Auden’s Blessing
The war of the gods stands on the brink of eruption.
Five hundred and forty doors
stand within the resplendent halls of Valhalla;
from each, eight hundred armored warriors march forth as one,
to join the battle against the wolf Fenrir.
— Grímnismál (The Lay of Grímnir)
Chapter 1
This was a night from a long, long time ago—
so distant that the great war of Ragnarök had yet to begin,
when the divine race had only just split into two tribes,
when Odin, King of the Gods, and Loki, the God of Fire, had only just sworn brotherhood,