Setting and Background
Mythology is a collection of narratives, which explain the origin of the world without factual credibility. For instance, one the main characters Thorgil references the in-universe mythology: “That’s Asgard where the gods live and that’s the gate of Valhalla” (p. 360).
Legends are stories of real events, which have been exaggerated. In the novel, a real historical figure Ivar is a king to whose court main characters Jack and Thorgil are forcefully sent. He is described to be “married to Frith Half-Troll Tree Foot” (p. 30).
Theme
Jack thinks that he is not really a bard and “the most important job he ever had at home was mucking out the barn” (p. 409). This line shows his personal growth and understanding of the necessities for being a bard.
Beauty in the midst of Struggle can be seen in the middle of the novel, when Jack is forced to sign a song about Queen Frith, who is his enemy. Yet, Jack acknowledges how beautiful she really is, which is a sign of her possible redemption (p. 235).
Jack’s new found awareness of his responsibility and status is evident in this line “more than anything he wanted to be a small child again, with no worries and no responsibilities” (p. 86).
Archetypes
Jack is an example of an archetypical hero in this story. He is forced to live home as Viking captive (p. 97), is driven by courage and desire to protect his sister (p. 95), after which he returns to where he began (p. 419).
The Bard is Jack’s mentor, who teaches him the art of singing. The Bard warns Jack about the enemies by saying “the enemy is on the Roman road” (p. 60). Over the course of Jack’s journey he remembers the Bard and his teachings (p. 409).
Queen Frith is the Shadow and the antagonist of the story. On numerous points, she threatens Jack with Lucy’s sacrifice (p. 342) and is the primary character whom Jack opposes. Although there is no archetypical fight, overcoming Frith is essential in characters’ return home (p. 417).
Saving Lucy from Queen Frith’s captivity is Jack’s quest (p. 342). His goal is stated explicitly: “We have to find Mimir’s Well so Jack can cure the queen” (p. 247). Mimir’s Well is the artifact, which is key to accomplishing the Hero’s quest.
Jack, Lucy, and Thorgil represent Good, because they are driven by selfless motives (p. 274). Queen Firth, trolls, and Vikings represent Evil as they commit atrocities (p. 97) and use threats to achieve their goals (p. 342).
The Hero’s Journey
Ordinary world is represented by Jack’s village at the start of the book. He has an ordinary with his mother, father, sister (p. 8) and learns from the Bard (p. 60).
Call to Adventure is represented by the capture of Lucy, which leads to Jack’s own captivity. As the narrator states, “he was her brother. He had no hope of defeating such a band of warriors, but he could stay with her”, which starts the adventure (p. 91).
Before exposing himself to the Vikings, Jack has a moment of hesitation, where he contemplates running away (p. 91). This thought can be considered a refusal of the call.
Chronologically, the meeting with the mentor takes place before the Call to Adventure, when the Bard forewarns Jack of the impeding threat of the berserkers: “I can’t see them, but I know they’re out there” (p. 55).
Crossing the Threshold is represented by Jack’s and Lucy’s captivity, as this is the first time Jack leaves his village (90).
Starting with captivity and the following transition to the King Ivar’s court, Jack befriends Thorgil (p. 101), meets Queen Frith (p. 235), and embarks on the journey to save his sister (p. 342), which is the test of his will.
The major setback transpires when Jack and Lucy are delivered to the Queen. Jack was originally intended to be a court bard, but he is instead forced to do menial labor (p. 220), which forces him to seek other ways of freeing his sister.
Reference
Farmer, N. (2015). The Sea of Trolls. Saga Press.