Alfheimr Renaissance

We've snuggled, partially while she sang her own version of 'Only when I sleep', but I leave Caecilia in bed to enjoy her after sex glow. We need to visit Unn. The bandage has stopped the worst of the bleeding, but there is some blood on the bedsheets and our clothes. But before visiting Unn I gather my sambos and explain what happened. Jane is horrified that Caecilia cut herself like that and rubbed soot into the wound so it will be a visible scar tattoo, and is annoyed at me because I didn't take her to Unn right away. Ciara have just happily accepted it, commenting that Caecilia understands, and when I see Ciara looking at her own hand with a thoughtful expression, I kiss her cheek and ask her to never mark herself and that she is mine for as long as she wishes, even without a paper contract or marking, which gives Ciara a proud happy smile as she straight herself before kissing me. Iselin doesn't seem that surprised, but seems a little sad that Caecilia swore an oath like that to Freya, as she too is convinced that Freya must have heard the oath. Iselin would probably have been happier if Caecilia had included Iselin in her oath.

Of course it doesn't really change much, but now we all understand how serious Caecilia takes her oath and word - especially me - and how much she actually 'loves' me, because she has literally marked herself with my house mark and made sure it's a visible scar. The whole incident also partly explains why she made sure she couldn't have children, and made sure she was branded a hóra, and abandoned her old life and travelled north across the sea. Well considered and careful long-term decisions don't seem to be Caecilia's way. I hope she doesn't regret this decision too in the future, just like she just regretted taking away her ability to have children.

We're all convinced that Caecilia sees our bond as deeper and more unbreakable than any Elvish Law could ever be, and Jane makes a sour comment that I really have a knack for getting women to dedicate themselves to me. Her comment completely flies over Ciara's head.

Alith, Bodil and Ciara come along as I bring Caecilia to Unn, because Unn has to check the wound so it doesn't get infected and carefully clean it a bit because that piece of cloth is not clean. Caecilia is just so happy and seems completely carefree, as she softly sing and literally dance along beside me through the lightly falling snow. Sometimes she slides up to me, gives me a hug or kiss and continues to dance along while humming.

Unn isn't pleased with Caecilia's action and thinks it's stupid, but this is not the first time something like this has happened, especially from someone who is young and short sighted. There are apparently many famous tragic stories in Saga's and fairy tales, so even if Unn hasn't experienced it before, she comments that it fits in my Saga. Which makes Caecilia just a little happier. Of course, Unn doesn't doubt for a moment weather Freya heard the oath, because I am Sejdmann Arnesson and I'm already very blessed by Freya. Unn is not the only one who is convinced that Freya always has her eye on me, and seems to partially share Caecilia's belief that Freya influenced and guided all my sambos, staff and bodyguards to me. I hope Freya doesn't give me more blessings, or bless more women by guiding them to me. I've had far too much trouble saying no, and it's starting to feel crowded in the mansion and in my life.

I should have expected Caecilia to refuse to let Unn do the slightest damage to her mark, so I just matter-of-factly tell Caecilia that her body is now mine, and let Unn see to the wound so it doesn't become infected. Before I even have finished the sentence, Caecilia holds out her hand and lets Unn do whatever she wants with the wound, and Caecilia has a happy smile as she sits there, humming the 'No good' song. One of my favourite songs, Krypteria's 'The freak in me', would have suited her better. Or Ciara. Or Kari if interpreted from another point of view. Or myself. We all have a freak inside that we're afraid to let others see, and unlike Caecilia, Ciara and Kari whose freaks are quite modest and focused on me or sex, I'm actually afraid to let my own dark and ruthless side out into a world like this.

Unn carefully cleans the wound with alcohol, but avoids damaging the mark because, to Caecilia's delight, she too see the mark as sacred, and re-applies a new clean bandage that her apprentice Amba has boiled and cooled, telling Caecilia to come back each day. I like that they have absorbed a lot of my lessons about sanitation and disinfection, but I need to make purer alcohol for future wound cleaning. Unn has a simple ceramic still which is basically just a specially shaped pot with a spout that she cools with wet cloth pieces on the outside, so my still should be far more efficient, when I get the parts and have assembled it. I have thermometers, which should help. I should also try to do an ethanol pureness meter. Water and ethanol have different density, so it should be doable to have a floating scale. The deeper it sinks, the purer the ethanol.

