#WhyOdinDrinks
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bjornlarssen.com
#WIPSnips Today, Freya finds out how much the dwarf smiths charge per Brísingamen.

Extra bit in the alt-text!

#NorseMythology remixed:
→ www.bjornlarssen.com/whyodindrinks (book 1)
“Those four men…” “Four? Isn’t the holy number three?” “Not in Svartálfheim.” Freya briefly considered moving to Svartálfheim before remembering she didn’t like heat all that much. Of living in dirty caves. “They call themselves ‘artisans’. Their names are…” “Loki, I don’t care what their names are. Take me there.” “You don’t want to hear what their price is?” “They can have all the gold and jewels,” Freya said, determined, “Idunn’s fruit, they can have everything I have, as long as…” “They demand a night with you.” “…I am satisfied,” Freya finished just because her mouth was already moving and she failed to stop it. Loki, who in the meantime slowly became someone entirely genderless, positively radiated excitement of decent and indecent sorts. “Sleep? You mean a night of sleep, right?” “Maybe afterwards.” Freya bit her lip. There was no point in asking for further clarification.
October 15, 2025 at 9:18 AM
bjornlarssen.com
#WIPSnips Today, Sif – the Goddess of gold-diggers (at Freya’s request) (long story) – discovers who exactly is going to marry Thor. Hint: IT IS SIF.

Book I:
→ www.bjornlarssen.com/whyodindrinks
“I see her closer now,” whispered Sif, lifting her innocent – she practiced innocence twice a day – gaze to meet the green-eyed God’s. She hid a frown. The table between them meant she’d have to swoon diagonally. “She shines with light of purity and… and gold… oh… her hair…” “No, you don’t!” snapped Freya. “Oh!” cried Sif, who wasn’t quite finished, but Odin-as-a-witch jumping to his feet authentically scared her. “Oh!” Letting go of Thor’s hand she fell on the table, rolling off it as gracefully as one could roll off the table while swooning and expecting to get caught before hitting the floor. It didn’t go exactly as she hoped. Thor jumped to his feet. The table smashed into the wall. Sif, who wasn’t entirely done falling off it, let out a yelp. Freya tripped over Ginger and also fell, barely managing not to plant face-down into a pile of magical objects with a cross-bow on top.
October 12, 2025 at 10:20 AM
bjornlarssen.com
#WIPSnips Today, Odin demands to be taught more seiðr. The definition of seiðr for the needs of #WhyOdinDrinks is…not academically confirmed.

I just noticed the grammar needs help. My editor’s problem. This is a #WIP. Sorry.

Book I:
→ www.bjornlarssen.com/whyodindrinks
When time for Odin’s next lesson came, Freya wasn’t dreading it, because she had entirely forgotten, obsessed with reputation she should have. Would she rather be overestimated or underestimated? Smile warmly or have her teeth sharpened, even if the visual alone made them itch? She could bestow love on people as reward or curse them with it – she idly wondered whether jarl Bolesław and his dog found their happily-ever-after. Should those people (except jarl Bolesław) know about her power? “Oh,” she welcomed the frowning All-Father, “it’s you. Howdy?” The wrinkles between Odin’s eye and black hole deepened. “I would like to fly.” “So, feeling good?” “Tone,” he snapped. “I can shift. I can’t fly. Something goes wonky. Teach me, you’re a very good eagle.” “A falcon,” Freya muttered. Wrinkles between her eyes were gorgeous, if involuntary. It was another of those things she couldn’t explain. She just did it. What was flight? Walking, in general, involved having something under one’s feet. Wingless creatures only ever suddenly found themselves not having anything under their feet when they were either very distracted, or in the process of falling into a trap.
October 11, 2025 at 2:19 PM
bjornlarssen.com
#WIPSnips I have to go with ‘diploma’. Today, Odin receives his from Freya’s School of Seiðr. Even though what he has done isn’t actually seiðr. The Old Bastard mix’n’matched magics and the result is…

