Creature Feature: The Garmr

Hello everyone!

I decided recently that I would do something new and, anyone who watches my FaceBook knows this, I wanted to do something to bring back a little bit of old folklore. Everything is becoming so obscure that I wanted them to be brought back into the spot light. I have decided to start with some Norse mythology today for our first creature feature, and this creature is called  GARM (or GARMR).

GARM is a dog or wolf that has been associated with Hel and Ragnarok. He is described as a blood-stained watchdog that guards the gates of Hel, much like Cerberus from Greek mythology. GARM is mentioned in a couple places, but the name does not make its way into these sources. The Poetic Edda poem Grimnismal as well as the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning.

The Poetic Edda Grimnismal:

The best of trees | must Yggdrasil be,

Skíðblaðnir best of boats;

Of all the gods | is Óðinn the greatest,

And Sleipnir the best of steeds;

Bifröst of bridges, | Bragi of skalds,

Hábrók of hawks, | and Garm of hounds.

Now Garm howls loud | before Gnipahellir,

The fetters will burst, | and the wolf run free;

Much do I know, | and more can see

Of the fate of the gods, | the mighty in fight.

Then Óðinn rose, | the enchanter old,

And the saddle he laid | on Sleipnir's back;

Thence rode he down | to Niflhel deep,

And the hound he met | that came from hell.

Bloody he was | on his breast before,

At the father of magic | he howled from afar;

Forward rode Óðinn, | the earth resounded

Till the house so high | of Hel he reached

Hel by Johaness Gehrts (1889)

The stanza below is repeated during this Poetic Edda and is one of the few sources left that hints at GARM:

Now Garm howls wildly

Before Gnipa Cave.

Chains will snap

And the wolf will run

While we can't say definitively that GARM is the one being described, it is safe to assume that the only other mythological hounds that could be associated with this description are Fenrir and Hel. We can assume this because all three of these beings are canines associated with the Underworld while the forces of chaos break free at the world's end as foretold to aid in the world's destruction. 

GARM has been used in multiple places like video games such as Skyrim, as well as many others. He has even made his way into my own work, bringing brought back into the spotlight in "Follow the Screams: Book 2 of the Executioner Trilogy" as a guardian in Hell. Hopefully, with this blog and my own works, we can bring ancient mythology back to the forefront and make sure we don't forget the stories of our ancestors. 

Good evening everyone!

I know you guys must be wondering what I've been up to with Burning Willow Press, LLC, right? Well, I'm about to fill you in. We have a lot of wonderful and awesome things going on I don't know where to start. We have one to two releases coming each month and we are booked for the rest of the year and are really starting to pick up for 2016. What do we have out now? Well, I'll show you and even tell you where you can pick these up for yourself!

"Follow the Ashes: Book 1 of the Executioner Trilogy" by Kindra Sowder

What does it mean to be the Executioner? Is it the struggle between good and evil, and the fulfillment of a Gypsy legend? For Robin, it’s simply another day in the park in downtown LA. It’s killing the undead as she attempts to juggle life and love the same as any other ordinary woman would. That is until she meets Gordon, a crazed demon with a conscience. Now she must battle an ancient evil far more powerful then she’s ever faced before, or risk losing the world to Lilith, the mother of all vampires. Will she save mankind? Or will we all follow the ashes of destruction as we burn in Hell?

Purchase Link for "Follow the Ashes"

"Power Rises: The Ways of Power Book 1" by R.M. Willis

5,000 years after the Eugenics War a genetically engineered warlock named Rancoth unleashes a dark power that destroys his family and changes the very world in ways he can't possibly comprehend. Only 9 years old, he's adopted and raised by the Archmage Grecrum. When he reaches adulthood Rancoth is sent on a journey to repair the damage he has done. He will have to battle demons, dragons, giants, and himself. He will fall in love with a beautiful shape-shifting princess, and he will be pursued by the last living vestiges of the human race. Their master bent on controlling the ancient technology Rancoth finds hidden in his parent's abandoned home.

Purchase Link for "Power Rises"

"Hello, My Name is...A Miss Hyde Novella Volume 1" by Kindra Sowder

Blythe McAlister is an art consultant, ambitious, beautiful, rich and successful. She can close a sale in a New York minute, set up a showing of an obscure artist’s life’s works in her spare time and she always dresses to impress. That’s her by day. Like most twenty-somethings, she goes out and enjoys the night life and New York City has so much to offer her; booze, dancing and a close friend. She can attract any man and never goes home alone, but unlike other girls her age, Blythe has a secret. One you would have never guessed. Remember the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? Well, they only got the story half right.

Purchase Link for "Hello, My Name is..."

"That Others May Live: That Others Mat Live Book 1" by Steve Winfrey

The zombie should have been the defendant. My client should have gotten a parade in his honor. The convoluted mess we call our legal system had other ideas. There simply was no other way to bring this case to justice. My client killed a zombie. Try to prove that to a jury. I didn't believe him at first. It's crazy, right? This is something none of us would forget. Ever.

Purchase Link for "That Others May Live"

That's all we have for now but STAY TUNED! There is much more to come!

BIG SALE!

Good morning!

I am here to tell you this morning that "Hello, My Name is..." A Miss Hyde Novella Volume 1 will be on sale for 99 cents from today till Friday! You read it right....99 cents all week! Here is a little bit of information about the work and where you can get it. Make sure to get yours before the price goes back up!

Blurb:

Hello, my name is Blythe McAlister.  I am an art dealer and consultant.  I am successful because I work hard to be.  I am rich because I choose to be. I go out and dance and drink because I choose to.  I go to bed with a stranger every night because I choose to…I am a monster…without a choice.  Do you remember the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?  Well, they only got that story partially right.

                        

“Hello, My Name Is…” a Miss Hyde Novella Volume 1

PURCHASE LINK