A Fate Inked in Blood

The recurring appearance of blood serves an important symbolic role. Children of the gods are marked by blood tattoos that are created through magic rituals once each child’s power has emerged. This stamp of divine heritage carries paradoxical implications, for because Freya’s tattoo proclaims her divine lineage, she feels the pressure to live up to everyone’s expectation that she will rise to greatness, even when her youthful dreams of fighting and raiding have faded. The divine blood in Freya sets even higher expectations due to the shield maiden prophecy. Saga’s vision proclaims that Freya is destined to unite the people of Skaland, and Snorri further specifies her envisioned destiny by convincing her to battle in his army and empower him to become king. As the book’s title indicates, her fate is charted by that blood tattoo. On the other hand, blood tattoos also emphasize the “Unfated” nature of the children of the gods, paradoxically implying that such individuals are not tied to a specific fate. Children of the gods make their own destiny and can even change the threads of fate for others. Freya has a second tattoo, but it is obscured by her scars.