Vikings: Nordic women

Chapter 5: Expansion of the Warband
In this forest shrouded in mystery, there grows a peculiar kind of flower. Its petals are like tiny pendulums, swaying gently in the breeze, while the calyx is as delicate as velvet, covered with tiny glandular hairs, exuding an unsettling smell.

This plant is a bridge for priests to communicate with the gods. It can convey the will of the priests and is an important ritual material. According to legend, the birth of the Viking warriors is also inseparable from this plant.

She plans to use the strange power of this plant to train a group of crazy warriors who are fearless of pain, death, and have lost all reason. Although her heart is full of guilt, she must harden her heart for the sake of the team and the possible battles in the future.

Losing her mind in battle was better than being defeated, but she knew that the power of this plant must never be used on a child.

"Xina, Vanessa, pick more, but remember, don't smell it, and be sure to wash your hands when you go back. This thing can even drive a bear crazy and kill it." Her eyes were full of warnings and worries, and she gave specific instructions.

After hearing this, the two girls looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and anxiety.

"Also, remember, this matter cannot be told to outsiders. It is a gift from the gods and also our secret." Ouni added worriedly, "In the future, I will teach you more, including medical skills and how to please the gods. Are you willing to become priests of God Woden?"

"Really? Miss Ouni?" The two girls' eyes sparkled, and they seemed very interested in becoming priests of the god Woden.

Although those priests never participated in the Vikings' actions, they had the most wealth and were highly respected.

"Of course! God Woden prefers brave warriors because the twilight of the gods is coming. But he does not exclude every pious priest who can bring him more warriors and please him!"

“We do!”

She planned to train them into real Woden priests based on her own understanding, not the second-rate high priests in the territory, but "divine" priests who could truly convey "God's will"!
Actually he is a charlatan!
In a Christian society, she would have been considered a "witch" and faced the risk of being burned at the stake.

But in a polytheistic society, there is no such concern.

Ounnie's gaze lingered on the girls' faces. She saw their determination and also her own vision for the future.

……

Back home, the two girls covered their mouths and noses with anti-virus wipes and took turns frying the leaves of the "God-given plant" to change its alkaloid content and chemical structure. Ou Ni let the boys rest for a while while she prepared lunch.

Unlike the early morning, she cooked a hearty stew and had everyone share until everyone was well fed.

After all, five hours had passed, and no matter how much they ate, it would just be soup that digested quickly, so there was no need to worry about them overeating.

After eating, Ralph continued to search the territory for homeless children under the age of fourteen with the food.

Unconsciously, these children have begun to subconsciously obey every arrangement of Eunice, which is also a key step in building a strong army - obedience.

Ouni's family's woodland was nearby and part of their territory. She ordered the remaining boys to cut down the trees and instructed one of them to dig a kiln, digging out the soil inside and leaving only a few smoke holes.

She did not personally participate in the labor, knowing her own physical limitations. If she, as the "brain", fell ill due to overwork and delayed progress, it would cause a lot of inconvenience.

After all, a person's energy is limited, so she must keep herself free, free enough to think freely, so as to discover omissions in her plan.

"Robert, we need to dig deeper here!" Ou Ni squatted beside them, observing their work and offering suggestions from time to time.

She had a little plan in mind, hoping to train their endurance and physical strength in this way and prepare them for future combat training.

She had never considered participating in person. Estrogen would limit muscle growth, and no matter how hard she worked out, she would not be able to become a strong fighter and might lose her greatest advantage as a woman.

Unless she is willing to consume some substance that will cause beard growth.

However, she thought of another way to make up for her lack of fighting power. She packed up some belongings and headed in another direction of the settlement.

When she came back, she was holding a donkey rope in her hand, with hay on her head. From now on, she was a donkey rider, she said! "Hmm~" It was still a donkey with a clip sound, it stared at the shallow hoof prints on her butt with its "wise" eyes, as if responding to her thoughts.

The main reason was that the horse was too wild and not suitable for other children to practice with. It was definitely not because she was kicked by a horse when she approached, so she was afraid.

Ouni rubbed her buttocks: "Hiss, it hurts..."

Thinking of the horse owner's half-smile and half-laughing expression as if he was laughing at her, she couldn't help but make a "Tuzki"-like crazy expression.

The days passed quickly like flowing water, and the number of children increased day by day. Except for one child who died of a high fever, there were already forty-six children. All the orphans in the settlement and the surrounding areas had been adopted by Ou Ni.

Ou Ni's heart beat faster. She knew that choosing to raise these war orphans was a high-risk gamble. If she failed, she would lose everything.

Ouni's behavior gradually attracted the attention of the people in the settlement. Because she often appeared in the morning mist, distributed food, and adopted orphans, they gave her two nicknames.

They are "Mist Woman" and "Patriarch". When Ralph told her these nicknames, O'Neal was a little confused.

In Nordic culture, only people of high prestige are given nicknames, such as her father Feld, who was called "Forked Beard", which is pronounced as "Swein" in Old Norse.

Unbeknownst to her, the people hoped that Ouni would take in their children in case something bad happened to them, which quickly spread the word of her good deeds in the community.

Of course, there were also some people who laughed at her and called her a fool, wondering how could anyone be so stupid as to think there was too much food and give it to orphans.

Therefore, some free people came to provoke and tried to steal food, but they were surrounded and beaten by Ouni and the children and ran away.

If a person cannot kill someone, no matter how strong he is, he will be unable to defeat an opponent who is numerous and uses despicable means to attack their vital points.

"They didn't even follow the traditional custom to fight. This is not Viking at all!" some people were talking.

However, in the end, the title of "Patriarch" spread further. Everyone seemed to accept this title, and even the Avar lords heard about this strange thing happening in their own territory.

"Yes!" After hearing what her subordinates said, Ou Ni was a little puzzled.

Never mind, it doesn't matter! It's better than being called a "sow" or something like that.

Don't doubt the Norse sense of humor in giving nicknames, because in history there was indeed someone called a sow, the father of Harald III, because he tended to be gentle in character and hated all risky Viking behaviors such as robbery.

Her nickname, "Mist Lady", is sung by these children and represents beauty and mystery. Wherever she appears, it means bringing hope and is related to the Queen of Gods.

The Queen of the Gods "Frigga" is the wife of Woden (Odin), the king of the Aesir. She is known as the "Queen of the Gods" or "Queen of Heaven" and is also the goddess of marriage and family.

She is in charge of love, fertility, family, marriage and housework, and especially plays an important role in motherhood and domestic arts.

The Queen of Heaven is described as having a divine position related to clouds and mist. Her palace is called "Fensaril", which means "Palace of Mist" or "Palace of the Sea". "Mist Lady" represents that she is a girl from "Fensaril".

Ouni is regarded by these children as a symbol of female strength, wisdom and kindness, and is especially regarded as an object of sexual admiration by boys.

The "parents" are well known to outsiders.

It was a strange phenomenon, but Ou Ni didn't pay any attention to it. What worried her was that her food reserves were dwindling.

There is still some time before the autumn harvest.

(End of this chapter)