Just leave the monster in peace
Published: Thu, 11/19/20
I wasn’t always like this, I was born in a cave which opened up onto a mountainside in Jotunheim. My father was Loki who had had enough of all the stuffy hierarchy of that place they call Aesgard, You know, from where Frigg and Odin seem to think they rule the universe. So, for a change he moved into a dark cave in the wilds of giant land, where he lived with my mother Angaboda, bringer of anguish, and trust me, round her life is never dull. I have a brother, Fenris, who is a particularly scary kind of wolf, and a sister, Hell, who is, well lets just say seriously odd and being queen of the dead is her perfect job description. I had a happy childhood, with parents and siblings like I had we could play games like... On second thoughts I don’t want to put you off your breakfast, don’t even try and imagine, you had to be there.
Then one day this happy little family gets broken up by Odin and his gang. The so called Alfather, riding the eight legged Sleipnir which called out ‘Greetings Mother’, as soon as it saw Loki. And they say I am supposed be weird? Then what happens? My dad gets persuaded to return to the comforts of Aesgard and his boring, dutiful, little wife Signy. My mum gets left on her own, she won’t have been bored for long, but I feel sorry for whoever did get her attention next, yes Agaboda, not just a name more of a way of life. My sister gets her own realm, okay it is full of dead people, but as I said she is bit odd, so that suits her fine. Fenris gets to live in Aesagard, okay I hear that it didn’t end well, lets face it my wolf brother was never going to fit into polite society, but I bet it was fun in the meantime.
Me? Oh yes, I just get thrown into the sea by myself. I was only really quite a little wyrm at the time and believe me the ocean is a big and scary place. Pretty lonely too compared with those first few happy years in that dark cave surrounded by my loving, in their own special way, family. I soon caught on to the art and science of marine hunting and over a few ages I became the master of the oceans. The more I ate, the more I grew and one day I found myself sneaking up on a monster with a tail as large as mine. I was the top predator in all the seven seas and I was not going to tolerate any competition. So, I bit hard on the tail fins and prepared to consume my adversary. Ow, someone had just bitten my tail, at the exact same moment. I bit again and it hurt again. Then it dawned on me, I was the top predator and it was time to stop growing. So, I rest on the floor of the oceans, mind my own business, and just let nature do
her thing. My huge body processes the water, cleaning and energizing the life giving fluid upon which all life depends. I realise now that I was put here to sustain the cycle of life and I am honoured to fulfil this role in peace.
Or I would be if I didn’t keep being disturbed by idiots who don’t know when to leave a monster well alone. The worst culprit? Thor, The protector god who seems to be determined to rouse me to anger. Okay, it wasn’t always his fault. Remember that ridiculous charade put on by Utgard Loki when Thor, who lets face it really isn’t that bright, found himself drinking the sea, wrestling old age, and trying to lift a cat? Of course the feline was actually me! That was annoying, and it was just as well Thor wasn’t as strong as he thinks he is or that would have ended very badly. Then there was that fishing expedition when I got tempted by a tasty ox head and found my self on the end of a hook. Thor very nearly got me to the surface where he was ready with his hammer, it was very lucky that the other giant had the sense to cut the line before that situation turned very nasty indeed. Why does Thor want to provoke me? Only reason I can
see is that he is always looking for a worthy opponent. Perhaps he thinks I am that adversary and one day he will discover that neither of us will survive that encounter.
Let me explain what I do. I lie at the bottom of the ocean and I cleanse and purify your world. I take the filth, the pollution, and poisons that are discarded into the ecosystem and I hold them in my body. I admit that in recent years I have been struggling a bit. I mean, I can see that plastics are useful but how can it be a good idea to throw empty plastic bottles into the sea? You really are asking for trouble there and I really can’t help you with that one. Worse than that, if you seriously disturb me I will have no choice but to release the poison I have held from you for so long. Maybe this will happen when I confront Thor at the last battle and we kill each other, me dying by the hammer, him by the poison I will have no chance but to spew out. Thor knows this is the death foretold for him. Maybe it won’t matter anyway, by the time Ragnok comes my work will be done, so for Thor and I it may be a fitting release.
However, if I am disturbed before the great confrontation of gods and giants then I have no way of knowing what kind of disaster might follow. If you are wise you will let sleeping monsters lie.
regards
Graham
PS Working on the module for Kreft and Loki has given me a lot to think about. I think I might give Angaboda a voice next, I expect she has a story to tell too. If you are interested in the Foundation Programme please see here https://iceandfire.org.uk/join.html