NorsePlay.

Witness the power of Mjölnir-rang : This video posted by Jastino Hasni seems to feature a homebrewed boomerang. There's also another similar one posted on Pintrest by Franco Nero: NorsePlay would totally buy these, so if either of these possible creators ever decides to vend, do let us know! In the Norse Lore,  Mjölnir  is crafted by dwarves Sindri & Brokkr with its amazing returning attribute, and  aetiologically this explains why lighting appears to return from its skyward origin point.   #    #    # 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/ opportunitie...

So if Jane Foster or Gwen Stacy can be Marvel Thor, why not supermodel Mary Jane Watson :  It seems someone's pinned a man-spider for their insect collection. You get that tiger, Mighty MJ. Thor's supposed to be a redhead anyhow. Still, such handoffs aren't out of the question in the Norse Lore:  If we look at  Vafþrúðnismál §51's post-Ragnarök event of  Móði & Magni inheriting their father's hammer, the idea of the thunderer being someone else, and even a shared position, is a possibility.   [ The Mighty Thor #20's variant cover by Patrick Brown, 2015 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 fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neol...

  So if the mantle of Thor can pass to Jane Foster, then that opens the multiversal door for Spider-Man 's Gwen Stacy to become Thorgwen . Her white-backed cape, it's round embossed clasp, and the golden rope braiding appear to be the distinctive costume touches that set Thorgwen apart as the Lady Of Thunder. Somewhat like Baldr, it seems that the mourning world will never, ever let Peter Parker's tragically deceased girlfriend go. And perhaps it is this same persistence of revered memory, this wishing against unthinkable loss, that allows them both to later return to us. [momoko design variant cover on Gwenverse #4.] 11/2024 Addenda: While the above multiversal design provokes the imagination, I just got through reading the Gwenverse story arc, and it was tonally far more comedic with Thorgwen being more of a personal aspect foil for Ghost-Spider than a character in her own right, which I cannot recommend. I wished they'd handled it more along the lines of Across The ...

During Marvel Thor 's The War of the Realms (2019 CE) comic book run, this neat cosmological map of Yggdrasil tapped into the figural stylings of the Torslunda helmet plates (6th~8th c. CE). Seeing that Vendel Period context with the modern skyscrapers of current-day Midgard and the added figure of Spider-Man hanging from one of the branches thrown in is a superclever archaeological borrowing that we wouldn't mind seeing NorsePlay'd more in any medium. #    #    # 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 ...

During Marvel's The Mighty Thor 's The War Of The Realms (2019 CE) storyline, sorcerous dark elf Malekith the Accursed creates an axis among the numerous enemies of Asgard to takeover all the realms. At a certain point in the story, this ominous map of an occupied Midgard appears ... . #    #    # 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 .

  While reading a collected graphic of The War of the Realms , I couldn't help but notice the well designed runic symbols placed around the title, and found this larger chart to show them off. While the Yggdrasil boardgame uses a regular elder futhark rune to represent each of The Nine Worlds, this takes it a step further, and also sort of fills a shorthand Yggdrasil diagram need, which makes me wonder at why it wasn't thought of before. And sure, this is a Marvel Thor invention, especially given the Hela 's headress and Surtur 's crown gylphs (and the whole cloth creation of lost 10th realm "Heven"), but it's not like someone couldn't run with this idea and make some working bindrunes or other Norse inspired icons to correspond to The Nine Worlds. #    #    # 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...

Watching Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder is about 65% like watching Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin . What they share are the deep flaws of when a director runs the material into a self-indulgent lampooning direction, and loses sight of what originally makes it Mighty . Understandably no film is ever going to translate a comic directly. The medium is different, so adjustments & liberties necessarily must be taken. Yet anyone who has read the very dramatic terminally-ill Jane Foster as Thor comic book run, and the seriously pathos-laden & doom-filled Gorr the God Butcher storylines should realize that these two things are absolutely not foils for comedy. They're stories that deal with peace-making one's own mortality juxtaposed with carrying on an immortal legacy, while the other addresses faith in the divine being justified or not and what the expectations of that belief are. Those are amazing and weighty things that move and push boundaries for com...

  In Thor  issue #17 (2020 CE), during a very argumentative Asgardian family sit-down, some huge forest monsters attack. So what does Freyja  save everyone with? As seen in this double truck panel scan, she cavalries in with her huge vambraced battlewagon cat Trjegul and his shoulder-mounted Gatling cannons to fatally maul and blast the beasties into meaty little chunks. Clawsome. [the above comic book panel written by Donnie Keats & illustrated by Michael Bandini.] #    #    # 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  investigat...

