The Broken Sword

Poul Anderson

1954

The Norse man Orm was the youngest of a family of five back home in the homelands and rather than splitting the family holdings, he proposed that his elder brother outfight a number of ships so he could go Viking. His offer gratefully accepted, Orm’s soon on the high seas raiding the undefended English coasts but eventually he finds a place to settle down and takes the daughter of an English neighbour in wedlock.

When a son is born to the happy couple, Orm is out raiding and his wife is not able to have the child baptised immediately so the displaced widow of the previous Saxon lord decides on her revenge and tells the Elf Earl that there’s a babe unbaptised and free to be taken. Taking his chance, the babe is soon ensconced in the Elves’ castle where they delight in watching the mortal child grow up as powerful as one of his blood could be amongst the fey. Meanwhile the Changeling child also grew up as Orm’s sullen heir, unliked by all except his father. Ever eager to cause hurt and pain, Valgard is eager to go Viking and his father is happy to accept his berserker rages when not directed at his own people.

In the Elven world, though, all is not pleasure and relaxation. The Elves had won a great victory against the Troll kind but the Trolls were eager to have another go and diligently worked to ensure that the Elves would be isolated when that time came.

Out hunting, Valgard finds one of his brothers sporting with a stunningly beautiful woman. Needful of such a woman, Valgard confronted his kin and killed him, leaving his axe buried in the other’s skull. Loosing himself to the beguiling charms of the Temptress, he nearly forgets to go home, but eventually he returns to find his story only grudgingly accepted by his father and not at all by his surviving brother who goes out into the winter snows to search out the truth. When the body, still sporting that damning axe, is finally found, Valgard is exiled and returns to his mistress’s bed where her true nature is revealed, as is his heritage! To claim a place at the side of the Troll king all he would have to do is bring him his two sisters.

The men of his ships are not the best representatives of the Norse people but even they need a bit of persuasion to undertake this piece of kin slaying but Valgard imposes his will on them and his men killed those gathered to witness the handfasting of his sister before herding them off to the land of the Trolls. Here, Valgard offers his loyalty to the Troll king and offers his sisters as a gift.

Scafloc’s on a scouting mission for the Elves and able to rescue one of the girls, who he falls for in delight. At great cost, the Elven scouting party make it back to England where Scafloc explores love with a human maid.

Eventually, though, the Trolls unleash their war and the Elven fortresses fall beneath their hordes.

With all near final defeat, Scafloc takes advise from Freda’s slaughtered family where they learn of his broken birthright, and their familiar relationship! Unable to accept Elven morality, Freda spurns Scafloc and he goes on a quest to the land of the Jotun for his sword to be remade. Amidst much bloodshed, the trolls are driven back but Scafloc is struck down in a final confrontation with his changeling doppelgänger. Valgard.

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This is part of the Fantasy Masterworks series

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