I remember to ask Caecilia to never injure or mark herself in a similar way, or other people, and to not swear more oaths, and to take care of her body and health. Caecilia just happily nods and say, "Yes Robert."

She looks so happy that I care about her so much.

That she is finally important to me.

Caecilia 'walks on clouds' as we continue on to the forge/metal workshop where Olafr is working so hard it's almost ridiculous. He has hardly noticed the weather outside, for it is warm, bright and pleasant inside, and I know that he is there from morning till late evening, as he continues to eat supper with us most evenings. His 'maid' Bekkhilda cooks and prepare other meals in their borrowed house kitchen and has also been allowed to try out the mansions kitchen and some other buildings just to try them too, and Bekkhilda loves the kitchens.

I'm unhappy with the bad weather but Olafr is just happy that I'm letting him keep working and doing pretty much whatever he wants in the forge for a couple more days, because he has nothing waiting to be done in Borgarsandr that he cares about, and sees this as a vacation. Even though he does work for me, the forge, the machine shop and the carpentry. I just let him work, and we discuss the tools for the eccentric press, the rollers, the bolt threading machine, the crossbow mechanism and the high pressure tank. Olafr would like to see working finished threaded bolts made before he leaves, and we should be able to test that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. We can already make unthreaded nuts, but a good bolt threading machine is tricky.

Olafr has not seen my Leatherman Wave before and is terribly impressed with it, both in its excellent quality and how different it is from what is made in this world. He especially likes to see the carbide cutters which are proof of what I said about other steels and alloys, and it also makes him realise there is no rust on the tools. Olafr just wants to keep looking and examining the multitool, and I don't know how many times he folds in and out the knife blade, the saw and other tools. The small scissors and bit holders are interesting, but so is the threaded screws that hold it together. I guess Olafr has a new little hobby project to do, so maybe I should show what a Victorinox knife looks like as the design is easier but can still be made locking, and with wooden sides and some useful tools. Olafr has already made himself a folding knife.

I remind Olafr to stop by the mansion and join us for supper, and I can send Elin to fetch him and Bekkhilda. Ugh. Life is so much easier when you can make time appointments. I like that he has a free woman as a housekeeper, instead of a slave woman like Danr had. Olafr has willingly admitted that Bekkhilda makes sure he eats more regularly, and without her he would be completely engrossed in his work for days at a time. I get that, as I tend to be the same. It has happened many times that more than 24 hours has gone by where I haven't eaten - because I simply didn't think about it - and the months since we moved into the mansion has probably been the most orderly part of the past 15 years of my life, not least because Ciara takes great care to ensure that my comments or advice are followed and reminds me and others. And she sure knows that a hurt facial expression is enough for me to give in and do as she wants.

Olafr and Bekkhilda aren't married or seem to have much of a sexual relationship - if they even have one at all, because I haven't asked - but she's probably pretty good at controlling Olafr if she wants to - as long as she doesn't try to comment on metal working or participate. Olafr has strong clear opinions about women and forging, and apart from being company, bringing food or as a shieldmaiden guarding me or using the equipment, women have nothing to do in a forge.

The evening meal becomes interesting as Unn and Amba were also invited on the way home, and when we talk about other things, we get into the topic that Unn thinks it's strange that there aren't many cases of lumps on the lower neck here by the coast. Fairly quickly I understand what she refers to, but it takes a while before I realise that it's probably called goitre; enlarged thyroid gland. Unn is curious about my opinion, because it's a common ailment in the inland regions where one sixth to one third have it, and it's a fairly widespread opinion that the soul and body needs to be close to the sea to be healthy.

I begin to search my memory of what I know or guess, and say that in most cases it is probably due to iodine deficiency. I hardly know much about the thyroid gland so it's quick to explain, that iodine is an element much like iron that is absorbed by certain plants from the ground, but saltwater fish have many times more iodine than freshwater fish which have more than most plants. Everyone at the table already knows that Jane and I are humans, so I can tell them that among humans, iodine deficiency has been a huge problem too, and it is only in the last 100 years that it has been solved, although it is still a problem in the poorest inland areas, even though the solution has been known and it is not expensive.