#WIP: #WhyOdinDrinks Book II
www.whyodindrinks.com
“It’s in the Great Hall,” Odin said. “I can’t wait for you to see it. I hope you deem it sufficiently good to present me with my diploma.” In the middle of the night, he practically skipped with excitement, twirling his staff in his hand, definitely not leaning on it. Freya had to reach Bragi, but couldn’t say ‘no’ right now, forced to follow Odin with bitter tears in her throat, wishing she hadn’t united the two crowds. It was obvious they would be fighting each other right now instead of agreeing. From here, she couldn’t even reach them, change their feelings… The door of the Great Hall opened soundlessly and Odin invited Freya in with a gesture. She was way too exhausted to be impressed by parchment and quill hovering in the air. “Is this it?” she just asked. A circle of light appeared on the floor, illuminating… “Birds?” “Ravens.” “Um, hello, ravens? Shoo, it’s time for All-Father’s thesis.” The faster, the better. Freya needed two things. Sleep and Bragi. In this or other order. The ravens didn’t react. “They are my thesis,” Odin said.
July 21, 2025 at 10:55 AM
bjornlarssen.com
I have ‘neon’! #WIPSnips

Bloodbath & Beyond, aka Why Odin Drinks II, has ALL the anachronisms. Okay, there are no smartphones yet. Check out @rgeirsson.bsky.social’s books for those. (Odin has a certain habit…)

#Loki #WhyOdinDrinks II www.bjornlarssen.com/whyodindrinks
“They can have all the gold and jewels,” Freya said, determined, “Idunn’s fruit, they can have everything I have, as long as…” “They demand a night with you.” “…I am satisfied,” Freya finished just because her mouth was already moving and she failed to stop it. Loki, who in the meantime slowly became someone entirely genderless, positively radiated excitement of decent and indecent sorts. “Sleep? You mean a night of sleep, right?” “Maybe afterwards.” Freya bit her lip. There was no point in asking for further clarification. “Ah! I nearly forgot. That will be a night each.” “What?!” “Four artisans, four nights,” Loki said. “What the f-f-f…” “Each of the f-f-four of them possesses an ability others don’t. They are a complete set. They live and breathe their work. I told them that what you wanted was the ultimate in jewellery. Something worth a bloodbath, nay, something that would be a prize worth destroying the Nine Worlds. They insist they can create it and I, personally, believe them. Of course, I understand you will never agree to their shameless demands…” Loki looked so innocent and pure now that they were practically a flashing neon sign surrounded by a gaggle of prudish can-can dancers announcing “THIS WAS MY OWN, PERSONAL IDEA. I CAME UP WITH IT ALL BY MYSELF. AND I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I KNOW YOU WILL SAY YES.” He was right.
May 20, 2025 at 9:41 AM
bjornlarssen.com
The #WIPSnips word for May 28 is “want”

In today’s instalment, Thor is digging his own grave. I mean, heading towards the inevitable – getting married to Sif. With Freya’s unwilling help…

#WhyOdinDrinks II: Bloodbath & Beyond
www.whyodindrinks.com (Book I)

#HumorousFantasy #Satire #NorseMythology
Freya’s eyes narrowed. “Isn’t it curious, how when you’re doing the squelchy with half of the women in the Universe people say ‘oh, it’s just Thor’ but when I enter a sacred unity with the Artisans they call it ‘hanky-panky’?” “I-I don’t.” With one gulp Freya emptied the goblet. “Oh, petal. I really sympathise. There is nothing I can do for you, though. Oh, don’t do the sad puppy face, I’m not Helga or Sylvie or Inez or Barbz…” “Barbz? I don’t know a Barbz.” “Yet. You will, eventually, and she will be like no other.” “And that will be the one?” “No,” Freya said. “Oh, darling, the pout doesn’t work on me either. It’s not their fault, it’s yours. Do all of them really meet someone special, get pregnant, and leave you sobbing alone in the rain? Not one woman has ever told you that you were the one she wanted to be with, have your children, breastfeed them?” Thor grabbed the nearest tankard. Unfortunately, he had emptied it already. “Sometimes,” he admitted. “They get all…sticky. Like a fly trap. It never happens with the right one.” “Oh, darling, you’re just vain. I bet you think this book is about you, don’t you? Thor, you’re jealous, possessive, and you don’t want to settle. That’s the truth.” “I do,” Thor quietly said. “I want to find someone more special than anyone else, my Brísingamen, only a woman. I don’t want you to meddle with anything. I need…a hint. Even Heimdall used to have someone more special than other someones, I heard, and Heimdall sees and hears everyone…” “I heard that,” Heimdall said, appearing out of nowhere, grabbing a mug of apple juice, and disappearing again. This caused Thor to short-circuit mid-ellipsis, giving Freya a chance to become the narrator.
May 28, 2025 at 12:59 PM
bjornlarssen.com
The #WIPSnips word for June 3 is "wait"

