The Tower: Part 3: Samhain
Post #23: In which endings and beginnings (again) ...
(If you are a new subscriber, you might want to start at the beginning of the Webbd Wheel Series with The Hanged Man. If you would like to start at the beginning of The Tower, go here. If you prefer to read part 3 in its entirety, go here. For the next serial post, go here.)
Skuld greeted Eurydice with tearful gratitude. She lay on her bed, thin white braids over each shoulder, looking frail and wretched, but she gave Eurydice a smile, returned her kiss and kept a firm grasp on her hand. Her scissors, with which she cut the thread, lay on a table next to the bed, and it gave Eurydice a pang to see them there rather than in their accustomed place behind Skuld’s ear.
The first night they sat in Skuld’s room on a variety of chairs and stools, eating Urd’s rich meat stew. In unspoken agreement they didn’t speak of Yrtym or troubling subjects, but instead reminisced about Eurydice’s previous visit, talked about Rowan Tree and Rumpelstiltskin’s work (leaving out mention of his last student), and exchanged stories about Baba Yaga and Odin, which grew wilder and more fantastic as the evening lengthened, until they laughed together like old friends.
The next morning, however, Eurydice sobered. She realized the Norns needed at least temporary assistance. Skuld was an integral part of the household. In addition to her work as a Norn she tended the garden, although, thankfully, that work was finished for the winter. She was also the chief cook, which task fell to Urd now, a good, plain cook in her own right but without Skuld’s finesse or pleasure in producing meals.
Food was also becoming a problem. The Norns traded Verdani’s spinning for most of their needs, and as the quality and quantity of her yarn and thread decreased, so did its value. Fortunately, Skuld had harvested and stored vegetables and fruit before she took to her bed, but fresh food like eggs, butter and meat were in short supply, and the addition of three mouths to feed overwhelmed the Norns’ larder.
As a matter of course, Rumpelstiltskin quietly took upon himself hunting and foraging, just as he had during the journey to Yggdrasil. He also undertook to supply firewood for both the fireplace and the brazier. When Urd thanked him, he made little of these contributions. “It’s what I’m skilled at, enjoy and want to do,” he said. “With so much uncertainty, it’s as good a place to start as any. Besides, I made a commitment to follow a path into malehood. You need the help, and I need to provide and protect. I can also keep an eye on the natural cycles and progress of the season as I’m out among the trees and wild animals.”
In these activities, to Eurydice’s surprise, Mirmir frequently assisted and accompanied Rumpelstiltskin. They looked a strange pair, the giant snake and the Dwarve’s short, stout figure with his hammer and chisel, hunting gear and knives.
“He’s a good hunter,” Rumpelstiltskin said when she questioned him.
“Does he talk to you?”
“In his own way,” the Dwarve replied, but refused to elaborate.
Heks, Eurydice observed, appeared to grow ten years younger in the Norns’ company. She was willing to do any task, from laundry to kitchen work to nursing Skuld. She proved a match for Urd’s stringy strength, and because of her presence Urd was able to return to her work as a Norn, considerably reduced though it was due to the disruption in the Yrtym and Verdani’s spinning. Heks also traveled with what yarn and thread they did produce to exchange or sell it for household necessities. In nearby villages, markets and shops she heard the latest local gossip and news, which was increasingly grim. Everyone seemed to be experiencing some kind of breakdown, in relationships, in business or in the land and animals they lived with and depended on. The harvest had been adequate, but feelings of scarcity and fear grew everywhere.
Heks spent a great deal of time with Skuld, and Eurydice often heard them cackling and snorting with laughter behind Skuld’s closed door. She couldn’t imagine what they found so funny. They were the two least likely women on Webbd to exchange amusing stories. There was no denying, though, under Heks’s care Skuld looked better. She wept and sighed less and took an intelligent part in the evening conversations as they each shared their histories and stories, including what they’d heard and experienced since the trouble started. She also ate better, and began leaving her bed and sitting by the fire during their evening talks.
Eurydice, much to her discomfort, found herself filling in for Skuld as the cutter of the thread. First Verdani and then Urd begged her to do so.
“But I’m not a Norn,” Eurydice protested. “How can I fill such a responsible position? I’m not powerful or wise enough! Who knows what mistakes I might make?”
