Big Ole marks the birthplace of America.



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 then 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 employment/opportunities in investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer, do contact him.

Comments

  1. Guillermo the IVthOctober 21, 2017 at 5:47 PM

    Stine Mylastnameisprivate/therealfigment: You kids ever roadtrip to go see this guy & his stone?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

iceland: a travelogue

Image
Day -1 : Deplaned! ... and it begins with me sprinting full out from one end of Phoenix's mile-long Sky Harbor Airport to the very last concourse, which of course looks very action film terrorist red flag-like. The plane (if you can call the wee Red Bull can with wings an actual plane) from Tucson was 45 minutes late getting in due to confidence inspiring "maintenance issues", which left me with less than 10 minutes to make my connection to Denver. "The door is closed." I can see the plane through the window, still connected to the jetway. "But the plane is  right there ." "The door is closed. You'll have to go talk to customer service," she states in flat disciplinarian tones with barely veiled punitive relish. By contrast the sweet great aunt US Airways desk agent's deeply apologetic about me losing a whole day in Iceland, and I simply can't get pissed at a nice old lady who's doing her best to get me out as early as possib
Read more

Neil Gaiman's "Norse Mythology".

Image
Neil Gaiman faced the daunting task to adapt the narrative holy of the holies, the ur-book stories, the most ancient tales known to man from which all other tales have since flowed from: Norse Mythology . As we told a childhood friend of Neil's last month, Neil is a fearless writer, that before Neil there wasn't a great movement in the fantasy genre to use the Gods as actual intimate first & close third-person protagonists. [Neil Gaiman being fearless!] We look back at his record for this daring talent with reading pleasure:  The Sandman  (his breakout World Fantasy Award-winning graphic novel series expanding the being of Greek deity Morpheus),  American Gods  (heavily featuring Gods from various pantheons), and  Odd & the Frost Giants  (a  NorsePlay  story for children of all ages). And now, in a tribute to pay back what originally inspired him, Gaiman offers us his version of  Norse Mythology . In his introduction, Neil points out and mourns the loss of many stories
Read more

NorsePlay Investigates: The Heavener Runestone.

Image
I know what you're thinking: a runestone in eastern Oklahoma?!? Yet if the Norse traveled east to the Black Sea, maybe even further into Asia via the spice roads, why not the same reach past Leif's Camp in Newfoundland and extending into America via coastal circumnavigation, rivers, and portages? [detail from park sign with proposed river route & location.] So I, as a proactive Investigative Norse Mythologist , used this legendary stickpin from my Map Of Midgard Project data to go take a firsthand look at the contested Heavener Runestone. [runes with me for scale.] Objective Observations: Out in small vale of the wilderlands of Heavener stands a 9' x 9' x 2' slab of sandstone, like a huge billboard facing west. From the collapsed layers of rock behind it, it seems to have detached and neatly planted itself upright in the earth. Whether that's incidental, or it was raised, or detached by force, and even possibly carved first then erected, one can't say,
Read more