Today, Queen Taylor simply can’t wait to be avenged once someone kills her, and she has no delusions; queens only die in their beds when that’s where they get stabbed to death.

#WhyOdinDrinks II: Bloodbath & Beyond
www.bjornlarssen.com/whyodindrinks (Book I)
“I’m only going to fall in battle after I have given birth to as many strong boys and girls as possible, extending my line, so they can learn how to fight well and avenge me when I’m gone.” “A-avenge…?” “Your Grace, with all respect, as a Goddess you should know all too well that a strong, independent woman doesn’t let anyone slight her. If someone lies to me, makes inappropriate advances, steals what is mine, I take care of it myself. Nobody makes this sort of mistake twice. If someone kills me? I’m going to be very, very offended, until they are sufficiently punished.” “But you will be dead.” Queen Taylor’s eyes narrowed. “Some of us,” she said somewhat dreamily, “don’t let go of grudges just because we no longer have hands to hold them. If you got murdered, would you just shake it off?” Freya had to admit she’d never really thought about it. “I’m also securing my children’s future. This way not just I shall go to Valhalla and live forever in skalds’ songs, but so will my children. This is as immortal as we mortals get. Oh, I can’t wait to see my children being avenged by my grandchildren, Odin by their side…” “I need some water,” Freya said weakly.
June 3, 2025 at 8:55 AM
bjornlarssen.com
The #WIPSnips word for June 23 is ‘desperate’.

Today, Freya is trying to dream of what will become her famous necklace Brísingamen, but she doesn’t yet even know it will be a necklace. Only that it will be better than perfect.

#WhyOdinDrinks Book II
www.whyodindrinks.com

#NorseMythology
She was making the same mistake as the people she has interviewed, only thinking of amount rather than size. Freya was perfect. Therefore, she needed something more than perfection – a masterpiece. If she were to acquire countless perfect rings, their mutual existence would render them not perfect around. It should only be one thing, the perfectest of all, or she’d spend the rest of her immortality unable to pick the right outfit and decide what to put on her fingers, neck, head, ears, arms, wrists, ankles, and… no, there would not be a nose ring in her future, even if it was a nose ring to end all nose rings, which in Freya’s opinion would be a good thing to happen… When the night has arrived, Freya used magic to light all her crystals and sat, sleepless, staring at the ring placed on the table in front of her. It was too much and not enough. She could imagine it being perfect. But she needed the dwarves… the dark elves, she corrected herself, the word was a slur… to come up with something even she couldn’t imagine. So nearly invisible that it would make everything else – but Freya herself – disappear… She yawned desperately, put the ring on her finger, dimmed the lights, and moved to bed, where she spent a sleepless night obsessing about the thing she couldn’t begin to imagine.
June 23, 2025 at 2:47 PM
bjornlarssen.com
The #WIPSnips word for May 10th is "where"

A short one today.

#WriteSky #WhyOdinDrinks II
The highlighted part is between asterisks: He could barely see Heimdall positioning himself in front of the mirror and the glean of the impeccably white, if torn tunic that was also grey, disgusting, vile. *Odin wasn’t having a headache, but an eye-ache located in the one spot where it couldn’t be. In the eye currently located on the bottom of the Well of Wisdom. The only part of Odin that wasn’t here where Bragi was, couldn’t hear a word due to being an eye, and thus couldn’t be deceived.* Yes, Heimdall was too sexy for this tunic, Odin knew it was true and so did Heimdall, but how? Did it really hurt? He wasn’t and it didn’t until Bragi said so. The eye knew. There were two truths now and their coexistence caused Odin pain so intense a little groan escaped his lips. And time stopped. Or, rather, Time.
May 11, 2025 at 10:56 AM
bjornlarssen.com
“He also had a big, massive, thick, hard…
Yes. That. An entendre so decidedly single that it couldn’t be misinterpreted by anyone who had ever been remotely near an entendre.”