“Nonsense,” said Verdani stoutly. “You’re far better qualified than either Urd or I, and far less likely to make a mistake. Your work is thresholds -- stepping from one thing to another. So is this!”
“But what if Skuld’s right, and we’re running out of beginnings? What if I cut the thread and everything ends -- because of me?”
“Poppycock!” said Urd. “I don’t believe that could ever happen. Everything must end, and at the same time nothing really ever ends. It’s an immutable enigma, a law of life. Something is always present, even when nothing is! Think about your time in Hades.”
“Nowhere to go and nothing to do,” said Eurydice.
“You were there,” said Verdani.
“And Maria, and Persephone, and so many others,” said Eurydice.
“That’s just what I’m saying,” said Urd, triumphant. “Something is always present!”
“I can’t cut the thread,” said Eurydice. “I daren’t.”
“We need you,” Verdani said. “Eurydice, we need all of you -- Heks and Rumpelstiltskin and you. It’s not an accident you’re here, and no one else. We need you, specifically you, with your power and skills and abilities. We need you the way the mother trees needed to die in your arms. The Yrtym is breaking down, coming apart. The remedy might lie in possessing the courage to hold on to connection, and I trust your connection to Skuld.”
Without another word, Eurydice had gone into Skuld’s room and asked if she could use her scissors. Skuld, in the midst of gossiping with Heks, paused, gave her a long look and nodded, taking up her conversation again before Eurydice left the room.
As she cut the swathe of autumn Verdani spun into hanks for animal pelt, winter plumage, frozen water crystals and a rather moth-eaten heavy yarn for clothing and blankets, she prayed with each cut a new section would begin.
As she passed section after section to Urd for winding and storage, she gained confidence, feeling where the cut should be made to separate one thing from another.
Verdani reached the end of the swathe. They deliberated a long time about what she should spin next. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to spin anymore,” Verdani said.
They discussed it together for several evenings by the fire.
“If you fear running out of beginnings,” said Heks, “what can you weave that makes the stuff of beginnings? What begins?”
“Seeds,” said Eurydice, “and sometimes roots.”
“Bones,” said Heks. “Maria has a loom made from her sons’ bones.
“Nephthys has bones,” Urd remarked.
“Procreation involves male and female energy,” said Rumpelstiltskin. “One of the tasks of malehood is procreation.”
Skuld shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense, since there are no female Dwarves. You’re born solely from male energy. I’ve seen it happen millions of times.”
“I have an idea about that,” said Rumpelstiltskin, “but can we agree creating something -- a new beginning -- takes more than one…ingredient?”
“I agree,” said Eurydice. “Also, what about souls? I know that sounds silly,” she looked around at the others, “but I know from my time in Hades souls are like bones and seeds. They’re what’s left when everything else is stripped away, the basic building block of something new.”
“It’s not silly,” said Urd. “Makes perfect sense.”
“Death, in fact, begins life,” said Heks. “And life begins death.”
“Verdani,” said Eurydice, “what makes Yrtym?”
Verdani looked blank. “I’ve no idea. I haven’t thought about it before.”
“If we can find out, maybe we can make more.”
“Maybe. What an amazing idea!”
After a few silent minutes while they thought about making Yrtym, Skuld said, “So, how do we gather seeds, bones, souls and death to weave with?”
“The male and female Seed Bearers, obviously,” said Urd. “We can send for them, and Nephthys can provide bones.”
“What about souls?” asked Rumpelstiltskin. “Should we send to Hades for them?”
“No,” said Eurydice. “Remember the Wild Hunt? Why not ask Odin for whatever the Hunt gleans?”
“But how can I spin new beginnings from these elements without Yrtym?” Verdani asked hopelessly. “I can’t turn death into life on a spinning wheel without some kind of alchemy!”
“We can,” said the Dwarve. He left his stool and stood before the fire, facing them all. “We can. I can teach you to spin straw into gold and endings into beginnings. Listen.”
He told them Jenny’s story, his most beloved student, the miller’s daughter who learned to spin straw into gold and saved her own life. He told them about her brief marriage to Hans, the baker who judged a woman’s worth by a pea, and about her time with Minerva, maturing her skill and learning how to manage her power. Then, he told them of Jenny’s murder at the hands of Heks’s only son, Bruno, who was himself killed in the act of another murder by a soldier who happened to be near. As he ended his story, tears dripped down his face into his beard, and he made no effort to hide them.
