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Showing posts with the label Idunna

making the Apples of Immortality.

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From previously commenting on Iðunn 's apples of immortality, NorsePlay reads that it's the goddess who makes the apples work and not the orchard or trees themselves that are left behind during her abduction by Þjazi where the Gods age in her absence, otherwise they would just go pluck the apples themselves. The question this raises in terms of NorsePlay is thusly:  If the crucial factor is how Iðunn keeps the apples, then can this preparatory process be rediscovered & applied to make our very own apples of immortality? Is there a secret agricultural procedure or cooking recipe that would make any apple a key to limitless youth & longevity? Or is the fruit's conversion within the  specific  construction of a special storage cask for altering apples? If so, can an apple a day forever keep old Elli & deathly Hel away? [Iðunn  from the amazing Johan Egerkrans'  Norse Gods (2017 CE). Differently depicted as an older beauty with her sharply drawn...

NorsePlaying Bragi's hall: Bókrumnir.

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The Norse Lore has assigned hall names for many of the Gods' residences, but an omission I've always been curious about is where Bragi dwells. While Bragi, in a very Baldr-like way, is always welcome everywhere thanks to his storytelling abilities and the potential to glorify his host in poetry, it's never mentioned where he actually goes home to. Functionally Bragi's partly described as a meet-and-greeter for the honoured warriors who come into Valhalla. One could suppose that maybe he heralds them upon entry, perhaps naming & enumerating their martial deeds for those already in the hall. But this MC duty still doesn't actually place Bragi as living in Valhalla. There's also the possibly that he perhaps instead moved in with  Iðunn . One attestation from  Hrafnagaldr Óðins places Iðunn as descending from elves, as one of "Ivaldi's elder children", and as a dís who dwells in dales. Those descriptors would make Iðunn at least part elf and poss...

why we all covet Iðunn.

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After acquiring a blue pocket 1930 CE hardback copy of In The Days Of Giants  by Abbie Farwell Brown, I ran across this brilliant interior illustration by Elmer Boyd Smith of  Iðunn : " He flapped away with her, magic apples and all " (originally 1902 CE) Look at that jerkface Loki , clown-haired and so pleased with himself. And even though she's being abducted,  Iðunn has this statuesque elegance about her, the dress falling just so to show off its floral pattern, her back with just enough romanticist swoon to indicate the not-rightness of the moment, her ornate cask of apples, and the nice detail of that runescript embroidered gown hem . We have to presume Heimdallr 's posted on the other side of Ásgarðr in the background, or eagle form jötunn Þjazi  would so not be getting away with this. The implied NorsePlay of the narrative's situation would be that only  Iðunn can tend, coax, & then pick the apples of youth, since  Þjazi has arranged to ta...