NorsePlay.

In the Warhammer 40K Horus Heresy short story of The Harrowing , author Rob Sanders uses two neologisms, runebanks & runescreens , to describe devices of the technologically oriented Adeptus Mechanicus. We felt these two words alone were NorsePlay-evocative enough in terms of the implied uninterrupted use of runes , and wondered how we could runepunk that into our hardware/ software interfaces, so as to simultaneously NorsePlay the past, present, & future. Seeking manifestations of this, a few years ago designer MiTo made a limited-run of customizable keycaps called Canvas XDA. The alpha keys in the pictures below are the Dieter Rams rune kit based on the Elder Futhark alphabet.  (Rams was a German functionalist designer of the late 1950s to 1960s CE, whom MiTo named this modern runic product variation after.) [ergo-split futhark keyboard assembled by Xah Lee.] [wood-base version assembled by reddit user LukeNukem6.] With these in hand, code-skalds, it is ti...

In Landnamabok ( The Book of Settlements ) ch 379, Olivir Child-Sparer is so named as he chose not to " have children tossed by spear-point as was the custom of vikings at the time ." This sort-of non- deed/descriptive naming raises some questions, so let's NorsePlay this out: [Viking Spear handforged by That Works.] Aside from a prospective father not picking up his presented newborn from the floor in order to claim them thus casting outdoors the unworthy infant for slow exposure to the elements and/or wild animal predation,  what if  a quicker option besides  this was to spear them? [illustration from Northlanders : The Girl in the Ice .] This naming could also be solely  in a foreign context from when Olivir went a-viking seasonally, so perhaps on raids he spared spearing the newly-made orphans. In this case the resulting abandonment meant Olivir's name was critical of his possibly misplaced mercy. And in the sagas many men are taken down by vengeful d...

  [hey there Loki , Thor, Valkyrie, Hela , and Sif !] As the close of summer approaches, NorsePlay presents this Marvel-ous fanservice cosplay version of the Æsir having a weapon-bearing loungeabout in a backyard pool. This totally updates the seasonal  Sports Illustrated -style swimsuit issues Marvel would sometimes put out in the 1980s. Also, you can't see below the waterline, but Thor 's trunks have the four steel shield chest badges on them. It's the less-is-more/just-enough  minimal   details of this group cosplay that we appreciate. [photo by Adrienne Longo.] #    #    # 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 spearheade...

  As far as NorsePlay goes, the concept of Ragnaröks being physical objects is like mega-fusion bomb terrifying , and marketing them as Cracker Jack prizes in a cereal for trolls  to have, who as lesser jotuns will side on the destructive faction of entropy come Twilight of the Gods, is the worst idea ever! [Outside of NorsePlay, this troll-rific graphic design is the monster totem-driven brainchild of my visionary artist pal Daniel Davis, co-owner/troop leader of the Monster Rangers who have their own inclusive mythology & events . Get this design as a mini-poster here , and join the Rangers if you're feeling it.] #    #    # 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...