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Landsbyen -Into the North- An Epic Poem 38

“It is not the deer's tag.  We do not use tags.  These deer are free to come 
and go as they wish.”
     “Oh, alright then!”  He turned quickly hugging the deer's neck, 
“what a dear deer you are, ah, good deer!”  He yelled and ran out of the door.  
     “I wonder if all humans are so strange,” Rådyrvokter asked no one in particular, still chuckling?  Sprinteren glanced up then went back to his grazing.

When Joulupukki entered the back door Ceridfen thought a group of children were running through the cottage and started to scold them.
     “Ceridfen!” He called wrapping his big arms around her and hugging her tightly.  “I've figured it out!  I know what it means!  Where is Dyndoeth?  Why is that elf never around when you need him.”  He laughed out loud.
     “He is in the protected room,  Joulupukki,” she said.
He quickly grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway.
     “Come with me, we must find Dyndoeth.”
Ceridfen followed quickly behind him, his enthusiasm and joyfulness
infectious, making it impossible for her not to smile.
The Elder Elf jumped as they burst into the room.  He was sitting at a table with some papers in front of him.
     “Well, this is proving useless,” he said as he pushed the papers aside.”
     “I've got it, I've got it,” Joulupukki re-iterated as he and Ceridfen slipped into chairs at the table.  Dyndoeth looked at his wife.  She just shrugged, shaking her head but smiling profusely.
     “What do you have,” asked the elf calmly.
     “It's a hidden code!”  Joulupukki started quickly,  tap, tap tap.  “Erlenkönig
was such a clever elf,” tap, tap, tap.  Dyndoeth reached out his hand and placed it on Joulupukki's taking away the tag that he was nervously tapping on the table.  “I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was doing that,” he said.
     “It's OK, Joulupukki.  Take a deep breath and calm down, then tell us what
you have discovered,” prompted Dyndoeth.
Doing as he was instructed, he breathed in deeply and calmed himself down.
     “The lullaby,” he started, “was a code that my father created for me.
There is a compartment hidden in the thrown room in the Keep,
perhaps even in the throne itself.”
Dyndoeth's face visually dropped as did the expression on Ceridfen's.
     “Why did I not think of that,” Ceridfen said.
     “Why did none of us think of it,” agreed her husband.
     “What,” asked Joulupukki?
     “Erlenkönig used a simple learning trick that is meant to help young elves
remember important information such as cleaning behind themselves, or 
their numbers, or to be careful around humans.  It is worded into a song or 
lullaby or when they get older into a story or saga that they listen to over and over.  He put the instructions in your lullaby.”
Dyndoeth looked down at the table glancing at the inscription on the tag.
“Tell me more about the lullaby,” he said to Joulupukki, flipping the coin between his fingers.
     “He changed one word in the original text, where it is supposed to say
'in a manger of gold', he changed it to 'in a throne of gold',
then he added the entire third verse.”
Ceridfen, quickly retrieving a quill and paper, began writing the words
that Joulupukki was relaying to them.

“'In the morning when day breaks
let Sol guide your way
through the window, beams,
your tale, to awaken
all your dreams.'

I'm certain it means:
'In the morning when day breaks'-when I have matured
'let Sol guide your way'-I believe this is literal
'through the window, beams,' -follow the Sun's rays
'your tale, to awaken, all your dreams.'-the beams will guide you to that 
for which you search.

Copyright © James Inman | Year Posted 2021

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