Tag: scandinavian
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Concerning ‘Red Gold’
When you look at gold, what color do you see? Probably some shade of yellow. Why, then, do Old Norse texts often mention ‘red gold’? Is it different from normal gold? If so, what is it? I was asked this question on Tumblr recently, so I took a moment to dig up an answer. Here’s…
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The Poetic Edda: Studying a Source for Norse Mythology
In recent years, the popularity of the Norse myths has grown exponentially. With bestselling books such as Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology and History Channel’s award-winning television series Vikings, the stories of the Norse gods and their human heroes have become a part of our modern cultural life. The thousand-year-old deities that encompassed a rich oral…
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Selections of Poetry by Jónas Hallgrímsson
Jónas Hallgrímsson (1807-1845) is still frequently regarded as the most loved and admired poet of Modern Iceland.[1] He grew up on a rural farm in North Iceland (Hraun in Öxnadalur), where he learned and lived the oral traditions of Icelandic folklore, poetics, and saga reading; but, when he was sixteen, he spent six years studying…
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The Saga of Iceland’s Independence
Gleðilega þjóðhátíð! Today is June 17th, which means that it is Icelandic National Day! To celebrate, I am sharing the Saga of Iceland’s Independence, which explores the history surrounding Iceland’s road to independence — Join me in the Hall to learn more!
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Drinking in the Medieval North
Please gather around, friends, for another anonymous wanderer has sent a request to this hall! I hate to admit that it was long ago now, but a raven once came to me bearing this message: “i’d be curious to hear from a possibly more academic side how you see drinking/alcohol playing into heathenism? i’ve heard…
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King Hakon the Good Complicates Yule
As many are of you are already aware, this time of year is popularly regarded as a Revived Yuletide with the Winter Solstice typically being the beginning of this ‘New’ Old Yule. Yet, although I too regard this day as a New Yule, I must also admit that this is not historically true. Long ago,…
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Hord and the Mound of Soti the Viking
Today is Old Yule Eve, and I have quite the story to share with you all tonight! A wanderer by the name of paganoldsoul requested that I tell stories about Odin and Yule, and so I have found one worthy of a retelling. While it may not be exactly what they had in mind, it is…
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Gift-Giving in the Medieval North
Gather around, friends; the fire is still warm and lively! One night, a fair bit ago now, a raven flew into my hall bearing an interesting question from an anonymous wanderer. It has particular relevance to this gift-giving season (Jól (Yule/Christmas) for some), which is quickly approaching us. Allow me to share the question with…
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Old Norse 1.1
Please gather around and join me by the hearth if you wish to learn more about the Old Tongue! The theme of our current festivities shall be “Njáll hét maðr…”, which will be concerned with how great heroes are introduced in the sagas! During our next few gatherings, we will learn more about this theme,…
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Old Norse Preface
Preface Introducing the Language “The term ‘Old Norse’ has been used in various ways. For some it is a broad concept covering the language of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, as well as Iceland and the other Scandinavian colonies, throughout the Viking Age (c. 750–1050) and the early and high Middle Ages (c. 1050–1350). At the…
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Snorri Sturluson: Keeping the Old Alive with the New
ruimtetijd asked: Hello, vinur minn! (I’m learning haha!) I have a question I’ve been thinking about since I’ve started reading the Poetic Edda, and delving into the stories. To what extent do you think Snorri’s Christian background influenced his writings? Obviously, there are many parallels, and many of these parallels occur in many, many religions…
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The Old Gods and the New: Sitting on the Spiritual Fence
Anonymous asked: Hi Fjorn! I saw your response the other day to the anon over at asatrucommunity who asked about the intersection between Christian and Norse gods, and how some of this intermingled. It sounds fascinating because I always assumed the two were diametrically opposed. Could you give me any historical examples or reference points…
