For a while, the arrangement worked. The three guests taught the General the runes – the sixteen letters of the Elder Script. First, they taught him to read and write, ensuring his place in history. Then came the occult side of the runes – their names, their verses, their fingerings. Each of the Vanir had one special rune that governed his or her Aspect; this gave the Vanir their power, and allowed them to direct the runes, each in his own, individual way. And so Odin passed on his new-found skills to the rest of the Aesir, allocating to each of them a rune according to their nature. Thus Odin’s son Thor got Thúris, the Thorny One, rune of strength and protection; Thor’s wife Sif got Ár, rune of plenty and fruitfulness; Týr, Odin’s war chief, was given Týr, the Warrior; Balder the Fair, Odin’s youngest son, had Fé, the golden rune of success; and Odin himself kept two runes: Kaen, Wildfire – more of that later – and Raedo, the Journeyman, a humble rune at first glance, but which gave him access to places where the others never ventured, even to the Lands of the Dead and the borders of Pandaemonium.

Meanwhile, back in the Vanir camp, Mimir and Honir stalled for time, spying, finding out secrets, whilst giving out false information about Odin, the Aesir and their tactics. Mimir was clever enough in his way, but not enough to win the game. And Honir looked the part all right, but every time he opened his mouth (which he did rather a lot) he confirmed what the Vanir suspected; that there was a lot less to him than met the eye.

Of course, the idiots bungled it. They should have seen it coming. In those days Odin was far from being the subtle schemer he was to become. But he was ruthless even then; willing to sacrifice his friends to get whatever he wanted. He must have known that by sending them into the enemy camp to spy, he’d practically signed their death warrants. Remember that when you find yourself starting to think the Old Man’s on the side of the angels. Remember how he got where he is. And never turn your back on him unless you’re wearing a metal shirt.

In the end, the Vanir lost patience. They started to suspect their new friends. And Honir, never the most discreet, kept letting information slip. Finally, they understood that Odin had had the best of the deal; he’d learnt the secret of the runes without giving anything in return, and left them with a spy and a stooge and a lot of unanswered questions.