The Winter Room

When Uncle David was young, a man named Siggurd told him the story of Orud and the house under the sea. The story is from the “old times” since men traveled in long boats and had blood in their bodies, swords, and hearts. Orud the Red was a Viking, a tall and strong man feared by everyone. He and his men once traveled far away from home and raided some houses they encountered on a shore. Orud did not have a wife. When one of his men found Melena in one of the houses, Orud decided to claim her. Because of her beauty, though, the man who found her also wanted her as a wife. Orud fought with him and killed him. He then tied Melena to the bow of the boat. However, Melena, a strong and intelligent woman, used her magic to free herself and fell into the water just before arriving at Orud’s village. Enraged, Orud tried to catch her but, forgetting he was wearing his armor, he sank into the sea and disappeared. 

After that, the village suffered much trouble, as people died of sicknesses and their crops were destroyed. The story goes that Orud found Melena and took her as a wife against her will, and they lived in a house under the sea.