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Showing posts with the label Neil Gaiman

a consequence of Ymir's cosmic deluge.

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While reading volume one of P. Craig Russell's graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology , the immediate result from the death of primordial Ymir is shown in a panel as a giant wave of blood being released. This is so enormous that the flood kills all but two of the jötnar, which implies that Ymir's sanguine deluge also drowns the giantess wives of Buri & Bor, and collaterally their grandfather & father as well if such a flood is on so large of a cosmically uncontrollable scale. Such a consequence would then explain why after the waves settle it is the third generation of Odin, Vili, & Ve that are left to craft & rule the Níu Heimar, while Buri & Bor are unmentioned after that, and maybe settle why such a cosmic creature as Auðumbla is absent as well. This isn't necessarily the answer: There could just be missing stories, or the death of Ymir & universal creation passes forward ruler-worthy powers or status or both to the three ...

American Gods' Metal Odiiiiinnnnn!

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In Neil Gaiman 's American Gods the operating premise for the divine is that the Gods are regionally bound and that their existence & power depends upon those who believe & worship them. In Starz' TV adaptation, Season 3's opening addresses Viking Metal 's celebration & reclamation of Heathen Nordic contexts by kicking off with this scene of faux band Blood Death lead by Johan Wengren (Marilyn Manson!?!): As the story of the ancient Old Gods versus the emergent New Gods of Technology unfolds, we see the Old Gods adapting some of that technology in order to garner digital followers, and Odin (the venerable Ian McShane) connecting with metalheads, bikers, and aggro  fans , which seems appropriate for Mr Wednesday who banks on & rewards those of the warrior ethos. The teleplays expands in notable degrees upon the book, backgrounding & filling out minor characters into fan favourites, and giving us such clever lines as Wednesday's:  "Ask and y...

the art of Norse Mythology.

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We have followed the work of artist P Craig Russell from First Comics' Elric , that anti-hero a runesword slinging Alfar-type sorcerer, through his stirring adaptation of The Ring of Nibelung , an excellent deluxe one-shot of Doctor Strange , and now for his take on Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology . There's an iconic art nouveau core mixed with expressionism in Russell's unmistakable style that makes it a suggestive ly hedonistic Klimt -esque visual thrill to look at. Single issues are set to release July 1st, though we'll probably wait for Dark Horse to collect them for us in a graphic novel. #    #    # 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, ...

colouring in your American Gods.

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Now you can take your compulsion and coloured pencils to the pages of Neil Gaiman 's most-famous contemporary NorsePlay, American Gods : The Official Coloring Book . Now Mr Wednesday can not just be a grim gray or blue, but any colour in the Nine Worlds you choose. #    #    # 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 .

now you too can be Odin.

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In the American Gods ' extras, Mr Nancy's Orlando Jones forgoes his sartorial best to pay homage to Ian McShane by sporting this sweet "I Am Odin" t-shirt. [Addenda: Note that since we posted this Orlando Jones was fired from the show. We don't know the details, but we had to swap the original image of him in the shirt since it disappeared.]  #    #    # 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 names of Odin.

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"I have as many names as there are winds, as many titles as there are ways to die." This is the reveal we all know ahead of time on American Gods : that Mr Wednesday is Odin, but it takes a seasoned actor of Ian McShane's caliber to drive it in like a spear and make it feel like we didn't know that in the first place. And in this clip he reveals many of the Allfather's names with gravity & power. [from season1, episode 8, directed by Floria Sigismondi.] #    #    # 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 ...

Neil Gaiman's "Norse Mythology".

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Neil Gaiman faced the daunting task to adapt the narrative holy of the holies, the ur-book stories, the most ancient tales known to man from which all other tales have since flowed from: Norse Mythology . As we told a childhood friend of Neil's last month, Neil is a fearless writer, that before Neil there wasn't a great movement in the fantasy genre to use the Gods as actual intimate first & close third-person protagonists. [Neil Gaiman being fearless!] We look back at his record for this daring talent with reading pleasure:  The Sandman  (his breakout World Fantasy Award-winning graphic novel series expanding the being of Greek deity Morpheus),  American Gods  (heavily featuring Gods from various pantheons), and  Odd & the Frost Giants  (a  NorsePlay  story for children of all ages). And now, in a tribute to pay back what originally inspired him, Gaiman offers us his version of  Norse Mythology . In his introduction, ...