NorsePlay.

Thor lords over his namesake Norse Mythology-inspired souvenir shop in Reykjavík, Iceland. Featuring Odin & Freyja fixtures. [Designed by Hans Alan Tómasson. Visit the shop at Laugavegur 7. Photo by Art Bicknik.] #    #    # 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 .

Johan Egerkrans ' stirring interpretation of Thor from his amazing Nordiska Gudar artbook! We love that the God of Thunder appears to be taking a post-accomplishment moment for himself atop a mountain peak as the wind lifts his fur upwards against a Wagner ianly atmospheric background. And here's detail on this version Mjölnir : #    #    # 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 remember staring in shock at this 1978 Marvel Thor cover as a kid, wondering who exactly managed to take the mantle of Thor, and Sif with it. The answer was Red Norvell, a visiting cameraman of a New York news crew in golden Asgard who had more than a little help from (you guessed it) Loki. It was a rather neat three issue storyline. #    #    # 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 .

An altar-worthy Thor statue from Blagowood carver Mihaylo Melnichuk of the Ukraine. We really like Tanngrisnir & Tanngnjóstr peeking out of Thor's cloakskirts, and the Ægishjálmr accented Megingjörð belt. Noting the background, Mihaylo currently offers 9 of the Norse Gods in his selections but also does larger scales & takes custom requests on his 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 .

Splash page of Kevin Long's illustration of Thor from Palladium Books' gaming RPG offering Rifts: Conversion Book 2 -- Pantheons of the Megaverse . In Rifts a post-apocalyptic Earth has experienced a surge in ley line energies, which opened up transdimensional rifts, allowing for all sorts of traffic from worlds beyond including the real Norse Gods ... and other beings posing as them. Note the vanquished xenoskulls underfoot. #    #    # 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 .

Decades before Marvel's Thor , there was Thunderbolt Jaxon (1949!), an Australian sort-of Shazam-style superhero featured intermittently in Comet and Knockout comics. A youngster finds Megingjörð, Thor's belt of strength and becomes a superstrong adult! A 2006 miniseries published by WildStorm FX retold this origin story. [Read the miniseries  here at Comic Extra.] Addended 3/3/2017 MiniReview: After reading the above linked miniseries, we can't really recommend it. It feels more like an English gangster film with the Norse Gods context thrown in for adornment, and the art's only fair. Still, we're providing the info since it's an interesting note in NorsePlay comics history. #    #    # 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 r