Runestone meadows

Runestones and signs

Where the grass grows underfoot And the sky is blue overhead There will always be a hearth and a home

Long ages past, when the Allfather Oden united the worlds, he threw down the Vanir, the giants and those creatures older than any others. The greatest of them could not be killed but were instead Forsaken, exiled here to Valheim for eternity. When they tread the earth, the lesser creatures jump like crumbs on a drumskin. You will know them when you see them.

Give thanks to Frey for the rain and sun For the shoots that break the earth's skin And the fruits of the vine Give thanks to Oden for the flesh and bone The smoke from the cooking fire, the warm pelt And the strength of your arm

Hold, traveller, and bear witness to my warning. We are many who have come before you, carried here by Oden's will to do his work. The path ahead is hard and the dangers great. If you hold your life dear, keep to these meadows and make your dwelling away from the trees. Fear the Horned One and the creatures he will send against you.

Heed these words of Ulf, a poor settler in a strange land. You will find here good stone and wood, all you need to build a house. You will need to craft a roof to keep out the rain. Then you will need walls to stop the roof from falling down. Finally, you must have a door or it will be much harder to go in and out. These things Ulf has learned for himself. Now he writes them on this stone to help others. Pray to Oden for his soul.

I was Astrid, a shieldmaiden of the forest. I know nothing of my life before I came here but my arm remembers the sword and my eyes see the course of the arrow. Now the raven guides me and I fight the great beasts in Oden's name.