Characters A Fate Inked in Blood Danielle L. Jensen

Ylva: The Volva's Role in A Fate Inked in Blood

Overview

In Danielle L. Jensen’s A Fate Inked in Blood, Ylva stands as one of the most calculating and enigmatic figures. She is Jarl Snorri’s wife, a powerful volva (seeress), and the mother of Leif, Snorri’s younger son. While Snorri chases the prophecy of the shield maiden with fanatical zeal, Ylva operates in the shadows, weaving her own schemes to protect her son’s inheritance and solidify her place at the center of power. Her mastery of runic magic makes her indispensable to Snorri’s ambitions, but it also grants her the tools to manipulate events from behind the scenes. Ylva’s interactions with Freya are never warm; instead, they are marked by cold pragmatism, veiled threats, and unexpected acts of assistance that serve her own hidden purposes.

Ylva is a character defined by contradiction: she is fiercely devoted to her son yet willing to murder a child to clear his path; she binds Freya with a blood oath to save her own marriage yet later helps Freya pursue answers about her divine mother. Understanding Ylva is essential to untangling the web of loyalty and betrayal that drives the Saga of the Unfated.

Plot Role

Ylva’s role in the plot is that of a magical gatekeeper and covert antagonist. She first appears in Halsar, coldly assessing Freya’s worth as the prophesied shield maiden. From that moment, she takes command of the supernatural elements of Freya’s binding to Snorri. As the only volva in Snorri’s inner circle, she conducts the blood-tattoo ritual in Chapter 6, calling upon Hlin to either claim Freya or kill her. A distorted second tattoo on Freya’s palm hints that Ylva’s hasty departure from the ritual circle—and Bjorn’s intervention—left a magical scar that would later provoke Snorri into declaring that Bjorn must sacrifice for Freya.

Her most consequential act comes in Chapter 8, when she interrupts the wedding night consummation. Unable to endure sharing her husband, she proposes a blood oath instead. Ylva mingles her own blood with Snorri’s and Freya’s on a silver plate, painting runes that bind Freya to serve only those of Snorri’s blood. The oath can only be broken by Ylva’s death, transforming her life into a literal lock on Freya’s freedom. This act exemplifies the themes of power and coercion that run throughout the novel, as Ylva wields magic to control both Freya’s body and her future.

Beyond the blood oath, Ylva’s schemes reach backward into the past. Near the end of the story, it is revealed that Ylva and Snorri attempted to murder Bjorn and his mother Saga when Bjorn was a child. Saga survived and fled to Nordeland, setting in motion Bjorn’s secret alliance with King Harald. Ylva’s role as the architect of this foundational betrayal makes her a hidden engine of the entire conflict.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Ylva’s motivations are rooted in maternal ambition and self-preservation. Every major decision she makes—from the blood oath to the attempted murder of Saga—is designed to remove Bjorn from the line of succession so that her son Leif can inherit Snorri’s power. She does not merely desire influence; she is willing to kill for it, as evidenced by her past assault on Saga. Yet she is not reckless. When direct violence fails, she pivots to magical manipulation, binding Freya so thoroughly that Snorri’s destiny becomes inseparable from Ylva’s continued existence.

Her volva craft is a core trait. She draws runes in the sand for rituals, paints blood-magic on silver, and wards the Hall of the Gods at Fjalltindr. This magic is not flashy but deeply practical—it protects, binds, threatens, and occasionally reveals hidden messages. Ylva’s command of the runic arts commands respect and fear in equal measure, even from Snorri.

Ylva also exhibits a shrewd ability to read people and adapt. When she realizes she cannot physically prevent Freya from becoming Snorri’s wife, she pivots to making Freya an ally bound by blood. After Bodil’s arrival, Ylva claims an alliance with the only female jarl in Skaland, appearing to strengthen Snorri’s coalition while likely protecting her own position should the prophecy falter.

Despite her ruthlessness, Ylva is not immune to emotional strain. During the blood oath scene, she breaks down, unable to stomach sharing her husband. Later, when Freya storms into Grindill accusing her of betraying their location to Harald, Ylva sobs and pleads her innocence—an assertion Bodil’s truth-sight confirms, at least regarding the rune message on the tree. Nevertheless, Ylva’s earlier crimes make it clear that her hands are far from clean.

Chronological Arc

Ylva’s arc weaves through the novel in a series of pivotal moments:

  • Chapter 4: Ylva coldly evaluates Freya’s potential as a shield maiden. No warmth is exchanged.
  • Chapter 6: She conducts the blood-tattoo ritual, invoking Hlin. When the goddess tears Freya open in a vision that suggests the shield maiden could be destroyed by conflicting forces, Ylva stumbles away from the circle. Bjorn blames her for abandoning Freya, and the distorted tattoo on Freya’s right palm becomes a lingering enigma.
  • Chapter 8: Ylva intercepts the consummation, proposes and executes the blood oath binding Freya to Snorri’s line. She threatens Freya with a gruesome death if she ever betrays them.
  • Fjalltindr (Chapters 14-20): Ylva travels with the warband. She argues violently with Bjorn, openly hoping the draug of the Path to Helheim will kill him. Her hatred is flagrant. At Fjalltindr, Freya overhears a conversation and suspects Ylva of conspiring with Harald. However, Bodil later claims Ylva was meeting with her about an alliance, leaving the question of Ylva’s Fjalltindr activities unresolved.
  • Return to Halsar/Grindill (Chapters 24-32): A runic message exposing Snorri’s war plans appears and vanishes. Freya immediately suspects Ylva, but Bodil’s truth-touch confirms Ylva did not carve those runes. When Skade kills Freya’s mother, Ylva is blamed for leaking Freya’s location. She denies it, yet the revelation of her past attempt on Saga’s life cements her as a figure of profound treachery.
  • Climax: As Snorri’s hold fractures, Ylva urges flight from the Nordeland forces. She remains at Snorri’s side, her fate bound to his—and to Freya’s oath.

