin revoked an old law in the realm of nine, that all realms when called upon by the Throne of Asgard, would deliver an unspecified number of ‘eligible youth‘ to Asgard. Most families sees this as an honor, and only prays their children will survive the ritual of nine, and thus aids in the continuation of tradition.
An ‘eligible youth’ is always an halfbreed Jotun, since only Jotun blood will respond to the Seidr used to trigger the change.
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Tradition: Odin believes that in order for the world not to collapse into chaos, they all need to keep up the stories told by man, they all exist on the behest on man’s prayers. This is why when one ‘known character’ dies, another will be set in its place.
However Asgard is the only place where this is upheld, since most stories revolve around Asgardians.
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Mastery: All changelings have a master assigned, this is a lifelong arrangement. There are laws which prevents the master from issuing cruel punishments, or mistreat their changeling servants.
Some Changelings are handed over to others, because that is their purpose. But should the Changeling be dismissed from their purpose, they will return to their master.
An example is Eske; his master is Tyr, but his purpose is Freki. And so Eske lives with Odin, but should Odin dismiss Eske from his purpose and install another Freki. Eske will return to Tyr, and live out his life as Tyr’s servant.
It does happen that the master does not wish for their Changeling back, and so release them from their servitude completely. This means that the Changeling would have to find somewhere to live on their own with no claim to any title or social status. Or return home to their family in disgrace.
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THE REALMS.
Of course this list is incomplete, either because it’s not important yet, or because I’d give away plotpoints, but naming characters.
Asgard / language: Asamál / people: Asgardian(s)/
Notable Asgardians: Odin, Baldur, Bragi, Thor, Tyr, Vidar, Forseti,
Noteable cities: Valhalla
Exile Asgardians: Hother, Skadi
Race: Asir
Politics: All marriage is political, and to marry for other reasons are seen as illogical. It is to secure social status, sometimes children born outside wedlock is claimed by their sire, but most often they are not. Since marriage is practical, it’s socially acceptable for all male Asgardians to go elsewhere for some freaky fun, be it their servants, friends, or strangers from the taverns in Valhalla. Female Asgardians will do this too, however they are much more subtle about it, as they are much more worried about getting pregnant. Asgardians does not condone same sex marriages, but doesn’t care about unofficial same sex lovers.
The people of Asgard sees themselves as the elite, and most are satisfied with the life they have, and does not wish to rock the boat. Odin reigns supreme, and makes sure they uphold both tradition and civility. Many halfbreed and changelings live in Asgard and Valhalla, and none cares as long as they uphold the laws of the land.
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Vanaheim/ language: Vanimál / people: Vanir/
Notable Vanir:
Noteable cities:
Exile Asgardians: Njord, Freya, Frey
Race: Asir
Politics:
The people of Vanaheim are scholars, magicians and cultivated their contact to the cosmos, they mostly keep to themselves, or trade with their closest kin in spirit, the Alvar. Over time the two realms sort of bled into one.
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Svartalfheim / language: / people: Svartalvar, Svartalf/
Notable Svartalvar: Svafnir
Noteable cities:
Exile Svartalvar: Eydis, Eivor
Race: Alvar
Politics:
The Svartalvar are rarely seen outside their realm, they live underground, but looks like a mix between a deadite and alvar. They are known to forge incredible magical weapons and items. They live in family groups and are unlike the other realms a matriarchal society.
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Niflheim / language: / people: /
Notable people: Saga, Njal, Estrid,
Noteable cities: Sovnheim, Sotvugga
Exile people:
Race: Deadites
Politics:
Niflheim is the vast land where the dead settle most of the time, unlike in Helheim, the deadites who lives in Niflheim likes to uphold ‘normalcy’ so even if they don’t need to eat or sleep, they will do so. There are many farms who cultivates moss and mushrooms. Niflheim are one of the only places in the nine realms where none can scry, which is also why some who are not dead chose to settle there. All of Niflheim hails to the throne of Helheim.
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Helheim / language: / people: /
Notable people: Gerun (Nidhogg), Aik (Garmr)
Noteable cities: Helheim
Exile Svartalvar:
Race: Deadites
Politics:
Though a realm, almost all of Helheim is one large city built into the stone. It is the dark version of Asgard.
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Alfheim / language: / people: Ljosalvar, Ljosalf/
Notable Ljosalvar:
Noteable cities:
Exile Ljosalvar: Gerun
Race: Alvar
The Ljosalvar are a nature loving people, they don’t have a throne of their own, so they hail to the throne of Vanaheim. They are incredibly fragile, birdlike people, which also makes them unusable as servants or Changelings for the most part. Ljosalvar rarely leave their realm for anywhere but Vanaheim.
Politics:
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Muspelheim / language: Eldamál / people: Eldnar, Kindlings/ Moonfey, Feylings
Notable Eldnar: Muspel
Noteable cities: Heitvegr
Exile Eldnar: Eske, Rodis,
Race: Jotun / Moonfey
Politics:
In Muspelheim your bloodline is everything, and it’s tradition for siblings to marry, which means most of the pureblood Eldnar are crippled. Muspelheim are divided in arldoms, and since power is in the blood, the laws was rewritten so any arl claims those born in his house. In other words when the old arl dies, his son sits on the throne, and all his siblings, and half siblings (and they are many) will now call him papa. Many children means great virility, and the bigger your clan, the more power you have.
Moonfey: They constructed a race they named Moonfey, they are created to be appealing to the Eldnar standard, and they are kept in the huge harems the Arls have. Any child of a male pureblood in the house, will call the arl papa, even if he’s not. A child of a Moonfey mother grows up in the harem, but when they reach what the Eldnar sees as puberty (around ten years old), most of the male children are taken to either the Arl’s army, or used as a gift, or a servant in the household.
However most Arls have one or two male Moonfey in their Harem, they are used to breed purebred Moonfey with. They breed them after the same principles as they keep their bloodline ‘clean’, and use the children in their own harem, or to gift to important people. A purebred prepubescent Moonfey is worth more than a warhorse, and is seen as a magnificent gift.
The vast majority of Moonfey children, are however halfbreeds, or crossbreeds, and will most of the time look it. Some can pass as Eldnar, others cannot.
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Jotunheim / language: Jotamál & Eldamál / people: Jotun, Northlings/
Notable Eldnar: Loki, Byleist, Gunlod, Laufey, Farbauti
Noteable cities:
Exile Jotun: Ragnar, Saxi, Hjalti, Varg, Myrkfrid, Hilda, Gro, Sigyn,
Race: Jotun
Politics:
The Jotun are royalists, and regardless if it’s a king or a queen, they will defend and uphold them as deities. All Jotun born from Jotun parents, have the ability to shift to other forms, the ability conjured forth on halfbreeds during the ritual of nine. Jotun are large, grey and furry, and much like their Jotun kin, the Eldnars, the Jotun believe in fertility. This is why they have beauty standards which does not apply to any of the other realms, such as weighing down male genetalia to stretch them long, and dress so it shows. For female Jotun it’s considered beautiful to be obese, this means your family have money, and you can carry many children.
The Jotun who comes from the mountains are called Northlings, they are seen as the most traditional, and un-asir influenced of the Jotun.
Mors/Morsling: This is the word for the ‘third gender’ which will appear naturally in Northern Jotun. This means ‘mama’ but it also means ‘death’. There was a period of time when these hermaphrodites were hunted and culled, seen as unnatural by all the other realms, which is why those born like this, often hide the fact when outside Jotunheim.
DREAMS OF A LOST MOONCHILD 