Know Your Gods - Grungni, Valaya, and Grimnir

Part Five of Ten - Know Your Gods is an original Warhammer Online lore series by Cicadymn (Sam).

After a long day’s battle, sometimes it’s just best to sit down and enjoy a tankard of Ale. It’s been pretty tough—what with all the avenging of your family’s name and criticism of how today’s Dwarfs can’t hold a candle to when you were younger. You may be simply looking to drown your sorrows, but deep down, you know that you’re still a fan of these Dwarven gods.

To start off, let’s look at Grungni first. Grungni is the ancestral god of the Dwarfs, said to have been carved by time into the first mountains. It was he who lead the Dwarfs out of the increasing perils of the upper world and into their home of the earth. Grungni is pictured as a male dwarf clad in chain mail with a gray forked beard that nearly reaches his feet. However, Grungni is more than just the dwarf responsible for his people moving into the earth; to the Dwarfs, he was the one who discovered mining and smelting. In fact, the creation of iron and steel are credited to him. These new metals helped the Dwarfs defeat their enemies with greater ease. Grungni is very widely worshiped by the miners, blacksmiths, and engineers who hold his teachings close to their professions. Want to really check him out? Take a trip over to Karak Azul and visit his greatest shrine. Don’t forget to pick up some amazing armor and weapons while you’re there.

With Grungni satisfied, it’s time to look into the next Dwarven god, Valaya. Valaya is a little strange, because if you haven’t already been able to tell by the name, Valaya is a female! It’s traditionally strange for Dwarfs to worship a female, but today it really has become common practice. For good reason as well, since Valaya is the protector of the homeland and clan. She protects her followers with special blessings, warding them from the ruinous powers of Chaos. Augmenting a Dwarf’s natural stubbornness with godly protection, makes for one tough opponent. Finally, it is said that the Dwarfs capitol city, Karaz-a-Karak, was actually founded by Valaya herself. Keep that in mind when you walk through their gates for the very first time. When you cross that threshold into the city, you’re  being watched out for by none other than Valaya.

The last Dwarven deity that I’ll mention is going to be Grimnir the Fearless. Grimnir is probably the god that all you Dwarfs who are a little fed up with the Greenskins, Chaos, or Dark Elves are going to want to know about. Grimnir is the warrior god of the Dwarfs. If you were wanting undaunted courage and fearlessness, then look no further because you’ve found the deity that is brimming with it. Grimnir is definitely a tragic hero, and a model of how Dwarven stubbornness can catch up with even the greatest dwarf. When the powers of Chaos began to spill into the realm of the dwarfs, Grimnir received two axes forged by Grungni himself out of the excessively rare starmetal gromril. Grimnir made a vow to reach the north pole and stop the forces of Chaos himself. Ignoring the warnings of both Valaya and Grungni, he left one of his axes with his son and set out for the north pole, never to be seen again. Now sporting the trademark mohawk and bodily runes. The dwarfs view him with a grim look in this respect because rather than leaving for glorious battle or miracles, they view it as that he fell into the darkness long ago, never to be seen again. As such, Grimnir is venerated by the Slayers cult who take it upon themselves to mimic his actions by shaving their heads, marking their bodies with runes, and seeking fights against nearly impossible odds. Worthy to note, one of Grimnir’s axes is in the hands of Thorgrim Grudgebearer, the current High King of the Dwarfs. The other is said to be held by a legendary Slayer named Gotrek Gurnisson, who found it in the Chaos Wastes.

So how do you know if you’re a worshiper of one of these gods? Well there are a few things to look at. Are you under five feet tall? Do you have an excessive addiction to gold and ale? Do you plan on being the best smithy in the world? What about the highest protector of your city? Perhaps you have a death wish and want to retain your honor for a short while against odds that are simply unrealistic? If you answered yes to a few of these questions then good news! There is a high chance that you need to sit down and have a chat with yourself and your dwarven deity of choice. If you’re a little sketchy about worshiping something that’s a good two feet or more shorter then you, I understand. There are still another five more chances left to find your personal saviour. Surely they wont hold a grudge if you do decide to come around to them in the end. After all, Dwarfs are known for their forgiveness and kindness, right?

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