Chthon 02 - Phthor by Piers Anthony

Author:Piers Anthony
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780738811536
Publisher: Xlibris, Corp.
Published: 1975-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

Interior °°

Yggdrasil Sentience

Great World Tree Galactic Habitats

Whose roots extend Heaven/Purgatory/Hell

Into three realms Idyllia/Prison/Caverns The Gods Aesir—Vanir

The Giants Zombies

The Dead Chthon

History of Aton Five’s mergence with Chthon

Shape of a Hexagon

Garnet-faceted

Grafted by mineral intellect

History of Arlo’s divergence from Chthon

Shape of a Y

Antennae marking bifurcate futures:

Victory of Chthon Victory of Life

Center marking the decision.

00

And found himself in Norseland.

Aesir—his dead brother. In the Norse mythos, the Aesir were gods who resided in Asgard, the great walled city that was the divine residence. Chief among these gods was Odin, he of the single eye, maker of golden rings.

Arlo paused, feeling a shock of recognition. He knew that figure! It was his father Aton.

Odin possessed an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir. Sleipnir had come about when the friend/enemy god Loki took the form of a mare to distract the remarkable stallion of a giant—and had subsequently birthed Sleipnir. As Bedside had fashioned Aton’s steed, by merging with the caterpillar. So Loki was—Doc Bedside. How well it fit!

Odin had two wives. The first was Freyja, a Valkyrie or warrior maiden, in one of her aspects. Malice the Minionette!

With climbing excitement, Arlo explored the other parallels available. Odin’s second wife was Frigga, the mother of his two sons—though he seemed to have had other children on a less legitimate basis (Morning Haze)—and a somewhat less extravagant female than Freyja. This was Coquina, of course.

And the first legitimate son was—Balder. Balder was beautiful. But as Balder grew older, he became disturbed by nightmares. These gave him a premonition of impending doom and colored his whole outlook, making him melancholy.

Alarmed, Odin made a trek to the world of the dead to inquire about his son’s prospects. He rode his eight-legged steed (Arlo paused: an anachronism here—but time was fluid and the parallels inexact) along the rough and dangerous road, crossing the bridge that spanned the river marking the boundary of the underworld.

Everywhere he saw preparations being made for a great celebration. When he inquired, he was told that the Underworld was making ready to welcome Balder. He inquired further about the manner of his son’s death, but could learn no more.

But Frigga was determined to save her son from his fate. She set out to obtain a pledge from all things of the world that none would harm Balder. All promised—except one she overlooked, a sprig of mistletoe.

Now Balder seemed safe. The other gods made a game of throwing a great variety of things at him, knowing that none would hurt him. But Loki fashioned a dart from the mistletoe and got a blind god to throw that. It struck and killed Balder.

So that was how Bedside had killed Aesir!

Frigga sent an emissary to Hel, the goddess of the Underworld, to plead for the return of Balder. “All nature mourns for him,” he said.

Hel told the emissary that if not even one thing did not weep for Balder, then she would have to release him. So they made a survey-and Loki changed himself into the likeness of an old woman and refused to weep.

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