Norse · No. 106

Svalinn, the Shield Before the Sun

Real myth

Svalinn, the Shield Before the Sun
Without it, the sun would burn the whole earth.
Rarity
Common
Category
Trap
Effect
Reflects the attack damage back to your opponent.

The myth

Svalinn, the cooler, is the shield that stands before the sun. In Grímnismál, Odin, disguised as Grímnir, describes the cosmos to a young prince and says Svalinn shields the earth from the glare of the sun goddess; were it to fall, mountains and seas would burst into flame. It is one of the most delicate images of Norse cosmology: between the heat of the sky and the world of men there is a shield, and thanks to it life is possible. The poem is the only ancient source that mentions Svalinn.

Why it has this power

A Common trap that reflects the combat damage back at the attacker. Just as the sun's shield holds back a heat that would burn the world and turns it back to the sky, this card sends the enemy's blow back at them. Defense and punishment in one piece.

Did you know

According to Grímnismál, life on earth depends on a single shield that no one sees.

Connections

  • In Björn Greenshield's deck
  • In Thorvald Blackkeel's deck

Where to get it

  • Daily Offering: 0% per pack (Common 64% per card)
  • Welcome Pack: 0.97% per pack (Common 70% per card)
  • Traveler's Pack: 0.88% per pack · 5.2% in the themed pack (Common 64% per card)
  • Bronze Reliquary: 0.86% per pack · 5.1% in the themed pack (Common 62% per card)
  • Silver Reliquary: 0.67% per pack · 4% in the themed pack (Common 49% per card)
  • Golden Reliquary: 0.46% per pack · 2.7% in the themed pack (Common 33% per card)
  • Daily Showcase: Shows up on about 0.69% of days · 150 gold
  • Craft with card dust: 40 dust
  • Crossing of Myths: Can be offered as a reward during a crossing (the card stays in the crossing deck).

Sources

  1. The Poetic Edda: Grimnismol — Henry Adams Bellows (trad./trans.)
  2. Grímnismál — Encyclopaedia Britannica