The House of the Wolfings · Chapter
VII: They Gather to the Folk-Mote explained
The host of the Markmen gathers at the Thing-stead of the Upper-mark for the Folk-Mote.
What happens
The host of the Markmen gathers at the Thing-stead of the Upper-mark for the Folk-Mote. Rituals are performed, including a torch-bearing circuit and sword-waving, and the War-horn is blown. Thiodolf stands unhelmed in the dwarf-wrought hauberk, having sworn to fight without helm or shield. The chapter also recounts the history of a past battle with Aliens, where Agni fell and his daughter was sacrificed for victory.
Themes in this chapter
Ritual and Custom
The chapter details the sacred rituals of the Folk-Mote: the torch-bearing circuit, sword-waving, horn-blowing, and the burnt offering of white horses, emphasizing the deep-rooted customs of the Markmen.
Sacrifice and Loss
The historical account of Agni's daughter willingly going to sacrifice for victory, and the fall of many warriors, highlights the theme of sacrifice and loss.
Tribal Identity and Kinship
The gathering of kindreds (Wolfings, Elkings, Beamings, Daylings) and the recitation of tribal history reinforce the bonds of kinship and tribal identity.
Characters to notice
- Thiodolf
Stands unhelmed in the dwarf-wrought hauberk, having sworn to fight without helm or shield; described as a fell warrior, blithe of speech, and beloved by all.
- Wolfkettle
Rides with the Beaming and Elking men; reacts angrily to the old man's foreboding gesture and speaks a defiant rhyme about the Wolfing kindred.
- Agni
Mentioned in the historical account as the War-duke of the Markmen who fell in the battle against the Aliens; his daughter was sacrificed for victory.
Key passages
“O warriors, the Wolfing kindred shall live or it shall die; And alive it shall be as the oak-tree when the summer storm goes by; But dead it shall be as its bole, that they hew for the corner-post Of some fair and mighty folk-hall, and the roof of a war-fain host.”
Wolfkettle declares that the Wolfing kindred will either survive like an oak in a storm or fall to become the foundation of a great hall for a war-eager people.
Wolfkettle's defiant rhyme in response to the old man's ominous gesture.