Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions of disability and depictions of ableism and sizeism. In addition, the source text uses offensive ableist and sizeist slurs, which are only replicated in quotes in this guide.

Odd’s disability is woven through the text as an important part of his experience of the world. After his accident, he must constantly think about his own body and make accommodations for himself, whether that be through putting his crutch within reach before getting into bed or taking regular breaks when traveling overland. Odd’s village—his only community at the beginning of the book—reduces him to his disability, viewing him as less valuable due to his lack of strength. Odd’s ancient Norse world is deeply ableist—the villagers value strength and independence and therefore view Odd’s need for support and lack of physical strength as weaknesses that make him less deserving of full membership in the community. Odd cannot get support from his village, so he must find self-worth elsewhere, including within himself, proving that people have value even if their contexts try to limit them.

While Odd’s leg might limit him physically, this is never treated within the book as a weakness—instead, it is merely something he must account for, like any trait.