NorsePlay.

  Give your cat a more Wagnerian mien with this handknit breastplate & operatic horned helmet set based on the Ring Cycle 's costume for Valkyrie Brünnhilde ! Sure, this  stage-borne  Germanic Romanticism's  where the false impression of the Viking horned helmet comes from , but your cat's not going to call you on that. And if you have singing Siamese or a verbal Norwegian Forest Cat , then it'll totally Valhallidate your feline's performative prima donna tendencies.   [ knitted by Patricia of OonaPatternsEtc 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.   ...

  This early 1980s CE liquor ad campaign probably captured the attention of many, it being so remarkably over-the-top for its time. We present you the two magazine versions in order to see the inspired mixture of Frazetta/Vallejo-styled art, an amazingly predictive Golden Compass polar bear mount , Odinic eyepatch, and luminous magic sword (possibly lightsaber?!?). As with many fantastically depicted women warrior s, we have to ask if she's so battle-hyped up on body warming liquor that any midriff, leg, and arm armor's not required, or if she's just so valkyrie that she's divinely immune to the effects of low temperatures. Beyond these concerns, there's an aesthetic reaching for Northernness that is very, very NorsePlay, and if  placed ahead of us in time (again, possible lightsaber?), she could be a post-Ragnarök second generation goddess questing through the remnants of a Fimbulwinter-zone for a dwarven superweapon . #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV k...

While not the first nor the second pinball-related NorsePlay brought to our attention, this sweet 1974 Bally produced Ro Go  machine designed by Greg Kmiec with artwork by Dave Christensen is a wonderful bit of viking kitsch. [Norseplay hails their friend Bill Dennis for sending this in for us!] #    #    # 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 .

Since NorsePlay's in Tucson, we're taking a moment to mention Arizona Opera 's putting on Das Rheingold , Wagner's classic remix of Norse Mythology. [At the Tucson Music Hall on April 14th & 15th, rehearsal photos by Tim Trumble.] #    #    # 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 .

Viking Princess Barbie. (Yes, really.) From the Mattel Barbie Dolls of the World Princess Collection, the back of the box has a nice context of Barbie being a jarl's daughter, living in a longhouse inside a Trelleborg, and so on & so forth. What's funny about this product shot is the wings on her helmet are pushed just a bit too far forward. [from 2003, still available on Amazon for $35, if you can af-fjord 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 of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to...

Sleeping Wotan by sculptor Rudolf Maison. [cast in 1900 CE, reproduction available 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 .

The Valkyrie Brunnhild (1898) by symbolist painter Gaston Bussière. [Color lithograph on wove paper.] #    #    # 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 .

But would Wagner approve of an Organ Orgy cover album of his Ring Cycle ? Any of you heard this? #    #    # 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 .

Emil Doepler's rendition of Odin and Fenrir, Freyr and Surt (1905) . Definitely a product of Germanic romanticism, the tableau has a doom-shadowed tone, with predominant reds & oranges appropriate of a fiery Ragnarök. Surt appears diminutive, as if Frey could've just ridden him down, and Fenrir appears to be able to shoot flames from his mouth, his baleful eye fixed on Odin. Note Sleipnir's curious absence. #    #    # 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 offe...