Marauders of Gor, the ninth book of the Gorean series,

deals with the lands and culture of Torvaldsland,

a land in the northern latitudes of Gor.

Torvaldsland is based on the Vikings and Norsemen of Earth's history,

 circa 700 to 1100 A.D. If the calendar of Torvaldsland is accurate,

then the Voyages of Acquisition brought Vikings to Gor around 970 A.D.

In the legends of Torvaldsland, the founder and first Jarl,

or ruler, of the land was Torvald.

His ship was known as the Black Shark.

The god Thor allegedly bestowed a special gift to Torvald in exchange for a gold ring.

 This gift was the Stream of Torvald. The Stream is actually a current in

 Thassa that moves eastward to the coast and then northward.

It is similar to a wide river in the sea, several pasangs wide.

The temperature of the water in this current is warmer than the surrounding water.

 This helps warm Torvaldsland and keep it from becoming a frigid wasteland.

The warmer waters allow agriculture to occur and without it,

Torvaldsland would not be the same. It would be more akin to the frozen wastes

 occupied by the Red Hunters.

There is a special mountain in Torvaldsland called the Torvaldsberg. It resembles a broad spear blade that has been bent at the tip. It is over four and a half pasangs in height, over seventeen thousand feet high. Legend says that the great Torvald sleeps within the mountain, waiting to rise until he is needed once more. During the events of Marauders of Gor, Ivar Forkbeard and Tarl Cabot found a cave opening into the mountain. It was located on a ledge just below the peak. The cave contained several rooms, covered in ancient runic lettering and pictographs. There was a central chamber containing a stone couch covered in black fur. There were also weapons and armor here, allegedly belonging to Torvald. But Torvald's body was not present. There were no bones, no remnants. One of the weapons was a war arrow. It was over a yard long with a shaft almost an inch thick. It bore the sign of Torvald. When a war arrow is carried, all the men of Torvaldsland must respond, no matter what their situation.