Forums » Epic Week 2018 » Anvil symbol discussion (SOLVED)

This topic is for discussing clues and potential answers to the anvil symbol in Epic Week 2018. Please stay on topic. Remember, these riddles are designed to be challenging and require a group of people noodling together; don't feel intimidated if you don't know the answer right away. Every little idea can help.

This sounds Norse!

Skaldic tales are Norse legends

The “bone keels” could possibly be a reference to

A, a bone in birds that’s an extension of the breastbone,

Or B (which is probably more likely) a keel is the bottom little blade that sits underneath ships. Vikings ships Had these and supposedly they had a pocket of air trapped underneath them, which was what made their ships perform so well.

As the symbol / name and final clue all reference a forge, I'm digging for leads among the dwarves of Norse Mythology and any stories that reference a forge at all. I'm also keeping my eye out for anything involving birds and ships and floods as I go along!

Well, I'm pretty sure Þjálfi is the 'bone splitter' when he sucked the marrow from the leg bone of one of Thor's goats in the Prose Edda: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Ej%C3%A1lfi_and_R%C3%B6skva It was 'cause of this he and his sister became servants of Thor, aka the master.

Here's the story in question I'm suspecting, chapter XLIV. or p. 57:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/pre04.htm

I'm not certain on the second clue yet.

However, Thor may also be the 'tosser of the forge morsel', aka Mjollnir. I'm just not sure what "it lies just before the end" would mean though, save Ragnarök which I don't think is it. I think I'm on the right track here, my brain is just not fully functioning enough to get the rest of the way. :'D

Could concern Ragnarok, though; Thor dies killing Jörmungandr. Did anything of import happen just before his end, there?

http://www.ironbarkresources.com/henrylawson/HeMournedHisMaster.html < this? The words sound similar... poetic

I'm thinking a blackened-beast may have had a hand in penning these kennings.

I do too, I'd better start thinking more like a dragon. 8)

I'm not certain yet and trying to focus on that second clue, but here's the little bit that foretells the death of Thor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor#Poetic_Edda

Jörmungandr is the serpent. When he releases his tail, Ragnarok will begin?

Or it could mean Gjallarhorn which is the horn to be sounded to start Ragnarok?

Perhaps Ginnungagap?

Though, that doesn't coincide, as far as I can tell with the third clue, but it is mentioned in the same story that was linked earlier about the bone splitter?


I feel like the second clue has something to do with the Norns and may speak of the Well of Urðr..

It's worth throwing in there next time the way is clear!

"Wherein the bone-keels of the womb-bearing flood makers are broken"

I'm so dang stuck on this one, I know if we can figure it out something will fall together. I'm looking into the Norns too now - if they were giantesses as suggested, they could be considered 'flood makers' because of Ymir. I'm just not sure where the broken bone-keels come in.

The way is clear right now

Jörmungandr is certainly mentioned in the story about Skrýmir, which our bone splitter is certainly a part of. I'm eyeballing in that direction again, although I'm pretty sure I already tried the name alone - maybe it's something more vague, like 'Midgard Serpent'.

Thrúdvangar is being looked at too, just trying to figure out how that second clue would play into any of this.

Well, if the keels are referring to keels of ships, were there any ships whose keels were bone? Whalebone would make sense in that case, but I digress.

Any shipwrecks in the Poetic Edda?

I tried Naglfar, which is a Ship of the Dead supposed to show up before the end, but that one was specifically made of nails and didn't seem to be it. I also tried Skíðblaðnir, but that was a shot in the dark just for kicks as it was related to forges.

That being said they were also both mentioned right before the story about the goats. Hmm!