The Tale of Aelfric Nosebiter

The youngest of four siblings growing up in Gildenheim Aelfric discovered he needed to be louder than his youngest sister, Elsa the Fury, more demanding than his middle sister, Ingrid the Unreasonable and fight more fiercely than his eldest sister, Elva. When he was a child his father died and what little restraint Aelfric had had, left him with his father.

Even for a Wintermark child Aelfric was quick with his fists and he would fight fiercely to the last for just about anything; his sisters, his mother, his home, his food, anything was fair game to Aelfric's mind to fight for. Fight he did, bare fisted, bare footed and, not only in this tale, bare toothed.

For once Aelfric decided he would fight about a chicken. It was an inoffensive beast, it pecked and scratched at the door of his home and it was amongst many other chickens that laid their eggs and provided their meat in death for the family. Yet when a boy from a nearby house, whose name has been lost to the mists of time, dared to suggest he was wrong for criticising the animal for clucking too loudly Aelfric decided to fight him about it. He leapt at the smaller boy, his fists flying and barely, the lad managed to defend himself.

It looked as though this would be simply fisticuffs but then the lad declared that Aelfric should not speak harshly about an innocent creature, that the plump and feathered bird was ignorant of what had been said. Aelfric decided that the chicken had come to close to him and kicked the feathery creature. Then the other boy kicked Aelfric for the chicken was small and stood not a chance. But now Aelfric had lost his, not inconsiderable, temper and fell upon the boy in a blind rage. The boy blocked his flying fists, he tried to stamp upon Aelfric's feet but they moved too swiftly and with the courage and fierceness that he would later show upon the battle field it looked as if Aelfric had him. Aelfric was as cunning as he was fierce, as well as being the larger boy, and soon had the defender of the chicken pinned.

The bird came close then, seeing it's defender prone and Aelfric sat upon his chest, took it's mighty beak and pecked at it's defender's unprotected toe. It was then that Aelfric truly looked at the bird. He saw a wild staring eye, he saw a beak fierce for pecking and he saw clawed feet ready for the fight. He realised that the bird had no comprehension of who had offended it, it merely wished to fight and fight anyone, Aelfric felt inspired to give it it's wish.

The boy was distracted by the peck, and Aelfric, seizing the moment inspired by the bird, leaned down and bit upon the other's nose. Blood gouted forth in a bloody fountain, the boy sprang backwards in great error as the larger part of his nose remained between Aelfric's clamped teeth. He spat the offending item away only when the boy ran from him, and the chicken having remained between Aelfric's feet began to eat it with great delight.

A scop, who had seen the whole thing named him upon the spot.

As a child Aelfric was proud of his name and his reputation as a fighter that grew from it. Later, having been freed from Thule slavery he became ashamed of his old name. But now, as he travels Skarsind seeking to understand it's new inhabitants he bares his name with Pride and as a reminder of all of his past; the bad, the good and the bitten.