“She sounds so special,” said Verdani. “I’ve never heard of a talent like that.”
“You are a talent like that,” said the Dwarve. “You’re a Norn, one of the Three Norns, and between your hands the Wheel turns. I think if we work together, we can help you spin beginnings out of endings and perhaps even find a way to make Yrtym. I think we must try. I know if Jenny was here, she would try.”
“After all,” said Heks. “We have nothing to lose. And if I can be part of carrying on Jenny’s legacy it will help me atone for my son.”
“You are not responsible,” said Rumpelstiltskin. “We’ve talked about this before.”
“I am responsible in that I gave him life,” said Heks. “After that, his choices became his own. Still, I brought Jenny’s death into the world, and that’s a heavy burden.”
“Must we travel to Odin, Nephthys and the Seed Bearers and ask for help?” Eurydice asked, changing the subject tactfully.
“No,” said Skuld. “There’s no need. Mirmir will do it all.”
The next morning Verdani, Urd and Rumpelstiltskin conferred at length with Mirmir under Yggdrasil. Eurydice watched from the kitchen window as she did the breakfast dishes. Heks and Skuld had a cup of tea together in Skuld’s bedroom.
When the conference ended, Mirmir, Verdani and Urd examined Yggdrasil’s base together, moving around the trunks and out of sight and then appearing again from the other side. Eurydice, watching, remembered the portal under Yggdrasil had opened on her first visit to the Norns; she’d traveled through it to Nephthys’s desert and found the Well of Bones, where she’d met Kunik, Maria and Nephthys. She wondered if the portal showed itself again, and if Nephthys would be able to travel through it.
The two Norns and Mirmir spoke together for a minute, and then the Norns returned to the house and Mirmir began slithering up the massive tree and out of sight, yards of his coiled body at the base of the tree slowly straightening and disappearing.
As Verdani entered the kitchen, Eurydice looked at her expectantly.
Verdani smiled. “Yes, that portal does look as though it’s beginning to open. We don’t know if it will work, but with Nephthys opening the other side it might be possible. Mirmir will send word to the desert vultures, and they will tell Nephthys we need her. He’ll also speak to Odin’s raven, who’s a great friend of his and often stops by for a gossip. He’ll find a way to contact Shala, the Seed-Bearer, as well. She should be on her way to Yule House, but there’s still plenty of time for her to stop here.”
“Does the portal go only to Nephthys’s desert?” asked Rumpelstiltskin.
“We have no idea,” said Urd. “Not our business. I’m not sure it goes anywhere now.”
“I think we’d better prepare for more guests,” said Verdani.
***
Eurydice expected to wait several days, but two days later a heavily pregnant woman with a long mane of curling black hair and several gold bangle bracelets on each wrist appeared and introduced herself as Shala, the Seed-Bearer. She wore a simple sheepskin skirt and tunic, tufted and fringed, and was escorted by, of all people, Death.
Eurydice again marveled at the expressiveness of what was only an animated skeleton. Solicitously, he put Shala in a chair, offered her a footstool and a cushion for her back, hovered like an overanxious father and would have held the cup of water Verdani brought her while she sipped if she hadn’t taken it decisively from his hand.
Heks shouldered him rudely aside. “That’s quite enough, you clown. She’s pregnant, not incapable. Go away. Skuld’s wanting to see you. In there.” She gestured at Skuld’s closed bedroom door.
To the young woman, she said, “Shala, I’m Heks. I’m a midwife. Thank you for coming. Are you comfortable? What can we do for you?”
“I’m quite well,” said Shala. She smiled. “I’m glad to get off my feet, though. She laid her hands on her bulging belly, her bracelets jingling musically. “I’ll be relieved when someone else can carry these two.”
“Twins, then?” asked Heks.
“Yes, in three or four weeks. I’m on my way to Yule House, where I’ll give birth. Hecate will be with me.”
“You’ll be in excellent hands,” said Heks. “Let me know if I can do anything for you while you’re here.”
“Why am I here? I received the message you wanted me, but that’s all I know.” Her dark eyes moved from Heks to Eurydice to the two Norns and Rumpelstiltskin. “I don’t know any of you, do I?”