www.bjornlarssen.com/whyodindrinks

(Photo: Freyr with his entendre)
The Rällinge statuette from Södermanland, Sweden, believed to depict Freyr, Viking Age (Wikimedia)
April 7, 2025 at 2:19 PM
bjornlarssen.com
The #WIPSnips word for June 26 is ‘challenge’ and, as it happens, we’re close to finding out what Odin drinks. Well, Idunn (I’m glad to finally show her off!) is close.

#NorseMythology #WhyOdinDrinks book II
www.whyodindrinks.com
“Keep this pear for a special occasion,” said Idunn one day when Freya caught her without Bragi. Idunn always shone, eternal summer surrounded by Ásgard’s eternal summer. “It’s strong.” “Your fruit keeps me, I mean – us all, immortal and forever young. How can it get stronger than that?” “It’s very…” Idunn made a thoughtful face. “Sensual.” “Oh! Freyr must try one.” Idunn sighed. “It would probably make him suffer even more. What I mean is… Have you ever been massaged by two very handsome dark elves with really strong fingers after you emerged from a very long, hot bath, with another servant cooling your skin with a fan made of very big ostrich feathers, while a maid fed you peeled grapes with no pits?” Freya considered that. “No,” she finally answered. “Not that I remember.” “Well,” said Idunn, “this pear will make you feel exactly like that, only better.” She winked. “I’m working on a special drink for Odin now. It’s a bit of a challenge, because he doesn’t like sweet drinks. So I’m trying to make bitter grape juice… oh! I’m sorry. You know what it’s like when you love what you do.” Freya’s smile stiffened. She didn’t. “I could go on forever. You were going to ask me something?”
June 26, 2025 at 10:15 AM
bjornlarssen.com
Today, we meet Freya after she’d spent four nights with the dwar— dark elf Artisans who created Brísingamen. Loki is about to start slut-shaming her. She doesn’t care much. She thinks.

(Thanks for the stripe suggestion @marianlthorpe.bsky.social)

WIP: #WhyOdinDrinks Book II
www.whyodindrinks.com
The gate silently opened when she approached it, revealing some sort of large lizard baking in the sun. The lizard yawned and shifted at the sight of her. “A salamander,” said Loki, standing up. “About the only thing that can live here. Can we go? Is that a necklace? Looks pretty. Can I touch it?” Freya winced so hard her back met the gate, which already shut behind her. She’d never walk through it again. It wasn’t said or even implied; it was known. “Absolutely not.” “You must be exhausted.” That didn’t sound innocent. It sounded very, very suggestive. Freya ignored his tone. Someone like Loki could never understand love. So, she’d never love another person or a God, and? There would always be Brísingamen. “Your hair is a mess,” Loki added with a jeering grin. Freya lightly shook her head and each of the hairs returned where it belonged. Her stomach rumbled and dry throat reminded she hadn’t had even a drop of water for four days and nights. In this heat, she was going to pass out if she didn’t immediately drink the contents of a small lake filled with slightly fermented grape juice. “Let’s go,” she said. There were mirrors awaiting in Sessrúmnir. When she shifted, the normally dark stripes on the falcon’s pale chest were golden.
July 7, 2025 at 9:28 AM
bjornlarssen.com
The #WIPSnips word for May 23 is "cover"

This is what happens when Sif awaits her wedding to Thor and Freya is ssssslightly enviousssss of Sif’s hair… (If you’ve read ‘Children’, you know how that turned out later.)

