Ásinnár's Journey to the Underworld
Ásinnár's Journey to the Underworld is one of the most popular Faren myths, telling of the time when the Hero Ásinnár descended to Waumin, the land of the dead, to save Leitandár , the God of Winemaking and her father. On the journey she met the Stone Giants guarding the Gates of Waumin, and finally confronted Ulalte, the Lord of the Underworld, after defating the monsters guarding his land.
On the gates the Hero announced: "I am Ásinnár, daughter of a God Leitandár, and I have come to offer myself as a wife to king Femur." The giants laughed, and took her to the king. Femur was pleased, and ordered the wedding to be held that night. In the wedding Femur offered her a drink. The nectar smelled of mud, and Ásinnar hid it within her robes, and did not drink it. Then when the giants got drunk of the nectar, she only pretended to get drunk and tired. Later Femur tried to seduce her, but he was tired of drinking, and when the Hero rejected him, he ordered her to be locked in the prison. Ásinnár tricked the guards by talking to them until they fell asleep, and then snuck out.
Deep within the tunnels of Bonehold Ásinnár 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 the cloak Áfawarsal had gifted her, 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 of the Underworld, but she did not drown.
Ásinnar wandered long in the dusty planes of Waumin, until finally she 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 encircled 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?
Then Ásinnár remembered the nectar of the giants, and offered it to Ulalte, saying:
"The Giants have brewed a dark beer for you, oh Lord"
Ulalte took the beer, and tasted it. Then the ground shook in a terrible quake, and the walls of the Underworld trembled. The Lord of the Underword was laughing.
"Praised be the race of Giants, and praised be Hero Ásinnár who brought me their gift", spoke the Lord. "Let Leitandár be free to return to the Overworld. Let him make the wine of the gods of the heaven. But each year he must return, and brew the dark beer for the souls of the underworld."
Leitandár agreed. Then the Lord continued:
"But I demand a soul for the soul. No mortal can return from the Underword, lest they drink from the Waters of Forgetting. Ásinnár the Hero I will shall not return"
The father and daugher hugged crying for a farewell. Then Ulalte let loose the spiders. They tore flesh off Ásinnár's bones, and grinded her bones into fine dust. Leitandár gathered the dust into a sack, and then the Demons guided him back onto the mortal lands.
Back on the mortal lands Leitandár sowed Ásinnárs bones in a field, and watered it with his tears. Grain grew from the field. Leitandár grounded it into to flour, made dough, and formed a small bread from it. He put the bread in the oven, and when he opened it again, the bread had turned into a child. And this is how Leitandár brought Ásinnár back to life.
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 council 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. They adviced her to not eat or drink anything given to her either by the giants or the demons, so that she would not be trapped. They gave her Sailor's Root so that she would not drown in the waters of the deep. and Áfawarsal the Weaver gifted her an invisible rope to pretect her from the demons. So the Hero did as they adviced, and travelled to the doors of Bonehold.On the gates the Hero announced: "I am Ásinnár, daughter of a God Leitandár, and I have come to offer myself as a wife to king Femur." The giants laughed, and took her to the king. Femur was pleased, and ordered the wedding to be held that night. In the wedding Femur offered her a drink. The nectar smelled of mud, and Ásinnar hid it within her robes, and did not drink it. Then when the giants got drunk of the nectar, she only pretended to get drunk and tired. Later Femur tried to seduce her, but he was tired of drinking, and when the Hero rejected him, he ordered her to be locked in the prison. Ásinnár tricked the guards by talking to them until they fell asleep, and then snuck out.
Deep within the tunnels of Bonehold Ásinnár 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 the cloak Áfawarsal had gifted her, 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 of the Underworld, but she did not drown.
Ásinnar wandered long in the dusty planes of Waumin, until finally she 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 encircled 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?
Then Ásinnár remembered the nectar of the giants, and offered it to Ulalte, saying:
"The Giants have brewed a dark beer for you, oh Lord"
Ulalte took the beer, and tasted it. Then the ground shook in a terrible quake, and the walls of the Underworld trembled. The Lord of the Underword was laughing.
"Praised be the race of Giants, and praised be Hero Ásinnár who brought me their gift", spoke the Lord. "Let Leitandár be free to return to the Overworld. Let him make the wine of the gods of the heaven. But each year he must return, and brew the dark beer for the souls of the underworld."
Leitandár agreed. Then the Lord continued:
"But I demand a soul for the soul. No mortal can return from the Underword, lest they drink from the Waters of Forgetting. Ásinnár the Hero I will shall not return"
The father and daugher hugged crying for a farewell. Then Ulalte let loose the spiders. They tore flesh off Ásinnár's bones, and grinded her bones into fine dust. Leitandár gathered the dust into a sack, and then the Demons guided him back onto the mortal lands.
Back on the mortal lands Leitandár sowed Ásinnárs bones in a field, and watered it with his tears. Grain grew from the field. Leitandár grounded it into to flour, made dough, and formed a small bread from it. He put the bread in the oven, and when he opened it again, the bread had turned into a child. And this is how Leitandár brought Ásinnár back to life.
by Siaraon James
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