NorsePlay.

There's a recently adopted Sanskrit loan word for someone who has lost a child: "vilomah". In the Norse Lore & Sagas there are quite a few instances where in the honor/revenge cycle, or due to other unfortunate events, parents lose their offspring. Egil Skallagrímsson's immensely moving Sonatorrek poem on the loss of his sons totally comes to mind. What I'd wondered is if there was an Old Norse equivalent to "vilomah", and then even more specifically, if there's an ON word for someone grieving their dog who has departed upon the Hel-Road.   In Njal's Saga , Gunnar is gifted the Irish dog Sam, who is possessed of human intelligence, but during the planned assault on Gunnar's hall, Sam is first lured away & then killed by the attackers, and given the rapid fire course of bow-heavy events, I don't think Gunnar is given any time to self-label as a pet-mourner the sad loss of his very exceptional hound. By contrast, the regicide of Sa...

I've successfully plotted 400 mappoints for my Map Of Midgard Project! This is the third update since  the initial blog post ,  the first update , and the second update . Instead of flashing another map teaser screenshot, this update I'm going to reveal how in-depth my research is in terms of my stacks of reading material. As I read sources, I use many, many, many metal page points to bookmark specific lines with references to possible places for Map Of Midgard  inclusion. For instance, my pictured copy of Njal's Saga upon finished reading has 77 page points in it, so for a book of 375 pages, (if it were spaced evenly) that's a citation that needs researching more frequently than every five pages! [with my spine-curved & spider-creased deluxe The Sagas of Icelanders .] I'm currently reading Orkneyinga Saga , to be followed up by Guta Saga , Jómsvíkinga Saga , and Landnámabók for the last, though if those readings lead us to more super must-have so...

" My heart was raging When I left Njal's house Against my will, While the timbers sweated smoke And while the warriors Burned to their deaths. Listen to my words: I am telling my grief. " ~ Kari Solumndarson relates his anger & his sadness in Njal's Saga ch 135. There's a possible shade of haunted PTSD, and definite survivor's guilt in this verse. More largely there's the inextricable ball of anger & sadness of loss. Kari is propelled by these feelings, killing many not only for the reputational duty & obligation of vengeance, but because he hurts so very deeply inside at everything he's lost, can't help but think about, and will think about for the rest of his life. The feelings are inescapable, and in turn his vengeance becomes that inescapability. [screencap from The Last Kingdom .] #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aula...