#WIP #WhyOdinDrinks II www.bjornlarssen.com/whyodindrinks
Sif stopped as well. A Goddess. The word seemed to transform her from the sixth daughter of a drunken carpenter and a shepherdess into someone who could shake off Freya’s words and find a stem of furious envy. Someone who knew that her hair was the only thing that truly made her different from a somewhat cunning tavern wench. “Yeeeees,” she said, letting the word flow like a monotonous skald’s song, not letting it end until the last of the air in her lungs built to a hiss. “Oh, yessss. Very much sssso.” “I will lend you anything you like. Everything, if you so wish, although I don’t think even Thor could lift that all at once! Let me look at your eyes… hmm. Well. I suppose anything will go with this colour. I see you in a long white gown, nothing but a diamond tiara in your hair, nobody will see your ears anyway, but, honey, necklaces, necklaces, necklaces…! Shorter, longer, you will be covered in gold. Bracelets, too. Rings… yes, I am thinking diamonds, darling. Gold and diamonds all over. Would you like that?” Sif nodded carefully. She didn’t know what either a tiara or a diamond was, but being covered in Freya’s gold… Everyone knew the Goddess desired nothing but gold and got what she desired. Sif glanced at the necklace that was worth of four nights with dirty dwarves – nothing much to look at. The rest of her collection must have been astounding. Soon Sif’s collection would rival Freya’s, obviously…
May 23, 2025 at 10:48 AM
bjornlarssen.com
#WIPSnips Today, Freya is about to get burnt at a stake for the second time, and she has a realisation that’s even more unpleasant. (Fire can’t kill her.) (This is not the realisation.)

An extra sentence in the alt-text, because it didn’t fit.

#WIP: #WhyOdinDrinks book II
www.whyodindrinks.com
“I’m giving you a choice,” Odin said. There was a red, flickering light inside his empty eye socket. The light of fire. “You can have your three days, search for lawyers, beg Forseti, even Bragi. It will change nothing, and Sif might find out. She’d love to attend. Or it can be done quietly – now.” “Now?!” “As soon as the stake is prepared. Týr, am I being fair?” “Yes,” permitted the God of justice. It’s only pain, Freya thought. I’m going to survive this. So will Brísingamen. Nobody can take it away from me. “Start immediately,” she said, her voice strong. “Immediately,” Odin repeated in a voice that betrayed surprise…and weakness. “Are you sure?” “Swear to me that Sif is never going to find out. From anyone, even from your informer, who is Loki.” “I can’t swear to you that Sif is never going to find out from anyone, because I don’t have this sort of power, and Bragi can’t spread a story of the Goddess Freya not being burned at a stake. Eir will help you recover—” “No. Nobody. You and Týr can enjoy it together. Add your informer, make it three, your favourite—” Words died on Freya’s lips. Everything in the bloody Norse mythology happened three times. If she was about to get burnt at a stake for the second time… then it was going to happen again.
July 19, 2025 at 1:26 PM
bjornlarssen.com
The #WIPSnips word for May 25 is "listen"

Do you know the story of Brísingamen? The one where Freya sleeps with four dwarves for a necklace? That’s the version #Loki has spread around the Ten Worlds…

#WhyOdinDrinks II
Book I: www.bjornlarssen.com/whyodindrinks
“How was it?” Loki asked as they walked under Yggdrasil, heading back for Ásgard. Freya said nothing. There was no way to explain the symphony of gold and fire, the way she poured every drop of love into them and through the Artisans’ gentle fingers it flowed it into Brísingamen. “Did you, you know? You did, didn’t you? You totally did! Were they good? Wow, I’m jealous. You know, I got to take a look at them and I would, too!” Loki smacked his lips. “Talk about hanky-panky. Or was it more canoodling? Doing the squelchy? How would you rate them, from one to ten? No, wait, which one was the best and which was the worst? Did you get any sleep at all? You don’t look tired, you look…” Loki stopped working on his new invention, slut-shaming, briefly shifting into a field mouse. Freya’s fist missed his jaw and the Goddess nearly fell into the rotting leaves and weird little mushrooms that grew under the Tree. “…radiant,” Loki continued, back to his person form, as if nothing happened. “I like your necklace. Purdy.” Purdy. He was going to be the first of many, Freya realised, to vulgarly reduce the act of creation of Brísingamen to ‘she let four dirty dwarves bugger her for four nights and got a purdy necklace for that.’ Hanky-panky. Even if words capable of crudely sketching the absolute union between then existed, nobody would listen. How would you rate them, from one to ten? The way Loki talked made her feel like there was something shameful about the immense beauty of the time they’d spent together. Something…cheap. Freya knew he’d bring her back to reality. She didn’t expect reality to spit in her face, though.
May 25, 2025 at 6:03 PM
bjornlarssen.com
The #WIPSnips word for May 6 is "bed"

‘Bloodbath & Beyond’ provides some bed stuff as well. (Not just for the purposes of sweet, sweet love.)

