NorsePlay.

Last week someone anonymously dropped off this 6" x 6" art print featuring Hel, the Norse Goddess of Death , in my mailbox: While I haven't truck with Hel Lokisdottir , I can't help but admire the designwork in this semi-Art Nouveau-inspired circular format. The braids inventively used as blade frogs, the bone & ring linked daggertailed chainwhip, her "H" monogrammed shoulder brooch, the horned crownhelm (which is possibly Marvel Hela derived), and Hel's modest coverage of her half-deathly side with the exception of sharp boned left arm, while intentionally  revealing her living leg & top, all of which makes her both seductive & Goddess-level dauntingly formidable .  Searching online, I can't seem to find any artistic attributions, so if you know who drew this do comment below, as I would love to see if they've done a series of other Norse Gods to match. And to NorsePlay's secret admirer, thank you! [3/5/2023 Addenda: Thank yo...

  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.   ...

  In a strange turn of mash-up elements, Marvel Odin becomes the literal deus ex machina in The Mighty Thor 's The War Of The Realms when Iron Man Tony Stark, Shuri, and dwarf Screwbeard craft together this badarse battle Iron All-Father suit so he can go rescue his wife from her possible last stand at the enemy's Black Bifrost! The Norse Lore has a more than fair amount of technological solutions in terms of enchanted weapons ( Gungnir ,  Mjölnir ), objects imparting invisibility (two Tarnhelms, Gnipa's Ring), shirts of invulnerability (Katla's tunic, Bui The Dog's shirt), and many more, so this construction of tech-armor for an Asgardian only continues this storytelling motif. [quarter-splash panel from  War of the Realms #4  (2019 CE)] #    #    # 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 fa...

You've finally trapped your enemy and his family in their estate's wooden hall, making you only one step away from winning your generations-long Icelandic saga feud. As usual a hús-bruni, the climactic house burning , is the final step to either send them screaming into Hel , or to have the falling inferno of thatch & logs flush them out onto your waiting spearpoints . But what artfully wrought & status invoking tool can you pull out in front of your war party to summon the flames of final vengeance ? Why, by accursed Surtr 's fiery sword, one of these many superswanky NorsePlay'd lighters: [ Zippo Armor Nordico Lighter custom engraved by Zi Custom of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.] [Limited Edition Odin 360 Armor Deepcut Zippo.] [The Odinic "Viking Warrior Design" from Zippo.] [Runic line from Zippo Japan.] [custom brass frontispiece lighter plate from SeverEDC on Etsy.] [Ragnarök brass frontispiece plate by Volderworkshop on Etsy.] [custom engraved "V...

This horned-helmet wearing, Templar crossed shield bearing, and longsword brandishing Viking cover art illustration is from a 1959 CE 38-page vintage pamphlet by Hjalmar Rued Holand. Holand (b.1872-d.1963 CE) was a proponent of the Kensington Runestone along with other contested Norse America artifacts, and wrote five books supporting those theories before the discovery of Leif Erikson's camp at L'Anse aux Meadows in 1960 CE . In 1950 CE Holand was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in Anthropology & Cultural Studies. No matter which way you weigh in or abstain on such theories, the above illustration's a remarkably out-there NorsePlay. #    #    # 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...

  This handsome octagonal Norse-American centennial medal was issued for Minnesota State Fair on June 6th–9th, 1925 CE, and would make a nice bit of modern Viking hoard swag given its silver content of .900, 1/2 oz+ weight, and rare shape. Issued in a run of 40,000 silver medals and 100 gold ones, the medal was made to recognize the docking of Norwegian immigrant ship Restauration. The arrival of this ship is generally considered the first organized emigration of Norwegian-Americans to the United States. Obviously the 1825 CE boat wasn't a Viking longship, nor did they have horned helmet s, but the spirit of the idea's present in the coin's recognition of the event. As of this writing, they're starting at around $150, which metalwise is like 6-times the cost of the silver , but its the numismatic value and rarity that factors into its pricing. #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy o...

  DC's Beowulf: Dragon Slayer was a short-lived series that only ran six issues from 1975 CE. In a rather strange expansion where Grendel answered to the Devil, Beowulf dives through a mere into Hell, Vlad the Impaler shows up, there's an ancient alien encounter, and a tussle with the Minotaur, it seems the Geatish hero's legend grew far taller in this telling. We only had access to issues 2,3,5, & 6, and my impression was that although DC was putting out fantasy adventure titles like Warlord (which we liked), Arion , and Stalker , they still couldn't replicate the success of Marvel's Conan . Beowulf specifically reads jarringly, and shifts gears between incohesive elements, and one gets the impression that it never knows what it wants to be exactly, nor did it get the chance to decide to become anything, much less finish. Still, if you had to pick a high point issue, #5 with Beowulf actually uttering Von Daniken's title phrase "chariots of the gods...

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 .

Before Marvel Entertainment's Thor makes his first appearance in 1962, DC's then-Jack Kirby uses the God of Thunder in a 1957 issue of Tales Of The Unexpected ! [as pointed out by MisterKitty.org] #    #    # 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 .

And we're thrilled to discover a graphic version of Poul Anderson 's 1954 NorsePlay novel The Broken Sword , adapted by Tom Reamy with art by George Barr. [Serialized in Trumpet , a pulp magazine from 1965.] #    #    # 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 .

This undead love NorsePlay'd by Bill & Brittany Doran of Punished Props Academy. #    #    # 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 .

We spotted Vertigo Comics' Battleaxes (2000) in where the the Norse female grouping of mother-daughter team Hrotha & Freya, ultra-butch warriors Sigga & Bruna, and the mystical Skold decide to go mercenary. Any of you read these? #    #    # 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 .

Forget hierophanies in tortillas or toast; here we have our Odin in a watermelon . Even in fruit, he's still winningly grim. [from a dead link on blastr. Hats off to whomever carved 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 .

From those costume-in-a-box sets with the thin plastic mask with the stapled on rubberband you might remember as a kid. The  Norwegian  color scheme'd  horned helmet's painted eyes with the sort-of rosemåling banding's a surprising combination of elements. #    #    # 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 .

Bifrost Under Maintenance. Please Proceed To Escalator . Marvel Heimdall cosplayer takes the moving stairway bridge instead. Possibly during Asgard's repairs between Thor & Thor: The Dark World ? Idris Elba: You had to have spotted this fanlove, yeah? [from Welcome To Geek Town.] #    #    # 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 .

Odin by Juan Casini . We like the underlit red light accenting the figure, contrasting with the his luminous pale blue eye. Instead of actually being Óðinn, we have the impression that this art deco bas relief's on a supercomputer case with the lights indicating power/processing, and antenna wire-wrapped Gungnir serving as a wi-fi dongle. #    #    # 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 depicted by Heavy Metal Magazine veteran artist Simon Bisley on the cover of Thundergod issue 2 (1996) for Crusade Comics. #    #    # 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 .

ZOOBELLS combines kettlebell play with NorsePlay in their 63-pound Odin kettlebell! [We'd have thought a Mimir would've been a good fit for this idea, too.] #    #    # 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 .

SPI Games put out in 1981 a hex-and-counter boxed NorsePlay game of Ragnarok: Twilight of the Gods ! We remember seeing this on a store shelf back in the day and needing more allowance. Have any of you played this? [Compare to TSR's similar offering only a year later.] #    #    # 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 .

Sweet pulp magazine cover from 1942 with Edmond Hamilton's novella The Daughter of Thor owning it on the front! [ Text here with even more art!  And my review of Hamilton's other NorsePlay 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 .