NorsePlay.

  Given the Norse Lore, one might think this is possibly Thor's trophy room of jötnar skull s at Bilskirnir, or perhaps his gathered material for a borderland hunting lodge/nithing pile, and maybe that's Þjálfi at right trying to figure out how to organize his master's giant ossuary. Well, that's what my Heathen Worldview saw anyway, and one can sometimes argue a case for what personal contexts a viewer brings to a piece over artist's intent . This evocative art installation is Mass by Ron Mueck from  2016-2017 CE , detail (!), media of synthetic polymer paint on fiberglass. [thanks to Sofie Vanherpen (go read her scholarship on Aud the Deep-Minded here ) for incidentally bringing this to my attention.] #    #    # 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 truthf...

One of NorsePlay's favourite landmark sculptures, the Sólfar , or Sun Voyager. [Photo from Day 2 of my Iceland: a travelogue experience.] Made by Jón Gunnar Árnason in 1990 for the birthday of Reykjavík. While there we watched foolhardy tourists fail to climb its overslick aluminum sides and nearly eat it. We see the probable influences of the Nordic Bronze Age petrogylph ship images and the staves of galdrastafur within Sólfar 's structure. #    #    # 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 ...

There's this single line in War of the God s, and if you didn't look at it right, you'd just read thoughtlessly past it, but an important aspect of the Norse cosmological worldview turns inside it: " Thunder rolled, unseen wheels. " [quote from Poul Anderson (1997), sculpture Þórsvagninn by Haukur Halldórsson.] #    #    # 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 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 .

Forget hierophanies in tortillas or toast; here we have our Odin in a watermelon . Even in fruit, he's still winningly grim. [from a dead link on blastr. Hats off to whomever carved this.] #    #    # 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 .

Sleeping Wotan by sculptor Rudolf Maison. [cast in 1900 CE, reproduction available here .] #    #    # 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 .

This hubcap art sculptured lamp by Ptolemy Elrington totally reminds us of Sam Flegal's mechanized take on Gullinbursti . [from http://www.hubcapcreatures.com/ ] #    #    # 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 .

Aric Jorn's Wolves of Ragnarok: Skoll & Hati . While we're not on about aggrandizing the devourers, it's been argued that without their motivation the sun & moon might not stay on track or keep time, and the wargs were instead harnessed to this purpose. The sunwheel-motif central paws express this clockwork force at work, especially with the selection of metallic colours for his piece, and the shoulders/hips/sun/moon seeming to mirror points on a clockface. [Layered cold-cast nickel silver, brass, copper and stone, limited edition, 2016, available here .] #    #    # 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 ...

Because of a very questionable runestone discovery, Alexandria, MN, lays claim to being the "Birthplace of America", and flaunts that declaration with the roadside attraction of viking Big Ole , seen here in 1965 conquering a traffic island. Moved later to a roadside, you can watch him via this webcam to make sure he doesn't move when you're not looking. [Fiberglass sculpted by Gordon Schumaker, originally for the NY World's Fair earlier that year.] 06/2021 Addendum: Note that a Chrome update has made the Big Ole camera incompatible, but it will still work with other browsers. #    #    # 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 n...

Seward Johnson's 2009 copy of The Awakening (1980) sculpture in Missouri evokes parallels to a rising Jotun ! Note the giant's scale against the trees and lampposts. #    #    # 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 .

It'd be like an awesome repeatable funeral in your backyard!  Note the cutout axe & triple-horn Óðrerir on the sail. [from ImagineMetalArt 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 .