If you’re enjoying those snippets, take a look at book one: www.bjornlarssen.com/whyodindrinks

#WriteSky #WhyOdinDrinks II
One can’t fall asleep while dreaming, or…? Freya abruptly sat up, her heart pounding, threw the duvet on the floor, felt under the pillows, then threw them on the floor as well, one by one. Nothing. Last night’s party was a great success that left her exhausted. Heimdall, her favourite accessory, looked just as good as usual. Týr was clearly considering glancing at cider. Idunn, together with Bragi and Odin, indulged in ‘red wine’ which was exactly what Odin has requested, similar to cider, but stronger and bitter – Freya preferred her own pink version which was sweet and bubbly, like the personality she wanted to project. The night ended with Odin dancing the can-can on the table, singing a song of his own, as Bragi drank the wine straight from the jug. Brísingamen was definitely on Freya’s neck when she went to bed, still humming Odin’s composition ‘Let’s all meet in Valhalla, shalla-lalla-lalla’. She liked to lie on her back and feel its nearly imperceptible way. It brought her peace like the world’s thinnest, most elaborate weighted blanket. It wasn’t there now and if she were to put on all of her clothes at once, which would be quite a sight, she’d still feel naked. That fly was real, except it wasn’t a fly at all. No matter what Odin shifted into, it was male and one-eyed. Freya’s forms were always feminine and gorgeous. A one-eyed fly was suicide in progress, and something that literally ate excrements couldn’t be made gorgeous. Heimdall could shift into protective animals. Flies were not protective. The most talented shapeshifter in existence, one who’d probably find her suffering to be funny, was… Freya inhaled deeply. “LOKI!!!” she screamed.
May 6, 2025 at 11:12 AM
bjornlarssen.com
New #blog post: Bloodbath & Beyond is with my editor! What happened so far and what happens next?

www.bjornlarssen.com/2025/08/03/b...

#MondayBlogs @mondayblogs.bsky.social

(Previously published on ko-fi)

#WhyOdinDrinks #BookSky
Bloodbath & Beyond is with my editor!
Phew! I’m heading towards the fourth base! How my books happen My writing process goes like this: 1. Draft zero, where I just vomit the text on the page to see what I don’t know or what I’ll be wri…
www.bjornlarssen.com
August 3, 2025 at 9:38 AM
bjornlarssen.com
#SFFChat All my books are love letters to Iceland and/or remixes of #NorseMythology. I’m writing what I love reading, or what I would like to read if it existed ( #WhyOdinDrinks). There’s space for so many original takes on Norse lore when you realise it’s character-based more than plot-based.
sffchat.bsky.social SFFChat @sffchat.bsky.social · 5d
#SFFChat Q1: What roles do myth, history, memory, or remembrance/commemoration play in your work?
A photo of a shelf of rolled scrolls tinted blue. A graphic of an open scroll contains the question (text same as post).
November 6, 2025 at 12:21 PM
bjornlarssen.com
Today, Freya discovers the power of lemonade instead of the power of love.

Extra paragraph in the alt text!

