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Wayland - Expanding on the Mystara Immortal

by Håvard

Name: Wayland (Immortal)
STATUS: Empyreal, Sphere of Matter
ALIGNMENT: Neutral

 
Appearing in the Poetic Edda and various medieval legends, Wayland the Immortal first appeared in the Master Set DM's Booklet. He is also identified as Wieland, Volund and maybe even Vulcan or Hephaestos. Wayland also gets a short writeup in WotI where he is said to be one of the main architects of the City of Pandius. The Master set lists him as the creator of several artifacts:

Other artifacts from the Master Set that are sometimes attributed as creations of Wayland in legends:

Marco presented the following theory for Wayland in the Codex Immortalis p 133:

History (PROBABLE THEORY): Wayland was a skilled Antalian smith who lived in the XXII century BC. Thanks to the friendship he struck with some dwarven craftsmen he managed to discover the secret of forging iron way ahead of time (his kinsmen were still in the bronze age), and this allowed him to manufacture titanic weapons for the most famous heroes of his time (Thor, Heimdall, Frey and Freyja). This helped him acquire a divine aura in the eyes of his fellow men, and it attracted Kagyar’s attention, who sponsored him on the path of the Polymath. He was then reincarnated as a dwarf (Weland), a gnome (Wielandt), and an elf (Volund), and thanks to his metalworking talent, each time he managed to fulfil his quest: finding and forging anew Odin’s sword, Balmung. This was how he earned his
place in the Sphere of Matter in the XX century BC.

Some interesting details from various legends about Wayland not mentioned in the published material:

- Wayland's father was either the King of the Fins (Sami nomads) or an elven king. Some sources suggest he was the son of Freyj
-Wayland and his two brothers married three Valkyries.Wayland married the Valkyrie Hervör alvitr. The three Valkiries left their husbands after some years, perhaps to resume their duties for Odin. Wayland's wife left him a son named Heime and a golden ring.
-Wayland later fell into captivity of the evil King Niðhad, a ruler of a small kingdom in Scandinavia. He is eventually able to escape by forging wings and using the magic ring from his Valkyrie wife.
-Wayland had a son, Witege, with Niðhad's daughter. Early legends suggest he forced himself on the daughter, but in the middle ages this was changed to a more romantic relationship and the two married. Witege goes on to be a hero in legends of his own.

 
Now, there are a few things I would like to explore further combining the legends with the Mystara context. I would like to stay within the framework suggested by the Codex Immortalis, but I think the connections to Freyj and the Valkyries is very interesting. I also think it makes sense that he would have travelled to LaTerre on several occasions, creating magical items for Charlemagne, Beowulf, Siegfried and others.

I am also interested in how he could have travelled the Norse Planes and affected things there. For instance, the Codex suggests that Wayland is a patron of Giants, so I think he may well have visited Jotunheim. He could also have worked with the dwarves of Swergheim who probably admire his craftsmanship.

Wayland's Impact on Mystara
Lets go with the Codex Immortalis take. He was a mortal in Norwold ca 2100BC and a conteporary of Thor, Frey, Freyja etc. On his quest as a Polymath he was reincarnated multiple times as members of many races over a few centuries before becoming an Immortal. He has forged many items and weapons that likely have affected the outcome of many wars and battles on Mystara.

Possibly linked to the Temple of Stars from CM2?
Could he have been the one who forged the Sorona Crown (X12?)
Connections to the Crones of Crystykk?

Wayland's Impact on LaTerre
Perhaps during his quest for Immortality, he also visited LaTerre, explaining the many legends about him there. There he would have aided Sigurd (Sigfriend) the Dragonslayer and forged blades for the knights of Charlemagne.

Wayland's Impact on the Norse Realm Planes and Other Outer Planes
Wayland is a patron of Giants. I also assume he is honored by the Norse Dwarves as a master craftsman. He has helped the Immortals forge many weapons and artifacts and helped design the City of Pandius.