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...

  NorsePlay has previously posted illustrations & photos of Viking Era grave reconstructions and about my awesome American Bully, Buddy Guillermosson. Buddy passed away this week, and much like the Viking Era arrangements of grave goods, I've decided to honor his life by including items with him for use in the afterworlds. As pictured above, I've included nine bully sticks, which were his favourite chews, his treat ball & bone, a stack of cheddar cheese slices, a huge greasy cow's knucklebone, a small Viking ship, and two finely carved & painted Swedish Dala horses. When representations or miniatures are interred or cremated, these items are thought to manifest full size in the afterworlds , and their bearer can use or barter them as needed. Horses in burials are huge prestige items, usually reserved for rulers or warriors of great stature. Once he's cremated, given my intentional funerary arrangement, Buddy Guillermosson will very likely show up to his d...

We've given some more thought to Snorri & Saxo's shared account of Saurr the talking dog-king , and remembered the late internet sensation Mishka the talking Siberian husky . Could an exceptional dog with speech abilities have occupied the throne of a subject nation for three years? Could a similar husky have been imported from the Rus to Scandinavia? Or was the mentioned golden collar a magical item that imbued a dog with speech? If canid Fenrir could talk & reason, why not another? #    #    # 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  inves...

In both Gesta Danorum (book 7) & Heimskringla ( Hákonar saga góða ), the Swedes place a dog as king over a defeated Norway. In Snorri's version the dog Saurr talks and rules for three years, issuing decrees and such, until the unhappy & shamed subject population tricks him into going into a field where he's killed by wolves. [Armpiece tattoo choice by my good friend Ricky Washuk. (It's his Pomeranian.)] #    #    # 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 t...