#WIP: #WhyOdinDrinks Book II
www.whyodindrinks.com
Idunn let out a deep sigh. “Let’s sit and drink something. Would you like to try some lemonade? It’s a new invention of mine. Life gave me lemons and I didn’t know what to do with them, so…” “Yes, please,” Freya interrupted and accepted the proffered glass with a forced smile. “So, love.” Idunn licked her lips, staring through, rather than at Freya. “When you eat this pear,” she finally said, “you will experience complete pleasure. Nothing else will matter for a while. You will eventually fall asleep and wake up feeling fresher and younger, relaxed and rested.” “Thanks, but what I was asking…” “Love,” Idunn continued, “is like the dreams you’ll have that night.” Freya looked at the pear doubtfully, sipped on the lemonade and barely kept her face from contorting in surprise – if Odin didn’t like sweet drinks, he was in for a treat. Idunn, a gardener, might have been the wrong person to ask. Bragi was the man of words. Unfortunately, asking him a question often led to getting lost among those words and emerging on the other side, blinking in confusion, unsure what the question was in the first place. Or the answer. In the evening, alone, Freya examined the pear. It was pear-shaped. It smelled of promise. Or of pear. She bit into it and tasted pear… only… the pleasure filling her veins felt like all of her senses were happy at once. If only Freyr could try this… mmmm… but Freyr couldn’t become eternally young, or the Universe would become very confused with the weather… also, his search for the perfect pleasure would end, and so would his tenure as the God celebrated in many creative ways across the Universe.
July 9, 2025 at 3:34 PM
bjornlarssen.com
‘Why Odin Drinks’ just made me laugh out loud. “‘We will not talk about it’ hung in the air, so clear they could practically hear it, which was very handy, as they couldn’t read yet.”

(The Gods just did Number Twos in the woods.)

www.bjornlarssen.com/whyodindrinks

Still $/€/£0.99 today!
Why Odin Drinks
‘A delightfully quirky satire I didn’t know I needed.’ – Jenny Lawson, author of Broken (In the Best Possible Way) ‘So, I loved it! Here’s my quote: “Funny, quir…
www.bjornlarssen.com
April 7, 2025 at 11:56 AM
bjornlarssen.com
The #WIPSnips word for June 12 is ‘respect’.

In today’s instalment something I’ll have to edit, because while it’s legal to quote song titles, an actual Taylor Swift song quote *will* get me sued. Freya brings King Redscarf Queen Taylor’s love. Literally brings it.

#WhyOdinDrinks II
The mouse cleared her throat and a beautiful, blue-eyed woman with rocks hanging off her ears stood in front of dumbfounded King Redscarf. “Your Grace,” she said, taking a not-too-respectful bow. With one swift movement, the King – still chewing – was on his feet, the knife in his hand held at stab-ready angle. Freya gulped, grateful for the small table between them, an obstacle Redscarf’s kick could swiftly remove. “Who are you and how did you get here?” he demanded. “I am a…vision of Queen Taylor the Loving, sent to you by the Goddess of Love, Freya herself.” “Freya?” “Her Grace Freya. The Goddess of love,” Freya repeated with slightly irritated emphasis. “She allowed me to travel here because of her kind heart. She knew how much I love your…” Freya hesitated. What exactly? Male pattern baldness? Fluffy slippers? Crumbs in the thin beard? “Everything. I am Queen Taylor – the Queen Taylor, the Loving one – and I know you heard about me… FML!” “Excuse me?” Freya twirled joyfully. Mid-twirl her lips turned blood red. “Here’s the truth from my red lips,” she desperately lampshaded. Hopefully, he didn’t notice before.
June 12, 2025 at 11:02 AM
bjornlarssen.com
Today in #WIPSnips Odin and his brother Vé meet to discuss ending the war between the Æsir and the Vanir.

#NorseMythology won’t know what hit it.

Book I: www.whyodindrinks.com
#WhyOdinDrinks
Apart from the emotional ending, Odin was as prepared as he could get. He spent three days picking the right outfit, choosing to forsake his signature blues and browns for a silver gown that perfectly complimented his hair and beard, revealing only one shoulder and one knee – two out of four, always leave them wanting more. Instead of a pointy hat, he wore a simple black diamond tiara and, naturally, held Odin’s Staff. Even the dark shadow that always hid his empty eye socket fit this colour combination. It was a look that said ‘this outfit could do with a splash of colour, especially blood red.’ Vé went with a black suit, a black shirt, shining black shoes, and a black tie decorated with even blacker rhombi. He was holding a black suitcase. Glasses in a thick, black frame completed the look, which said ‘an arrogant lawyer specialised in damages, here to assess your negligence.’ The word ‘lawyer’ was, of course, derived from ‘liar.’ Behind him, three similarly dressed men sat at a long mahogany table – how a long mahogany table made it underneath Yggdrasil was a mystery. Odin suddenly regretted dismissing the idea of bringing extras along. He also had second thoughts about his gown and especially the tiara. Only the Holy Staff felt right.
July 1, 2025 at 1:55 PM
bjornlarssen.com
Enjoying my #WIPSnips? Check out ‘Why Odin Drinks’ – book one in the series.

