Hamarrhöll (ˈhamɑrˌhɔl)
"Hlýð nú, menn!
Heyrið sögu Brimhjaldar,
Náttvökumanns og Skiptabrjóts,
Skýskeggs Véþormrs,
er hjó Hvelgarm, líkgleypi þann mikla,
braut flota hans í sundr,
ok sneri hafúlfum hans af ströndum.""Listen now, O men!
Hear the saga of the Sea-Hero,
the Night-Watcher and Ship-Breaker,
Cloud-Bearded Véþormr,
who smote Hvelgarm, the Corpse-Swallower,
shattered his fleet asunder,
and turned his Sea-Wolves from the strand."
Hamarrhöll is the fortress lighthouse of Borgaholmr, dedicated to the god Véþormr the Shipbreaker. Véþormr is an oddity among the gods of the Ring of Light, as he predated the lighthouse, and may even be a holdover from when the Zmei ruled the area. Véþormr's domain is that of the home-guard, who turns the invader aside and keeps the hearth fire burning. While many chapters of the Order of the Lightkeepers focus on bringing sailors home safely, the priests of Hamarrhöll focus on protecting the home itself.
History
Hamarhöll was founded shortly after the Conquest of Ynys when refugees from the Ynys Archipelago invaded in large numbers from the south. Some of these invaders had adopted the worship of a sea god known as the Cnuimh Mhòir, whom the Eyjamaður name Hvelgarm, an enormous sea-wyrm large enough to encircle the Great Ring itself. The followers of Cnuimh Mhòir were extremely violent and destructive, and would cast hundreds of victims into the sea to feed their god. When all seemed to be lost, the priests of Véþormr the Shipbreaker prayed for a miracle, and were answered with a massive thunderstorm that shattered the invading fleet leaving nothing but splinters and corpses upon the shore.
The fortress of Hamarhöll was built by the priests after the miracle, in anticipation of future invaders. For the first several centuries of its existence it was an independent order, and defended the people of Borgaholmr from raiders and pirates. When the Lightkeepers came looking to expand the Ring of Light to the island, they found common cause with the priests of Véþormr, and built the lighthouse directly into Hamarhöll castle.
Since joining the Order of the Lightkeepers, the priests of Hamarhöll have taken on a larger role in the world than previously. Those whose homes are in danger from the sea may ask for aid from Hamarhöll and expect to receive it. Typically this takes the form of a few warrior-priests travelling to the endangered place to help build and coordinate the defense, and there are shrines to the Shipbreaker across the Northeastern Region where they have established defenses.
Geographic Details
Location: Borgaholmr, Northeastern RegionLatitude: 62.86 degrees North
Longitude: 43.36 degrees East
A Controversial Chapter
Many chapters of the Order of the Lightkeepers are uncomfortable with Hamarrhöll and Véþormr. One of the main goals of the Order is to protect the ships at sea, and the inclusion of a god of storms who shatters the ships of invaders is horrifying to them. Regardless, raiders, pirates, and invaders are common in the Great Ring, and a homecoming cannot occur without a home. So far, the majority of the chapters accept that Hamarrhöll's focus is within the bounds of the overall goals of the Order, no matter how distressing the details may be.
Related Articles
This article was originally written for Spooktober 2024. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
This article was originally written for Spooktober 2023. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
like the cultural detail of this god predating the lighthouse. Also really like the poem at the beginning. Did you record that?
I wrote the English version, and then played around with translating it to get the feel I was looking for and used AI to read it out to see what it sounded like. I got a version of the reading that sounded nice enough to share (although I will someday try to find someone who can read Old Norse with the proper Skaldic flair and do a real recording).