In the  Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode  The Vengeance Of Loki (1981 CE,  S1 E10), there's a total babe alert in deposed Frost Jotunness Queen Zerona : [blue jotunness fever, indeed!] In the show Zerona finds a quick admiration for the flirtatious & like-elemental Iceman who helps her out, first against usurper Ymir , and then to actually reclaim Jotunheim from Surtur himself! [watch this near-extraworldly romance unfold here !]  Collegiate Bobby's libidinous and not-quite altruistic gallantry in helping Zerona matches accounts of the desirability of some giant maidens. In the Norse Lore, when we look at the genealogy of the Æsir , we see an early intermarriage of proto-Gods Búri  & Borr, the former probably marrying/mating with an unnamed jotunness, and his son who marries giantess Bestla to produce Odin & his brothers. Later we have Thor with jotunness Jarnsaxa producing his three children, and ice maiden  Gerðr ...

In reading The War Of The Realms story arc in Marvel's The Mighty Thor , the formidable NorsePlay creation of Sindr, the Queen of Cinders, daughter of Surt , usurps Helheim , much to the dismay of the Thunder God and the rage of Hela herself . In the actual Norse Lore, Surtr has the consort Sinmara mentioned in the Fjölsvinnsmál , interpreted by some to be his wife. In running with that, it would stand to reason that Surtr has children. Using that possibility, this ally of the Dark Elf Malekith invades Helheim and solidifies her power in a meeting with the various factions of the land of the dead. Hela is understatedly displeased, and conflict ensues. Unlike the predestination of the Lore, at this point in the Marvel Comics Thor story the fate weaving Norns are are almost all dead, and it would seem that it's anyone's ball game as to how the ending will ultimately turn out, but it seems that Sindr is one to watch out for. #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena ...

As cultural champions of the Norse Lore & the 1980s, we're surprised to have never noticed this clip from 1987's Adventures in Babysitting , where the director sets up a young Vincent D'Onofrio as an avatar of Marvel Thor ! The joke here is that mechanic Dawson apparently isn't Thor, but the strongly presented visual diegesis of the film, along with how he, at the end of the exchange, acknowledges that perhaps he is Thor . Within that there's a lesson in Heathen Worldview in looking at how future Harry Potter director Chris Columbus sets up the majesty of Dawson's entrance. Sarah, a true believer in Thor, sees Thor when no one else can, or they're at least too secularized by non-belief and adulthood to perceive Thor, who actually has three kids and takes on two more as servants during one of his journeys to Jotunheim , and his begrudging change due to Sarah's persistence suits his role as a father. Dawson's temper at an implied ef feminate ness...

While the Taika Waititi Ragnarok installment was our least favourite for its divergence in overt comic tonality from the franchise 's tenor, it appears Marvel has retained Waititi for the next one and just announced that someone new will be cast as Thor in this fourth film: [Natalie Portman as Jane Foster as Thor.] The concept of Lady Thor successfully hit the comics in 2014, and with MCU's Thor gone a'viking with the Guardians of the Galaxy crew, it seems Natalie Portman's going to heft the hammer . We just hope Kat Dennings will come along as her divine intern and that the director will funnel the humour just to Darcy Lewis where it belongs. #    #    # 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 ...

The Marvel geography of Asgard re-imagined by MovieManiacsDesign 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.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer,  do contact him .

Balder leads the next generation of Æsir from the ashes of Ragnarök in Marvel Entertainment's The Mighty Thor #294. This surviving line-up's made of Hoder, Hoenir, Magni, Modi, Vali, Ve, Vidar , and Vili. Note the hole in Balder's white tunic where the mistletoe arrow's been removed. [pencils by Keith Pollard, April 1980.] #    #    # 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 .

Sometimes the best bit in those Silver Age Thor comics was the short Tales Of Asgard stories in the back which were "Based upon the immortal legends of the Norse Gods!"  Well, with some seriously fast & loose  Marvel-style NorsePlay anyhow, but so fun to read. #    #    # 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 .

While hunting for patches, we ran across this Marvel-ously Kirby-esque BSA jamboree hex design dedicated to the Norse Gods of Asgard! [scan via Patchscan.] #    #    # 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 .

Wisest tends to beat strongest in this Odin versus Thor splash page. Serious parenting about to happen. #    #    # 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 .

NorsePlay would be remiss if we didn't mention the NorsePlay within the NorsePlay that happens in Thor: Ragnarok ... yet even nested deeper inside of that were you aware of the Thor: Ragnarok in 4D as NorsePlay?!? Yes, it just got that meta. #    #    # 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: Ragnarok taps Norse Lore for its bottomless beer mug scene: Whether Dr Strange knows it or not, Thor originally encounters a bottomless horn at a frost giant's court that magically refilled from the ocean ... but Thor doesn't know this and it's used to embarrass him in front of all the jötnar when he can't finish drinking it. Thor also unknowingly starts the endless ocean tides we still travel on today from the three godlike draughts he downed. "Another"? Maybe Strange should've insisted on the wee 4 oz Tibetan yak butter tea? #    #    # 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 mp...