NorsePlay.

Some would argue Walter Simonson's story & art delivery in Marvel's early 1980s run of The Mighty Thor was the comic's most epic. In 2014, Simonson again turned his hand toward a very different Thunder God for IDW Publishing in 12 issues of  Ragnarök , with Thor as an undead  jawless   draugr in a post-doomsday world were the Gods still not only lost, but the adversaries actually win, divvying up the wreckage of the Norse Cosmos amongst themselves, which was an amazingly grim NorsePlay. Simonson returned in 2019 to the same dark world for six more issues with  Ragnarök: The Breaking Of Helheim , where he answers further questions of how exactly the Æsir lost so much worse than they anticipated, what allowed Thor to "survive", and if Baldr was prophesied to return then where exactly is he, among others. From Simonson's afterword in issue #6: Consequently, the Norse myths are a goldmine for a storyteller. There's so much room for new stories which stil...

An interpretive overlay for Ratatoskr might be that if his function is to carry messages of enmity between two cosmic creatures that are forces of destruction, then the squirrel's not just a mere harpy, he's also a manifestation of social destruction by disreputation. The erosive slander he carries from top to bottom and back again along Yggdrasil only serves to fans the flames of societal breakdown. Maybe our cosmic squirrel isn't so cute after all? [graphic from Stickerbomb XL by Studio Rarekwai.] #    #    # 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...

Illustrator Peter Lloyd's depiction of the Norse Cosmos from National Geographic's Our Universe (1980). Lloyd (1944–2009) did alot of beautiful space & robot themed artwork, exploring a futurized art deco aesthetic, and even did some concept art for the original Tron . This image from one of our favourite childhood astronomy books is unforgettable. The one-eyed Odin at top left and giant-sized Heimdallr at the foot of the rainbow bridge are interesting style choices, as is the eagle emplaced as the canopy of Yggdrasil. [We couldn't find this online, so we're especially pleased to present this artwork.] #    #    # 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  pr...

Norse Cosmology colour plate by Augustus Knapp from occultist Manly P Hall's The Secret Teachings of All Ages (1928), a book totally worth owning. #    #    # 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 .