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Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on February 17, 2014 at 10:26am

Håkon Haraldsson

The Sun Catcher ...

.. a rare Germanic/Nordic piece found in Denmark and dating to around
1000 BCE. This object is made of bronze, supporting an amber disk. It is presumed that this object was attached to a long rod and used for ceremonial purposes. Holding the amber blade facing a light source, a cross appears in the disk, giving the image of a Sun Cross (or gear). Amber is symbolically linked to the sun, and adds significance to this being a religious/ritual object of a type which some call "die Sonnenlupe" (solar magnifying glass), or "the Sun-Holder" (the one that holds the sun).
This object is displayed in the National Museum in Copenhagen.

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on February 15, 2014 at 5:20pm

Alvíssmál and Orality I: Formula, Alliteration and Categories of My...

by Mr Frog (University of Helsinki)

"This paper presents a case study on formula selection and variation in eddic poetry. It includes a general discussion of approaches to formulae in eddic poetry, problems with these, and offers a new model for addressing the relative fixity of formulaic expressions. Although focused on Old Norse poetry, this discussion has a broad relevance to approaching other oral-poetic traditions through limited medieval sources or their relationships. The paper analyzes the thirteen formulaic stanzas in Alvíssmál which ascribe poetic synonyms to different types of mythic being. The formula is...

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on February 15, 2014 at 5:20pm

The (De)Construction of Mythic Ethnography I: Is Every þurs in Vers...

by Mr Frog (University of Helsinki)

"This paper addresses variation in lexical semantics by oral-poetic register and genre, including semantic variation in formulaic language. It reviews uses of the Old Norse term þurs (commonly translated 'ogre') in verse contexts, including runic inscriptions. It argues that the semantics of this term varied in relation to the genre in which it was used, including uses with reference to mythological giants (jötnar) in mythological narratives, agents of illness in charms, and as a vague synonym for 'monster' in death-songs more like the prose narratives in which these appear. It proposes...

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on February 15, 2014 at 5:20pm

Horse-fights: the Brutal Entertainemnt of the Icelanders in the Mid...

by Remigiusz Gogosz (University of Rzeszów)

For medieval Icelanders, horses were among the most important animals. It should come as no surprise, as they were used for transport, in pagan rites (hippomancy, funerals, sacred horses), eating, and also for sports. These sports were the horse-fights (hestavígs) and horse-racing (skeið). Reading the sagas, one can find a lot of references to horse-fighting. This sport was considered of such importance among medieval Icelanders that laws have been written down regarding this entertainment, yet there is no exact description of how such events were organized. Only by putting all the...

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on February 15, 2014 at 5:19pm

From Mead to Snakebite: An Ethnography of Modern British University...

by Matt Austin (University of Reading)

This paper considers the role of alcohol consumption and drinking rituals in Viking Age North-western Europe and makes an ethnographic comparison to modern British university sports team drinking culture. The study is based on general observations, made in an ad hoc fashion over several years, and is underpinned more broadly by the author’s own student experience. Such an approach is primarily intended to highlight broad similarities between past and present attitudes towards drinking. In doing so, it is in a vein with other experimental archaeological approaches where bringing the past to...

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on February 14, 2014 at 3:37pm

Display of a Norse Giant's Heartby fourrpaws
Traditional Art / Installation Art©2012-2014 fourrpaws
Preserved Heart of a Norse Giant
in an Oaken Casket
(5th century)

While going through his famous grandfather’s belongings after his passing in 1937, violinist Lars Sigerson discovered this casket with its gruesome contents. It appears to have been passed from generation to generation within his family for hundreds of years. The explanation and whatever story that goes with it has been lost to the ages.

The inscription on the casket is written in old Norse runes and reads:
“Behold! Within this casket lies the heart of the fierce and terrible giant known as Hrungnir, slain this day by Fafrd the Red whose bravery and cunning shall live forever!”

