Aurik Burnsson, Award of the Orion, 2013

King Nigel and Queen Adrielle ruled the land that men now call Ealdormere. It is told that They gave to a smith, in return for his hard works, a hammer. This man was kin of the Skrael, he was named Aurik Burnsson. In the east of the land he laboured at his forge, digging in the earth a cooling trough. And from that time on the spot whence the land had been torn up is called Dows Lake, and the sparks from his forge shine in the heavens. Thus says Colyne, the ancient skald:

Aurik drew from Nigel | gladly the steel-slayer beveled,

Til from the labours hard | water boiled, to Skrael’s increase;

The smith made, moreover, | heaven-eyes that shine,

O’er the forge’s wide: booty | and renown in the smithing.

And so did Nigel and Adrielle, impressed with the work of their servant Aurik, give to him the Award of the Orion not only for his skill at the smithy, but also with the needle and the quill. This was done on the Feast of St. Othmar in the Canton of Ardchreag at the Kingdom Arts and Sciences Faire in Anno Societatus 48.

By THLaird Colyne Stewart, based on the opening of Gylfaginning, from The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturlson [13^th c.], translated by Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur [1916] http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/

King Gylfi ruled the land that men now call Sweden. It is told of him that he gave to a wandering woman, in return for her merry-making, a plow-land in his realm, as much as four oxen might turn up in a day and a night. But this woman was of the kin of the Æsir; she was named Gefjun. She took from the north, out of Jötunheim, four oxen which were the soils of a certain giant and, herself, and set them before the plow. And the plow cut so wide and so deep that it loosened up the land; and the oxen drew the land out into the sea and to the westward, and stopped in a certain sound. There Gefjun set the land, and gave it a name, calling it Selund. And from that time on, the spot whence the land had been torn up is water: it is now called the Lögr in Sweden; and bays lie in that lake even as the headlands in Selund. Thus says Bragi, the ancient skald:

Gefjun drew from Gylfi | gladly the wave-trove's free-hold,
Till from the running beasts | sweat reeked, to Denmark's increase;
The oxen bore, moreover, | eight eyes, gleaming brow-lights,
O'er the field's wide: booty, | and four heads in their plowing.