“You don’t know us, my dear, and the reason you’re here is a complicated story,” Verdani answered. “We’ll talk about this evening. For now, will you eat something and rest?”
Shala agreed to this plan. Verdani performed introductions and Urd brought Shala a bowl of soup made from rabbit, grouse and turkey meat with vegetables and barley. After she’d eaten, Eurydice took her up to the attic and showed her where she would sleep. Shala toed off supple short leather boots and lay down with a relieved sigh, curling on her side around her protruding belly. Eurydice made sure the window was ajar, covered her lightly and left her resting.
As the afternoon waned, Nephthys skipped out from under the shadows beneath Yggdrasil. She looked like a child on the brink of puberty, wearing nothing but a ragged, sandy cloth around her middle. Earrings swayed from her lobes, the fire and lamplight turning them into golden spangles, and a tattooed dots and dashes wound their way up one childish bare arm. Her hair was a thick, kinky tangle, her eyes dark and her skin the same olive color as Shala’s.
She walked into the Norn’s cottage without knocking, gave Verdani and Urd an affectionate hug, wrapping her thin arms around their waists, greeted Eurydice familiarly, who she’d met once before, nodded to Rumpelstiltskin, whom she had encountered at an Ostara initiation, and made a beeline for Skuld’s closed door, from behind which sounds of muffled hilarity issued as Heks, Skuld and Death were, presumably, talking. As she opened the door and entered, Eurydice watched her pull a grubby bag out from inside her loincloth. She shut the door firmly behind her.
“Did she bring bones?” Eurydice asked.
“Who knows?” answered Urd, rolling her eyes but smiling.
“Maybe she left them out by Yggdrasil,” said Verdani.
That evening, a raven brought word that Odin would arrive the following day.
***
The party-like atmosphere in the Norns’ house surprised Eurydice. When she, Heks and Rumpelstiltskin had arrived, the Norns seemed worn out and old, frighteningly unsure about what was happening or what to do about it. The last thing she’d expected was this gradually increasing playful mood and even hilarity. Even stranger, Heks appeared to be largely responsible for it, and the arrival of Death and Nephthys escalated the lighthearted mood considerably.
Now, as they finished breakfast and began clearing the table, Heks said, “I feel like a swim.” She looked from one Norn to another, and then at Shala. “So do you. It will do you good.”
“I’m too ill,” said Skuld dolefully. “I can’t.” Eurydice thought of the frequent cackling she’d heard going on behind Skuld’s bedroom door and eyed her dubiously.
“You’re not ill and you will,” Heks said to her.
Skuld looked mutinous.
“It’s a wonderful idea,” Rumpelstiltskin put in unexpectedly. “It’s been a long time since I sat in a spring. Is it warm?”
“Yes,” said Urd. “It’s lovely. We haven’t bathed in it in a long time. I’m surprised at you, Skuld. You used to love swimming in the well.”
“Only privately,” muttered Skuld.
“Nonsense,” said Heks. “We need hide nothing from one another. No one will faint when you turn into a mermaid.”
“A mermaid?” said Shala, astonished. “But how wonderful! My mate, Dago, can take a fish’s shape! Our people are fisherman and we love the water.”
“All three of us Norns can become mermaids,” said Urd matter-of-factly. “It embarrasses Skuld.”
“Mirmir will join us,” said Heks firmly.
“Not if the swans are here,” said Verdani. “They terrify him.”
“The swans,” said Heks severely, “are not here.”
“Goody,” said Nephthys. “When can we go?”
“The well is behind the house,” Verdani replied.
“We can go when the morning tasks are finished,” said Urd, sounding like a schoolmistress. “Skuld, go in there and make your bed. Better yet, strip it and Heks can help you put fresh sheets on it. You’ve lain there too long. Open the window and let out the fug. Nephthys, will you please go upstairs and make the beds? Check the floor under the bat house and give it a sweep if Mirmir’s friend has visited. Make sure the window is ajar. Eurydice, will you do the dishes?”
“I’ll bring a load of wood and lay the next fire,” said Rumpelstiltskin. “Are you planning a venison stew?”
“Yes,” said Urd.
“Then I’ll cut vegetables and help Eurydice in the kitchen, while you cook,” said Verdani.
“Let me do the vegetables,” said Shala. “I can sit at the table and stay off my feet.”