The Tale of Augvald and Nor, Demi-Gods

King Augvald was the son of Rognvald, who was the son of Rugalf, who was the son of Gard Agde, who in turn was the son of Nor, who came from the island of Gotland.

Nor was the first descendant of the gods, having been born of a frost giant called Ymir and a cave giantess named Fenja, who, freed from sea-king Mysing, carried a millstone that could produce anything wished for.  Ymir wished for a son who could unite the kingdoms in the north and Fenja used the stone to grind out the half-giant Nor, who was said to stand eleven feet tall.

When Nor was in the prime of his power as a warrior, he came to the Norselands, where he found numerous petty kingdoms, made up of gnomes, halflings, humans and elves.  He brought these kingdoms together for but three seasons ~ yet in that time he scoured the stone giants of Jotunheimen from the surface world and rid the world of the dreaded Yringan, who had for a thousand years poisoned the land and divided the gentle races.  When these were sealed in their caves, caves that are now forgotten, Nor divided up the Norselands, giving the east to the elves, the north to the halflings, the west to the gnomes and the south to the humans.  Thereupon, he went in humility the to the stone giants, seeking them out in the lairs they built in the underworld, seeking their forgiveness as a giant.  Thereupon Nor became the king of the stone giants, whom he ruled for three hundred years before rising to Asgard.

Nor's son Gard Agde, who was smaller than his father, only ten feet tall, fought the Goths in the northern provinces of Germany before bringing back great riches and knowledge of fortifications.  Rugalf died in a naval battle against the sahuagin, who raided from the western seas, who were driven back by his son Rognvald, freeing the seas to allow Vikings to plunder the coastlands of Britain.

Finally Augvald, who was nearly 8 feet tall, the last demi-god of his line, went on Viking raids to foreign lands and acquired much wealth and standing.  He conquered Hordaland and Nordland, extended his power of Agder and Akershus, forced the gnomes of Lenglin and Buskrud to pay him tribute and for a time united the Norselands under one banner, as was foretold by the wish his ancestor Ymir had made.  But after a long life of magic and success, Augvald was called to Asgard by Nor, whereupon his kingdom fell apart and the lands were not united again for 150 years.

Today, the seat of Augvald's power is a small hamlet, still called Avaldnes, north of Treborg in the northeastern part of Rogaland.