Photo
Úlfarr gylðir
Information
Resides: Barony of Settmour Swamp
Status: Active
Awards: Order of Precedence
Heraldry
Per pale vert and argent, a wolf courant ululant contourny counterchanged

Award & Office Badges

Introduction

Úlfarr Gylðir (“wolf”)

Late 10th, Early 11th Century Icelandic Skald, Mercenary and Craftsman.

Skald

Leather Crafter

Beginning Smith

Wood Carver

Rapier Fighter

Target and Combat Archer

Scribe

Thrower of Axes, Knives, and Spears

Persona

Outside, the piercing winds of the harsh winter howl like the child of Loki itself. But inside the mead hall, the mood is joyful and bright. A man sits by the fire, a fresh mug of mead in his hands. Before him sits a small knot of children, waiting with anticipation. The man takes a drink, and eyes his expectant audience. “So,” he says, “You wish to hear of my life? Very well then.” He takes another sip from his mug, and begins his tale:

“Lo! Listen well to the tale I tell. A tale of a live lived, a life filled with travel, of companionship, and of battle.

My name is Úlfarr Gylðir.

I am a skald, a craftsman, and a warrior.

I was born in the Icelandic settlement of Borgarfjörður in the year 981 C.E.. My father was a merchant trader, and he would often return home from his journeys bearing gifts and tales from the many exotic lands he visited. I was always fascinated with those stories, of the gods from foreign lands and the brave heroes who served them, like the mighty Heracles and brave Achilles. I was raised in the ways of the old gods, of Thor, Odin, Freya, and Loki; and the tales of their foreign couterparts captivated me. I begged my father to allow me to travel with him, so that I might see these fascinating realms with my own eyes; and finally, in my twelfth year, he relented. Aboard his ship, I experienced the countries of Francia, of Norway and Sweden, and the lands of the Kievan Rus. My father taught me his business, how to negotiate, how to get a crowd's attention, and how to captivate an audience of potential buyers. I learned stories and songs around the campfires and in the feasting halls, and soon was called upon to entertain my companions on our long voyages. The mercenaries my father hired to guard him and his mechandise helped to further my education. From them, I learned the ways of the forest and how to hunt with bow and arrow and with spear, as well as how to throw axes and Knives with deadly acuracy. They taught me wood carving and leather craft. And they taught me how to fight.

While on a trading expedition to Norway, we found ourselves camped for the night in a dense forest. As I was the most accomplished hunter of our crew, the task of finding food for our cookfire fell to me. I hand taken my bow – Hrafnagogur- and was in the midst of tracking a deer through the trees when I heard a keening whine nearby. I carefully made my way through the brush, and soon discovered the source of the sound. A small wolf pup, lay upon the ground whining and licking at it wounded paw. I looked about for any signs of the mother, but I could discover none. I scooped up the wounded pup, wrapped it in my cloak, and took it back to our camp, where I spent my time nursing it back to health. I named the pup Fenrir, after the great wolf spawn of the trickster god, and he stayed with me for the rest of his days, becoming my closest companion.

Once while traveling, our ship was caught in the grip of a brewing storm. The winds whipped at our sail, the seas churned, the thunder roared and lightning struck the seas around our vessel. We battened down and my father gripped the rudder, his jaw set and knuckles white. The men began bailing, praying to whatever gods they held, and preparing themselves for the worst. Unable to think of anything else, I began reciting a tale of the thunder god, in hopes of appeasing his wrath. As my voice reached a timbre to rival the waves and thunder, miraculously the storm began to abate. By the time I finished, retelling how Thor had overwhelmed his mighty foes, the rain and wind had gone, and the sun shone upon our sodden ship. I don’t know whether it was coincidence or divine providence, but I will always remember that voyage until the end of my days.

At the age of 18, I took over my father's business, traveling farther than my father had. I had heard tales of the great city of Constatinople, capital of the sprawling Byzantine Empire, from the Kievan Rus, and knew that I had to see it firsthand. It was in this place that I first encountered the Varangian Guard, the royal Norse and Rus warriors of the emperor of Byzantium himself prized for their ferocity and skill on the battlefield. I learned that the Emperor Basil II was so impressed with the prowess these mercenaries showed in the battle for his throne, that he invited them to serve as his personal fighting force. I knew immediately that my fate had led me there. I left Iceland the next year, and spent the following 6 years living and training amongst the Rus Warriors. With the help of a local armourer, I used the leather crafting skills I had learned in my youth to fashion a set of armor.

In 1005 C.E., I gathered up my bow, spear and axes and returned to the mighty city of Constantinople and sought out the captains of the Varangian Guard. At first they were skeptical, seeing me as nothing more than a wandering Icelander. So I made them a bet. They were to set a visored helm upon a wooded post. I would take two shots; if I could place a single arrow in the eye hole of the visor from a distance, they would allow me to join the guard. If I failed, I would give them my armor and my bow. Thinking it a sure bet, they agreed. I walked the agreed upon distance, while they set the helm in place, jeering as they did. However, their laughter stopped as I drew back and fire two shots into each eye of the helm, sticking them in the wood of the post beneath.

From then on I served the emperor Basil II, fighting his battles both home and abroad, eventually becoming a member the Emperor’s personal guard. I served him loyally until his death in 1025 C.E. I was generously rewarded for my service and sailed back to Kiev with my newfound riches, where I was recruited by the Jomsvikings, a fierce band of mercenaries devoted to Odin and Thor. Now I am content to serve as a warrior and a mercenary in the service of the Odin, like the men who trained me as a boy, fighting for lords and kings until the gods see fit to welcome me into the hallowed Hall of Vahalla.

This is my story, my young friends.

Is it true, you may ask.

Well, only the gods know for sure…”

Motto

“ Liggjandi úlfur fékk aldrei lambið,né sofandi vight drap óvin sinn.”

Lying down wolf never got the lamb, nor sleeping wight slew his foe.

~Hávamál

Afilliations

Offices & Positions

Baronial Bardic Champion of Settmour Swamp - Black Gryphon Inn (April 2019 - April 2022)

Baronial Thrown Weapons Champion of Settmour Swamp - Quest for Wit and Wisdom (May 2022 - May 2023)

Chatelaine of the East Kingdom College of Performers (March 2023)

Baronial Bardic Champion of Carillion - Ghouls, Ghosts and Goblins (October 2023)

Autocrat - East Kingdom College of Performers Challenge Assembly Day (East Kingdom College of Performers/ Barony of Buckland Cross) (May 11, 2024)

Moderator and founder of Bards of the Barony of Settmour Swamp (Facebook)

Úlfarr Gylðir

From EastKingdomWiki

Contents

Introduction

Persona

Motto

Afilliations

Offices & Positions