Relationships

Ylva and Snorri: Their marriage is a power partnership. She serves his ambition with her magic, and he honors her as his “one true wife” during the blood oath. Yet there is distrust: Snorri accuses her of caring more about rebuilding Halsar than about his destiny. She manipulates him when necessary but is clearly subordinate in public.

Ylva and Bjorn: This is the novel’s most toxic family bond. Ylva tried to kill Bjorn as a child. She resents his status as Snorri’s heir and sees him as an obstacle to Leif’s inheritance. Bjorn hates her openly and hints darkly about her role in his mother’s death. Their mutual hostility is a constant undercurrent.

Ylva and Freya: Their relationship is a complex blend of enmity and forced alliance. Ylva binds Freya magically and threatens her, yet she also helps Freya secretly visit her mother in Chapter 30—an act disguised as divine visions. Freya despises Ylva but cannot move against her without risking the oath. This tension embodies the theme of trust and betrayal.

Ylva and Leif: Her son Leif is her sole vulnerability and the engine of her ambition. She schemes for his inheritance and likely sees herself as securing his future by any means necessary.

Key Decisions and Consequences

  1. Abandoning the ritual circle: Ylva’s exit during the tattooing ritual may have contributed to the distorted second tattoo on Freya’s palm—a mark Snorri interprets as a sign that Bjorn must sacrifice for Freya. This miscalculation inadvertently ties Bjorn and Freya’s fates together.

  2. Proposing the blood oath: By binding Freya with runes instead of flesh, Ylva protects her marriage but creates a magical leash that defines the rest of the plot. Freya’s every choice is constrained by an oath that only Ylva’s death can dissolve.

  3. Attempting to murder Saga and Bjorn: This past atrocity is the root of Bjorn’s secret betrayal. Believing his father and Ylva tried to kill him and his mother, Bjorn eventually aligns with King Harald—a decision that shatters Freya’s trust in him.

  4. Denying the rune betrayal: Ylva’s protestations of innocence when the rune message is found are verified by Bodil’s truth-sense. This suggests that despite her many sins, she is not responsible for that particular leak, complicating any simple reading of her as a pure villain.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Ylva is a living embodiment of several central themes. Her blood magic and the oath she imposes on Freya illustrate the novel’s exploration of power and coercion: she uses supernatural force to control another’s bodily autonomy. Her schemes for Leif tie her to the theme of love vs. duty, as her maternal love drives her to monstrous acts.

She also represents the limits of prophecy and the struggle between fate and free will. Ylva believes in the gods’ foretellings and justifies her ruthlessness by claiming divine sanction—yet her own choices, like the attempted murder of Saga, create unintended consequences that no prophecy could fully contain.

Finally, Ylva’s unmasked past challenges the theme of identity and self-worth. She has constructed her identity around being Snorri’s indispensable volva wife, but her crimes reveal a woman willing to sacrifice anything to maintain that identity.

Questions and Answers

1. Why does Ylva propose the blood oath instead of letting Freya consummate the marriage?

Ylva cannot bear to share her husband physically. During the wedding night, she breaks down and offers a magical alternative—a blood oath mingled with runes—that binds Freya to serve Snorri’s bloodline without requiring sex. This solution preserves Ylva’s exclusive marital bond while still securing the prophetic alliance Snorri demands. It also makes Ylva’s life the key to Freya’s servitude, ensuring her own safety.

2. What is Ylva’s relationship with Bjorn, and why does she want him dead?

Ylva despises Bjorn because he is Snorri’s eldest son and heir, a position she wants for her own son, Leif. Years before the story begins, Ylva and Snorri attempted to murder Bjorn and his mother Saga. Saga survived and escaped to Nordeland, but the trauma left Bjorn with a lasting hatred for Ylva. Throughout the novel, Ylva openly wishes for Bjorn’s death, such as when she hopes the draug of the Path to Helheim will kill him.

3. How does Ylva’s volva magic shape the plot?

Ylva’s runic magic is the mechanism of Freya’s binding. She conducts the blood-tattoo ritual that marks Freya as Hlin’s child and later casts the blood oath that traps Freya in service to Snorri’s line. Her magic also wards the Hall of the Gods and creates rune messages. Without Ylva’s volva arts, Snorri would have no magical means to control the shield maiden, and the entire foundation of the prophecy’s fulfillment would crumble.

4. Does Ylva actually betray Snorri to King Harald?

The evidence is mixed. Freya believes she overhears Ylva conspiring with Harald at Fjalltindr, but Bodil later claims Ylva was meeting with her about an alliance. When a rune message exposing Snorri’s war plans appears, Freya again suspects Ylva—but Bodil’s truth-sight confirms Ylva did not carve those runes. Nevertheless, Ylva’s past crimes, including the attempted murder of Saga, make her a proven betrayer of family. She may not be the specific spy in every instance, but her history demonstrates a willingness to commit treachery for her son’s sake.

5. How does Ylva’s attempted murder of Saga and Bjorn affect the story’s end?

This revelation reframes the entire conflict. Bjorn’s secret loyalty to Harald—exposed in Chapter 35—stems directly from Snorri and Ylva’s murder attempt. Bjorn and Saga survived only because Harald sheltered them. Understanding that Ylva tried to kill a child to clear Leif’s path to power reveals her as far more dangerous than she initially appears and complicates the ending of the book, where alliances shift and Freya must confront the cost of her own bonds.

For further exploration, see all characters in A Fate Inked in Blood or delve into the themes of power and coercion that Ylva so vividly represents.