‘It‘s good to meet you too, Dr Skilfinger,’ Nina replied as they shook hands.
‘Please, Dr Wilde, call me Tova.’
‘Then call me Nina.’
‘Agreed.’ Tova beamed at her. Nina guessed she was in her late forties or early fifties, but age had not diminished the Swedish historian’s striking looks. Her hair was held up in a loose bun, all her snugly fitting clothing black. ‘I have been following your work for several years — you could say I am something of a fan.’ She blushed faintly.
Nina did the same. ‘Thank you. This is my husband, Eddie Chase.’
‘Good to meet you,’ said Eddie.
Tova shook his hand. ‘And you. Have you come straight from the airport?’
‘More or less,’ Nina told her. ‘I wanted to talk to you about the runestone as soon as we arrived.’
‘We can do that in my office — I have all my notes ready for you. Please, this way.’ They started down the hall. ‘The reason I said I am a fan of yours is that your work allowed me to rethink my own, and look at it from a new perspective.’
‘How so?’ asked Nina.
‘Well, although I am primarily a historian, I also have a great interest in Old Norse mythology — though there are few people in Sweden who have not!’ She smiled. ‘Your discovery of Atlantis in particular, but also other finds such as King Arthur’s tomb and El Dorado, caused a resurgence of euhemeristic theory.’
‘Yoo-hoo who?’ said Eddie.
‘Euhemerus was an ancient Greek scholar,’ Nina told him. ‘He had the idea that myths and legends were derived from actual historical events, which were exaggerated and distorted over time. Early Christians used it as a way to explain away and discredit what they saw as pagan gods.’
‘It is an important part of the Prose Edda,’ added Tova. Seeing the Englishman’s questioning look, she continued: ‘One of the most important texts about Norse mythology. It was written in the thirteenth century by an Icelandic poet and historian called Snorri Sturluson. He was a Christian, so used the Edda to promote his belief that the ancient Norse deities — like Odin and Thor — were once kings, who aroused such devotion in life that cults formed to honour them after death. Over time, their stories turned them into gods.’
‘Clever,’ said Nina. ‘It meant that he got to preserve the pre-Christian mythology of his people, while debunking it at the same time.’
‘But people like that were actually right, weren’t they?’ Eddie said. ‘After all, we discovered Atlantis, and a lot of what the myths said turned out to be true. And we know Hercules was a real bloke and not a god, ’cause we found his tomb.’
‘Which led me to change my approach to my work,’ said Tova as they entered a new section of the museum: the Viking exhibition. Cabinets of Norse artefacts and recreations of scenes of Viking life lined the long, softly lit hall. ‘By applying euhemeristic principles to my earlier research, on the theory that they might contain some amount of truth rather than being purely myth, I was able to work out the location of the Valhalla Runestone.’ She paused by one of the exhibits. ‘It was a runestone much like this that gave me the clues, actually.’
Nina examined the display. This stone was considerably smaller than the one she had seen in the photograph, only about two feet tall. An elaborate carving of what appeared to be a snake encircled the outer edge of the roughly triangular stone, runes etched along its length like patterns of scales. The serpent’s elongated head snapped at an axe-wielding man at the centre of the image. ‘That’s a representation of Thor at Ragnarök, I’m guessing.’
Tova nodded, then set off again. ‘The stone I was working from described a location where the Norse gods met to settle conflicts between tribes. It had of course long been considered a myth, but I thought: what if it was true? The runes named people and places, some of which were historical rather than mythological, so I researched all of them too. When I put everything together, they pointed to a place near Gamla Uppsala, called Iarlsta — a site that had been excavated in the past, but which was not considered very important. I was able to arrange a new dig, and deeper down we found the remains of a much more ancient settlement. And in that… we discovered the Valhalla Runestone.’
‘A big find,’ said Nina.
Tova nodded appreciatively. ‘Thank you — though not as big as Atlantis! But it did prove that applying euhemeristic principles to Old Norse finds had the potential for even greater discoveries. And when I translated the runes on the stone, I realised where this could lead.’
‘From the name of the runestone, I’m guessing Valhalla?’ suggested Eddie.
‘Yes,’ Tova replied. ‘The great hall where the warriors chosen by Odin awaited the call to the final battle.’
She led them through a side exit and down a corridor, unlocking a door at its end. Her expression became more solemn. ‘This is the lab from where the runestone was stolen,’ she said. ‘The security guard, Arvid… he was shot in there.’ She pointed out a doorway marked with yellow and black police tape.
A much larger set of double doors occupied the rear wall, daylight visible through small windows set into them. ‘That’s where they took the stone out of the building?’ said Eddie.
‘Yes. The runestone was so large and heavy, it could only come in through a service entrance.’
Nina surveyed the scene. The bench on which the stone had been laid was at the room’s centre, the white cloth crumpled on the floor beside it. ‘The police have examined everything?’
‘Yes, but they did not find anything useful.’ Tova’s face fell further. ‘There were no fingerprints or DNA evidence. The robbers were very professional.’
‘We might have a lead, though,’ Nina told her. The Swede was surprised; clearly she had not been told about Berkeley’s appearance on camera. ‘But we still don’t know why they wanted to steal the runestone, so hopefully you can tell us something that’ll explain it.’
‘I will help however I can, of course. My office is over here.’ She gestured towards a cubicle in one corner.
The space was cramped, but also oddly barren. It took Nina a moment to realise what was missing: Tova’s work. The desk was devoid of papers, and there was a faint discoloration on its surface that suggested a laptop had been in long-term residence. ‘Did they take your research as well?’
The older woman nodded miserably. ‘I had backups of everything at home, fortunately, but yes — it was a horrible shock. First the runestone and Arvid’s murder, and then I found all my work had gone… I thought I had lost everything.’
‘That means they don’t know exactly what they’re looking for, though,’ Eddie said thoughtfully. ‘If they need your work as well, then whatever they’re after, they’re not as close to it as they’d like.’
‘But what could they be after?’ Nina wondered. ‘What’s so special about this runestone?’
Tova opened a large satchel, taking a thick folder from it. ‘I printed out my research from the backups. I have photographs, translations of all the runes, any connections I found to mythology or historical fact, everything I could think of. Hopefully the answer is in here.’ She gestured for her guests to sit.
Nina did so, Eddie pulling up a second chair beside her. ‘I suppose the best starting point would be the runes themselves. What do they say?’