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Showing posts from December, 2019

why Odin feeds his wolves and not himself.

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Odin only drinks wine but does not eat, instead giving his meals to his wolf companions Freki & Geri, which mean "the ravenous" and "the greedy one". NorsePlay's thoughts on this are that in feeding his fylgja wolves, Odin is in essence feeding himself through them by proxy. Why? The wolves are a displaced avenue of Odin's hunger & desire, so he nourishes them to nourish himself, but because this essential need of physical sustenance is outside of himself, it then allows him the mental focus on his even more insatiable quest for knowledge and the ability to metaphysically gain that knowledge through ecstatic/shamanic means without that aspect of carnal distraction. [Geri & Freki with Valknut Hooded Blanket from VikingsBrand.] #    #    # 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 f...

Happy Yule from NorsePlay!

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We hope your Yule tonight looks as badarse as this vintage illustration! Thanks for reading us this year! Remember, keep your gifts for a gift for those of worth, spend time with your innangard, honor the Gods with some mead & ham, and celebrate the breaking of the long night whose passing lets you know that we've all staved off Fimbulwinter with our honorable deeds to win another year! Hail to you all! [ Altnordisches Julfest (1880 CE) illustration by von Ferdinand Lindner.] #    #    # 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  inves...

NorsePlay on The Raven's Call!

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We took a moment to send Eric "Word-Weaver" Sjerven of The Raven's Call YouTube Channel an appreciative postcard for his exemplary videocasting on Heathenry, which he in turn took a moment of his episode to show and and thank us for ! We picked up this postcard during our travels in Iceland and have been saving it for someone who'd truly appreciate it, and we felt Eric was that guy of worth. And for those of you unfamiliar with The Raven's Call , it's the clear inheritor to the Heathen podcasting mantle established by Raven Radio, Ravencast, and Heathen Talk, so give it a go and let us know what you think. #    #    # 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 Midgar...

Freyr & Gerðr meet in the Moonrise Kingdom.

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While viewing the perfect film Moonrise Kingdom for probably the 30th or so time, we just noticed a few more things that relate to the Lore, and while we don't think director Wes Anderson consciously included Norse elements from his Norwegian-Swedish paternal background, we're taking a moment to point our own Heathen Worldview observations out. Suzy Bishop & Sam Shakusky finally meet in a picturesque field after much postal correspondence, emotional negotiation, and extra-personal angst from their separate situations ... much the same after Freyr & Gerðr finally meet in "The Grove of Tranquil Paths", or the field of Barri in the Poetic Edda's Skírnismál , where they get married. At the performance of Noye's Fludde (possibly a less sanguine diluvial reworking of the killing of Ymir whose flood of blood starts a new chapter of cosmic existence), Sam is not content to stay in his seat with the rest of the scouts, but transgressively gets up and strike...

it is worse than sickness.

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"I am not sick," said Thorkel, "but this is worse than sickness."  This simple statement from Gisli Sursson's Saga in chapter 9 so hits the emotional torture of heartbreak in a timeless way, that same inconsolable voice from a thousand years past will always be relevant to those who feel the loss of love. [Ragnar Lothbrok helplessly watches Lagertha depart.] #    #    # 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 .