Topic: The Singing River

NorseLady

Date: 2006-04-01 03:55 EST
A hand signal to Olaf and Oskar, two of her faithful crewmen, who are also listening to the stories from a few feet away. The tall, robust viking males, with huge smiles on their faces, approach the circle of listeners. Those who wish to partake in the roasting of marshmallows is handed a sturdy twig, from Olaf. Oskar produces a sack filled with the white puffy treats and lets each take their own, up to three per stick. Once the roasting commences, another tale begins. . .

'On the banks of a pristine river a young maiden lived. She was called Disig. When the sun rose in the morning, Disig began to sing, and she sang so sweetly that e'ery day the Asas would pause to listen to her song. Since then, there has been a moment of silence just before daybreak.

Disig loved the most courageous of all warriors of her clan, Eirik, and she had promised to become his wife. But one day the young man took his ferring, a small boat, down the river and forgot to greet the powerful god of the waters. The river grew angry, o'erturned the ferring, and dragged the young warrior to the bottom. There he turned into a rainbow trout!

Disig, in tears, begged the river to give her back her loved one, but the river just flowed quietly on down to the distant Innsj? av Skygger, the Lake of Shadows. So the maiden flung herself into the water, and tearfully begged the pristine waters to take her to Eirik.

The spirits of the waters took pity on her for all her grief, and changed her into a white waterfall. E'ery year a rainbow trout swims up the river, to the waterfall, basks in its waters, and whispers with its eddies. Since then the pristine river has sung a song at daybreak. Its voice be like that of Disig!'