The Song of Leif Erikson
An excerpt from a historical-fiction manuscript I had written
Some time ago, I had immersed myself in the viking sagas; especially those of the Icelanders, the Vinland sagas, and the history of the Earls of Orkney. There is a raw, adventurous quality to the sagas which preserves them from ever being dismissed as something dry from antiquity. And some of these writings are so brief, like the Saga of Erik the Red, that one can easily find themselves revisiting the text to comb through its details. In short, these writings are a highly accessible type of ancient history, and I thoroughly recommend that you take the plunge sometime!
As an outpouring of my discoveries, I had penned a Christian-missionary epic set around the year 1000 AD. In the same way that the apostles of Jesus Christ were simple and uneducated men whose teachings ultimately overthrew the Roman Empire through obedience (even unto death), this historical-fiction was intended to highlight the value of the everyday faithfulness of unremarkable men, and how God can use simple faithfulness to grow his kingdom in astounding ways.
It seems that The Lord is not dependant upon the most-qualified among us, but instead He seeks those who would make themselves available to His will.
The working title of this draft story is Odelbert’s Cross. And while the book has remained shelved in it’s unpolished state, I considered that some of you may be interested in previewing some of the accompanying verse I had written, as short and simple as it may be.
Son of the notorious explorer The Red, And heir to great wealth and renown, Accepted instead the gift of Christ who was dead And rose again to ransom his own. He lay down his sword and picked up the cross, Forsaking the advancement of his own name. Instead, he brought Good News to the lost, Now Erikson surpasses his father in fame. Kings say that fortune favours the bold. But Christ says its the meek who are blessed, For not all fortune can be measured in gold And the earth is theirs, with all its best.
