Tag: History
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An Exploration of the Landvættir
Anonymous asked: “I hear the term “weights” often in heathen circles. I know little more than that they are land-spirits. I would like to learn more about them and how they were honored and their place in old nordic practices. I thought you might be willing to share some of what you know, or some…
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The Christianization of Iceland
tyrsbeast-blog asked: I saw a documentary recently, in which they said, Iceland became Christian basically because Denmark became Christian and imprisoned every Iceland not der on it’s soil, sending an ultimatum to Iceland, that they would execute them, if Iceland wouldn’t convert. A heathen law man, respected by Christians and Heathens alike, was in the end…
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More on Old Norse Orthography: Ö vs Ǫ
neonsuntan replied to your post: “How far should we go to preserve old Norse Orthography? Most…” Should we use ö, o, or ǫ for the first vowel in Voluspa? Also many of the original texts used an “av” ligature that simply isn’t supported in many fonts. (It’s Latin extended-d A739). Concerning ‘ǫ’ and ‘ö’: The ‘ǫ’ spelling is what…
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Vikings in Scotland: Picts and the Dál Riata
If you thought we had finally gotten away from crazy Irish people, you were sadly mistaken. Yet, although the Irish did nose their way into Scotland, there were indeed other people that were there before them, and they were called the Picts. Thus, we once again have the makings for a wonderfully chaotic concoction of identities…
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Old Norse Orthography
Anonymous asked: How far should we go to preserve old Norse Orthography? Most parallel translations use standardised letters but are we losing anything in not keeping all the quirks of the original? This is a beautiful question, so thank you for asking it. I find this to be a very interesting aspect of translation to discuss,…
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Vikings in Ireland: Fighting for Kingship with Brian Boru
BY THE TENTH CENTURY CE, the situation in Ireland had grown in complexity as ‘Viking’ identity hazed into further obscurity while the original settlers of Dublin began to integrate with the Irish. Furthermore, powerful Viking chieftains from abroad sought political dominance over a town that was gradually becoming a kingdom of its very own: Dublin. Yet,…
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Notes on a Pictish Pendant with Sea Motifs
wintersoulstice2 replied to your post “Greetings friend,it is told That odin wanders among us. Do you have…” I’m sorry, I don’t mean to roam off subject, but I have a question regarding a pendant I wear non-stop. It’s called a Triton and is of both Norse and Celtic origin. It has two seahorses, a triquetra and a…
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Old Norse Prayers, Magic, and Spirits
ensom-heks-deactivated20170316 asked: Dear Fjorn, I don’t know if you have some information about witchcraft but do you have a prayer to the Gods for cleansing a room? if so I’m thrilled to hear about that. Sincerely, Ensome heks I see that you are a wanderer like me, perhaps, because you are a newcomer in a complex…
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Primary Sources for Odin’s Wandering Beyond Norse Mythology
du-ich-jeder-deactivated2017071 asked: Greetings friend,it is told That odin wanders among us. Do you have some source(s) That descripes those interactions? I know all the ones from the poetic and snorri edda, yet i am not satisfied. I love your blog and respect your knowledge a lot:) It has indeed been told that Óðinn wanders far in…
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Mermaids, Sirens, and Sea-Dwellers in Norse Mythology
manic-entity asked: Do you know of any kinds of mermaids or sirens or other sea dwellers in Norse myth? (If there’s two things I love, it’s mermaids and Norse myth) Off the top of my head, I cannot think of specific mermaids in Norse mythology. I can, however, recall that there is a Danish fairytale from…
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Vikings in Ireland: Dublin, Conflict, and Integration
Although it may seem rather strange, raiding does not suitably describe the history of a ‘Viking Age’ Ireland, but rather it has been their settlements and their then emerging new role within Irish society that has brought forth the most curiosity. In fact, it is perhaps their behavior in Ireland that beckons us to question…
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Vikings in Ireland: Arrival and Initial Impact
Rising out of the sea, a storm of serpents approached Ireland in 795 CE that would cast a complex shadow across the land of Éiru (Ireland) over the following centuries. The ‘Vikings’, in their storm of fury, allegedly came to pillage and destroyed the Golden Age of ecclesiastical learning in Ireland. The Vikings, however, did not…