What solved it in Midgård is iodine added to salt, so that the body gets iodine with the food regardless of where we live or what we eat, and it is easier to give the right dose without overdosing because it is predictable how much salt we get through the food. The fact that people along the coast sometimes eat saltwater fish means that they have fewer problems with iodine deficiency. I don't know if crabs and mussles have iodine or their concentration, especially as mussles are filter feeders, which is a whole other issue and potential danger.

They all listen attentively to what I say and Unn seems fascinated that something smaller than a grain of sand a couple of times a week can solve that huge huge problem. Jane has never known why iodine is in salt, but she is very well aware that 'Iodised salt' is written on the packaging and that it is good for the body in some way. That Jane knows it and takes it for granted without knowing why, and that none of us ever saw humans with large lumps on their necks though we were living inland, does much to confirm what I have said to be true. They remember what I said several months ago, about the body needing some metals, about copper and that the blood is red because of iron, and for example zinc is needed for the immune system. Iodine is just another 'metal' the body needs. Olafr is of course more curious if it is possible to forge something from the iodine metal, but it is more likely like lead or zinc in that it cannot be directly used like iron and copper. Jane is as intrigued as the others, but annoyed that humanity doesn't teach such things in schools. It's a hell of a lot more important than a lot of other useless facts about dead Kings or such.

Which is true, and it probably is taught in schools, but because it's such a solved problem, it quickly slips out of our minds. If you live with a problem and people you know have problems, then you learn and remember. If it is a solved issue, why even know about it? Just use salt with iodine and it will never be a problem.

Unn is happy that she likes to eat fish and grew up by the great Långsjön i.e. 'Long lake' inland, and sea fish will certainly and for ever more be a regular meal at our dining room table. Thank the Gods that I've already told them how biomagnification works and mercury in fish can be a big problem if you eat way too much, and that there is no medicine or cure against mercury or lead in the body, otherwise there would probably be fish every day.

I tell them that added iodine is one of those small things that has done a huge amount for the general health of humankind, and that it also affects the body and intelligence negatively if children grow up with iodine deficiency. Or other deficiencies. It is important that children get the right nutrition as they grow, because the body and brain must develop correctly and sufficiently. A starved body becomes thin and has no energy, but the brain also needs the right nutrition to not starve and function as well as it can, especially when the brain is growing, but it can be very subtle and some very small amounts of minerals and vitamins are terribly important. Many humans take a small pill each day, that have the daily requirement of the 20-30 most important vitamins and minerals just to get enough and cover the most important.

I excuse myself and quickly fetch the small bag with about twenty pills I had with me on my trip and the hike. I take out the small note describing the contents in the bag. I have learned to always include what something is when I put pills in other packaging, and cut the label out from a package or box or write it down on a small post-it that I stick inside. So I hold up my fingers and show roughly how big a cube of water is a gram, and say a milligram is a thousand of that, and basically a coarser grain of sand. A microgram is a thousand of that. I then read out what the pill contains and the amount; iron 11 mg, zinc 9 mg, copper 0.45 mg, iodine 75 µg, etc. The contents get quite a lot of attention when the bag is passed around, and of course the clear little ziplock plastic bag also gets a lot of attention. Especially when Iselin points out that it is completely waterproof, and thus protecting the pills even if soaked in water.

"Jane, do you know what the English word 'Cretin' means?" And I repeat the question in Norse for the others sake.

"Yes? Umm.. someone is stupid, childlike and an idiot?" I signal for her to translate it and explain to the others and she do with a 'someone stupid and childish' in Norse.

"In English - Jane's native language - 'Cretin' was originally a description of a person who, as the child grew up, remained childish, stupid and did not age normally in the mind. Often shorter too. It was very common in mountainous regions and isolated parts far from the coast. In some valleys all people were more or less affected, but most could still contribute to farming and take care of animals. This was partly due to inbreeding - cousins or close relatives having children, which weakens the body and makes defects - but the major impact was that children grew up with, among other things, iodine deficiency. Nowadays it is much rarer in Midgård, and in many countries it is not a problem."