The human heart housed in the box came from a larger than average man, probably one suffering from Gigantism, an oversupply of growth hormone which leads to excessive height and often conditions such as acromegaly. Research indicates it was roughly cut out and preserved with salts, the same process the ancient Norse would use to preserve fish and meat for their Viking voyages and to survive the long winters.

Little is known about Fafrd the Red, who is only mentioned briefly in Eymundar pattr hrings, the Tale of Eymundu. In this tale, he is described only as a tall, red-haired youth with a strong arm and a clever wit.

After studying this item, Sir James Frazer hypothesized that the heart may have birthed the Norse folk tale of The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body collected by Asbjornsen and Moe in Norwegian Folk Tales (1848).

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on February 13, 2014 at 4:04pm

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on February 8, 2014 at 12:32pm

Ehwaz - The Rune of Movement

Know yourself and the world begins to move, says Ehwaz confidently to the Vitka. Like a horse with a rider, life needs a direction or else it will gallop out of control, and Ehwaz warns against allowing such dangerous spontaneity. Make haste slowly, it whispers from its placement in the Vitka's reading, and do not fear the coming changes.

Keep steady at the helm of your life, keep your goals in mind and as you allow the flow to take you, remember that it needs your intention to remain between the banks. You have brought much effort into life and now it is time to see it grow, shift and become a horse of a different colour. It is time to turn and face the strange as these changes begin. Fortune and success are assured to you, but only if you continue to foster the dream and show honesty to your own heart.

Ehwaz in Runework

Inscribe Ehwaz into amulets to help bring good fortune and forward momentum to a person's life. It is a rune that helps bring spiritual and material advancement and is the rune of the journeyman. It is also a rune used to represent the male and female energies of swift change: it is the perfect amulet to offer to the newly handfasted or to give blessings into a new relationship especially between soulmates and lovers.

Ehwaz Reversed - The Rune of Burdens

Sometimes an obstacle is really just a door - but be certain that it is a door you wish to open. Drawing Ehwaz reversed indicates that the choice before you is a path that you can take...but that it might be better to let this opportunity pass you by. Leave it for another.

What is yours will come to you, says the Rune of Burdens, and not all burdens are yours to carry. Take a step back and consider what it is that YOU want out of life. You may feel lost - even pushed into opening that door, but don't - not unless you are ready to leave everything you have worked for behind.

If that is a sacrifice you are willing to make, by all means move on...but otherwise perhaps it is better to continue on your way and let the opportunity which is yours to have appear.

Ehwaz in Magick

1 is the power of Ehwaz - the strength of the individual and the lone wolf roaming all of the earth. Its pure strength of personal light and foundation is one that makes this rune worthy of magick which will open new doors, bring new possibilities and add power to existing wards and spell work. Ehwaz holds all the power of the summer sun, moving always on towards the horizon.

Use its power to break past obstacles, to bring luck and better odds to your desires and in wish magicks to petition the Spirit. Ue its power in love, job and magicks aimed at justice and change for its power - even alone - is one that moves always forward and never back...

Ehwaz in the Elder Rune

In the elder rune Ehwaz represents the letter "E".

~~ Kissing Wind ~~

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on February 8, 2014 at 12:16pm

Thurisaz the thorn represents barriers and senseless violence. Here we see the thorn overturned. This could mean that erected barriers will not hold, or that senseless violence can be avoided. Also, remember where thorns are found - perhaps this rune portends that a goal can be obtained easily and without interference. Grasp for the rose...

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on February 4, 2014 at 6:51pm

Håkon Haraldsson

Rune jötunvillur code is broken for the first time. It may help to solve the mystery of the Vikings' secret codes.
This pin from the 1200s Bryggen in Bergen has two men, Sigurd and Lavran, with their names written in both the code and the common runes. It helped runologist Jonas Nordby to crack jötunvillur code.
(Photo: Aslak Liestøl / Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo)

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