NorsePlay.

Freyja & the eponymous character from The Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok by Sakura Kinoshita. While this wallpaper looks cool, the actual series is fraught with the over-reactive sidekick character, Japanese schoolyard-isms, some indeterminate familiar animal, and a ridiculous scepter. We watched the first four episodes, and while the unfolding reveal of the Norse Gods incarnated on earth & their intentions was interesting, the X-Files paranormal investigating and some of the above was not, so we dropped it. Have any of you slugged it out and found the show a NorsePlay worth pursuing? #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded ...

Watching the processional Bear Dance in Comănești, Bacău County, Romania, doesn't strike one as just a winter parade to drive out evil spirits. The men & women dressed in actual bear pelts adorned with oversized red tassels dance to shamanistic skin drums, wood flutes & whistles, pausing at certain intervals to make a mysterious trilling noise , lead by a masked old man, and subject to a call/response chant, has all the earmarks of a ritual. With the Indo-European lingual taboo on the actual word for bear, the migrant Roma who inspired this tradition first using real bears, and the serious to fierce demeanor of the dancers, recalls the idea that the Berserker may have been a formal entranced dance that lead to a legendary invulnerability in battle , and that perhaps this dance could be a remnant of the Berserkergang state at work. #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'A...

For those of you who want to use your bifrost-ed pencils, a Norse Mythology-themed colouring book by Jade Summer Coloring. [ Digital download format found on Etsy.] #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer,  do contact him .

Labeled "psychedelic" by Grupo Erik, we like the pop-art stylings of this wall poster for the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok . And since the Hulk's really a menace, we only see one champion in this arena coming out on top: Thor! #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer,  do contact him .

Norse Goddess of the Underworld Hela does a forward-facing homage to Disney's fairy tale villainesses as part of LA's Hero Complex Gallery's Thor: Ragnarok Art Showcase, running through November 5th. Go catch it! [Illustration by Jisoo Kim.] #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer,  do contact him .

Thor: Ragnarok poster from LA's Hero Complex Gallery show by artist Dan Mumford. We love the pop art styling, and note Valkyrie rocking the Valknut on her cape. #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer,  do contact him .

As if the Norse Cosmos wasn't grim enough, IDW's Ragnarök (2014) presents us with a post-apocalyptic Nine Worlds where Thor himself is an undead draugr and wakes to find things far worse off. Known for his awesome run on Marvel's Thor , artist/writer Walt Simonson presents his own version of Asgard's hero making sense of the ruins among the adversarial powers and dark elf assassins. [Read issues here: http://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Ragnarok ] #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  investigative mythology,  field research, or product d...

Loki depicted in the Þursakyngi grimoire , a companion to the earlier posted Gullveigarbók . Again, we don't cotton to those who would seriously back the adversaries of the Norse Cosmos, but one has to note (and keep one eye on) the effort involved in exploring those themes. [Illustration either by author Vexior/Ekortu or Helgorth.] #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer,  do contact him .

Because of a questionable/contested runestone discovery, Alexandria, MN, lays claim to being the "Birthplace of America", and flaunts that declaration with the roadside attraction of viking Big Ole , seen here in 1965 conquering a traffic island. Moved later to a roadside, you can watch him via this webcam to make sure he doesn't move when you're not looking. [Fiberglass sculpted by Gordon Schumaker, originally for the NY World's Fair earlier that year.] #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  investigative mythology,  field research, or prod...

Icelandic ogress Grýla by Þrándur Þórarinsson (2009). She only eats bad children, which could be seen as providing a service, in its own grim way. [Þrándur Þórarinsson, Gryla , 2009.] "Grýla is a mythical giantess living in the mountains of Iceland. Most of the stories told about Gryla were to frighten bad children, and her name is mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's thirteenth century Edda. Grýla was not directly linked to Christmas until the 17th century. By that time she had become the mother of the Yule Lads. Terry Gunnell hypothesizes that the medieval custom of dressing as Grýla may be related to other visiting traditions such as Julebukk or the Yule Goat and that her name may mean 'threat' or 'threatening'. She has the ability to detect children who are misbehaving year-round. During Christmas time, she comes from the mountains to search nearby towns for her meal. She leaves her cave and hunts for the children. She devours children as her favorite snack. H...

"The Battle of Ragnarök" from the  Fall of Gods illustrated novel by Rasmus Berggreen & Michael Vogt (writer for the Hitman game). This successfully funded Kickstarter out of Copenhagen, Denmark, is based on an expansion of the Norse God Vali's story. Now underway at 20th Century Fox as a movie adaptation, with Wes Ball directing ( Maze Runner trilogy) and Stuart Beattie to write the script. [Book available at FallOfGods.com.] #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  investigative mythology,  field research, or product develop...

Serious NorsePlay lensed as personal therapy via the BBC: The Slavs and Vikings Festival in Wolin, Poland seems to touch certain participants deeply, focusing and sorting them out. On top of that, it looks like great fun. Read this recontextual article here . #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer,  do contact him .

Handcarved Hnefatafl board with relevant icons to indicate piece setup and victory spaces. [Designed by Lucho Panchev of Bulgaria.] #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer,  do contact him .

A longship pieced version of Hnefatafl at an exhibition in the Midgard Historisk Senter, Borre, Norway. [photo & set construction by Adam Bartley.] #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer,  do contact him .

Sure they're the most celebrated chessmen in the world and thus an obvious choice for NorsePlay, but we can't help but adore & include them: The Lewis Chessmen feature four Rooks who are depicted as Berserkers! Note the battle-mad biting of shields. We got a nice museum gift shoppe replica of the Berserker at left a few years ago on our visit to London. And we're fond of this more cosmic recontextual drawing with the Berserker featured at center: [Above  display at The British Museum in their very own room, and bottom l llustration by Ilene Winn-Lederer from his Notes From London: Above & Below .] #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, an...