“Funny, quirky and surreal, this is the Norse myth you’ve been craving.” – Joanne Harris
“A delightfully quirky satire I didn't know I needed.” – Jenny Lawson

www.bjornlarssen.com/whyodindrinks
#NorseMythology #Humour
A banner with the cover of Why Odin Drinks to the right, and the following text: So, I loved it! Here’s my quite: “Funny, quirly and surreal, this is the Norse myth you’ve been craving.” Will it do? – Joanne Harris, author of The Gospel of Loki Large title: WHY ODIN DRINKS Subtitle: Norse mythology won’t know what hit it URL: www.whyodindrinks.com
July 19, 2025 at 1:32 PM
bjornlarssen.com
The #WIPSnips word for July 2 is ‘yesterday’.

Today’s snippet is quite special. Odin finds out why Odin will drink. (Idunn didn’t get to wine yet.)

#WIP: #WhyOdinDrinks book II
www.whyodindrinks.com
“I am inclined to accept,” he said. “Once I see some proof of those apples’ existence.” “Oh, I almost forgot,” said Idunn. “Wouldn’t you like to drink something nice?” “It’s poison, isn’t it,” Odin sighed at the proferred small drinking skin that emerged from the folds of her gown. “I’ll try first,” Bragi eagerly offered. “I wasn’t born yesterday, my beloved. You’ll try all of it until there is no drop left.” Idunn handed the skin to Odin who uncorked it and sniffed the contents. Sweet. Sharp. Heat. How could a liquid smell like a warm blade? “Cider,” she said, as if that explained anything. Odin raised the skin to his lips and permitted a drop to fall on his tongue. Cider wasn’t a drink. It was an experience. This was a drop of liquid magic. And a lot of simple carbs, also known as sugar. Mostly magic, though. The headache went away as if it was never there. Warmth entered Odin’s veins, the pleasure causing every cell of his skin to prickle. When he opened his eye again, the hall shone. So did the eyes of Idunn and Bragi. This…cider was the opposite of ‘FML!’ It was goodness. And it was just one drop.
July 2, 2025 at 9:15 AM
bjornlarssen.com
Two #WIPSnips today. Here Eir, the Goddess of healing, visits poor Freya to tell her how depression is easily cured by… read and find out!

#WIP #WhyOdinDrinks II www.bjornlarssen.com/whyodindrinks
“I have a feeling your mental and emotional state leaves something to desire.” “No shit, Sherlock,” Freya muttered under her breath. “We’ve been keeping an eye on you. Okay, not we, Odin’s ravens.” For a few blinks Freya’s mind was completely blank as her internal monologue took a sharp breath and waited for the inevitable, not knowing what it would be. “We believe, okay, not we, I, that you are depressed.” “Goodness me,” Freya mumbled, then thought about it. She was feeling rather depressed. “You should spend more time in nature,” Eir said. “Nature is the natural healer. When you smell the dew at sunrise… oh, you just want to dance! You should join me. We will make flower wreaths and dance together. Do you have a loose, transparent dress, something light?” “Transparent?” groaned Freya, whose tortured mind could hear the words, but not sentences. “So that the sun can penetrate them,” Eir enthused. “Let in the power and the warmth!” “You are not here for penetrating power and warmth.” “Not only,” Eir nodded, suddenly more solemn. “You should give it a try, though. Might stop you from worrying about Loki’s problems. He is not your responsibility. He is a grown-up…” She paused. “I don’t know why I said that. Anyway…”
May 19, 2025 at 1:24 PM