Tom Egeland

The Metusalem Project

Who was Odin, really? And who were the mysterious giants mentioned in the Old Testament? In the tenth Bjørn Beltø novel, the antihero embarks on a quest to uncover Odin’s origin.

Beltø leads the excavation of a Viking grave at a Norwegian chieftain’s seat when they find a skeleton that doesn’t belong in the grave. Alongside him is his daughter, Angelina. It turns out they’ve stumbled upon a mystery that connects ancient biblical myths and Norse mythology. An old monk writes the most important chronicle of his life. The scribe monk was a thrall and followed Leif Erikson on his journey to Vinland. He later converted to Christianity and learned to write. The chronicle is, in reality, a mission from a cardinal in the Vatican, who receives his command from the Pope. In other words, it’s a secret report to the Holy Father about the storyteller’s encounter with a man whom the Vatican suspects to be Satan.