"Iodise salt stopped that?! So all those historic tales about yokels, hillbillies and the village idiot are partly because of iodine deficency?"

I just nod. When the rest understand, Unn begins to realise that iodine deficiency is a bigger problem than she thought - she knows many people in the interior who did not grow up quite right. They need to eat more fish! Unn asks if salted or smoked fish will work. It should. I tell them that certain types of seaweed, especially kelp, have a couple of magnitudes more iodine than saltwater fish, and since iodine is an element and not a biological protein that breaks down, maybe dried seaweed can start to be sold inland, and if people eat it just once a week it may solve the issue. The seaweed can be finely hacked up much like a spice like oregano. Actually, seaweed is cheap and we should also try to use it as a fertilizer and a way to add nutrients to fields, and it will also lead to some crops accumulating iodine better. I just can't tell which crops are best for it, or if it introduces other problems.

We can try to produce iodine and sell it with salt, because it is such a very small amount of iodine that is needed - 75 micrograms per day - but it feels quite unnecessary. Manufacturing can also be problematic. I believe it was a Frenchman who first produced iodine by accident while preparing seaweed ash for gunpowder production. If I remember correctly, a lot of seaweed was burned for its ash, which was carefully rinsed with water and the rest broken down with sulphuric acid. But he used too much acid and purple smoke formed and crystallized on cold surface. Iodine crystals. It took years for anyone to figure out what it was, but it's one of those interesting '... what the fuck?!' moments that change the world more than the few 'Eureka!'.

Worth trying, just to get iodine.

Then there are some unstable iodine compounds that explode when they dry or with the slightest force, but I'm not going to try making explosives like that, and have to be careful so it doesn't happen by accident. However, iodine has other uses such as for sterilization during surgery and wound treatment. And in case of radioactive radiation to make the body absorb less of some kind of radioactive isotope.

"Robert! Robert!" Jane excitedly drum her fingers on the table. "Iodine is used in some kind of chemical process to do photographic glass or silver mirrors! Its got a French sounding name I can't remember! Tom had a poster showing those steps with washing and fuming, but I remember that it involved iodine, mercury and nitric acid! It was funny and we liked how much easier photography was using modern chemicals and processing! I'll check photos from my mobile and Tom's to see if there is a photo with that poster in the background, and I'll look through his phone if there is more usable information about photography!"

"Good catch! Just what you just told me is a start for experimenting with photography!"

"I did good!"

Jane looks so pleased, but we have to make a brief explanation to others. In addition to trying to produce iodine, I'm giving Unn permission to organise trials with dried seaweed and kelp to see if it can help relieve symptoms when someone is getting a goitre, and if that works, we can try to convince people to supplement their eating habits over the long term. However, if a person has had the problem for many years, it can be incurable and a permanent injury, because the body has healed and grown with it. Before the tests start, the population in the test area should be counted and recorded how many have goitre. So if problems with goitre decline over the next decade in subsequent counts, the population will be healthier, and live a little longer. If we can help raise the average intelligence and health, that is also very good. And then we know that it is a working solution to the problem. Having proper data and documentation is important.

And yes, it may be possible in the future to produce small tablets with iron 11 mg, zinc 9 mg, copper 700µg and iodine 100µg to try to achieve 100% of the recommended daily intake for an adult of the last two. If we ever resolve the production of anything else on the list, it can be added to the tablet. I just want to avoid it leading to 'quackery' and selling other magic pills. 'Sejdmann' Arnesson's Mineral tablets! Buy here!'. Yuk! I also wish we could include things like vitamins A, B, C and D, but I don't know the chemical structure, even though my formula book has a couple of pages with nutritional content, carbohydrates, fibre and minerals for 60 different foods. And what is stuff like Folic acid or Riboflavin?

They know we eat salads with carrots a couple of times a week precisely to help our health, and that is partially to get Vitamin A, which is important for our vision and body, especially during pregnancy, but the carrot must not be cooked. Many of the healthiest aspects of some vegetables and fruits are destroyed when they are heated to boiling point, but they can be heated until they soften and are too hot to eat. We do eat carrots like that too. Vitamin D is obtained through sunlight, and a lack of it is usually common in the winter when the summer's reserves have been used up.