Hi all! A while back there was an idea that we might try doing an r/Norse zine and we asked for submissions. Unfortunately, that idea never panned out (and I apologize on behalf of the r/Norse mod team for that). Since my own submission was never published, I'm publishing it now (and I encourage everyone else who submitted to do the same)!

If you follow my podcast, I've already done an episode about this, but here is all that same information in a more concise, written form. It's about how ancient Norse characters sometimes absorb the power of certain beasts and supernatural beings after killing them. I hope you like it!

Eat Your Enemy's Heart to Steal His Power

Hnefatafl boards and pieces keep turning up in ship burials and trading towns, Birka, Jorvik, all over. It was THE game of the North for centuries before chess. I spent the last few months rebuilding it faithfully to the modern tournament reconstruction and put it online free at worldtafl.com, including the small Irish board (brandubh) and the Sami version Linnaeus recorded (tablut). The tutorial is a character called the Skald who teaches you in about two minutes.

Corrections from people who know the archaeology better than me are genuinely welcome.

For context i would say the most challenging book i have read is Crime and punishment by Dostoevsky

Do Kennings appear that often and how difficult is it to get them

Hi I hope this is OK, it's nothing to do with tatoos but is based on art, I'm hoping to make some trinkets/artwork and am trying to find norse/AS depictions of - mainly goats as I've had more trouble finding that, from the 7thC to I guess the 9thC. I'm thinking Danelaw period in the UK but I have no particular problem intuiting that art styles travel and there's few definitive answers. Can anyone assist? I've read quite a few papers over the course of a year or two, picking it up and putting it down. Now picking it up again, I thought maybe others would know where to find these depictions, I know goats were considered rarer, but given Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr I would have thought they'd have been more common in the art of the time. Have I just been really stupid and missing something?

Edit: to remove cat typing. Edit: turns out that after re-checking the art styles Mammen and Ringerike are of particular interest. I'm looking for those animals in any of the styles though.

Grímur á Bretlandi is a Faroese Ballad where Løðar Jall seeks of Marita of Sweden. however, Grímur á Bretlandi goes to Sweden for the same task. Grímur and Loðar fights for the opportunity of the beautiful Marita. Grímur is defeated. Together, Marita and Loðar Jall have a son named Grímur (will be referred to as Grímur ungi to prevent confusion). Time passes quickly; Grímur ungi grows up and seeks a wife. He is advised to find the daughter of Grímur á Bretlandi. Grímur ungi and his father attempt sail to Britain but is thwarted by a magical storm. However, Grímur ungi resisted the magically storm and successfully reaches Britain. When they reach Grímur á bretlandi’s daughter, they are mocked. They battle it out, resulting in the death of both Grímur á bretlandi and Løðar Jall. Grímur á bretlandi’s son Hildibrand and Grímur ungi battle it out for 3 days and 3 nights, eventually swear brother-ship after Hildibrand loses. The ballad ends with Grímur ungi successfullyGrímur á bretlandi (Fight scene of Grímur Løðarjallson and Hildibrand Grímmarson) getting with the daughter of Grímur á bretlandi.

I found that many pagan cultures wore symbols of protection and I was wondering if the Norse did the same

Forged from a 96% silver period alloy based on analysis of ingots from the Cuerdale Hoard. They always look funky until the final shape comes out!

My latest project involves carving a dragon head and tail for an important memorial taking place later this summer, The Pennsic Viking Memorial Ship. Viking ships were built with carved figureheads meant to protect the crew and represent the spirit of the voyage. It was an honor to be able to contribute to this year’s ship build in a small way.

Whether you’re into woodcarving, traditional craft, Viking history, memorial art, or you’re part of the SCA, this video shows the full making of these iconic carvings — tools, techniques, challenges, and the meaning behind the work. Thank you for taking time out of your day to watch my video. I truly appreciate it.   -Chris

Do kennings serve the same linguistic and poetic functions as epithets do in Homeric poetry?

The Homeric epics were learned, not written, and so epithets made it easier for the itinerant *rhetors* who performed the poems to memorize them. (Two simple examples of well-known epithets are "Odysseus of the many wiles" from the *Odyssey* because he was legendary for his cleverness and trickery, and "swift-footed Achilles" from the *Iliad* because of his godlike speed.) Epithets also have a specific length in the dactylic hexameter in which the poems were composed. This permitted a kind of flexibility for *rhetors* in their performances because one segment of the poetic meter of the same length (technically the same number of "feet") could be swapped out for another. It even allowed the performers to tailor the parts of the poem they used to their audience or even to when and where they might be performing. Sorry about the long explanation!

Reading Crichton's Eaters of the Dead, really enjoyed watching Norway in the World Cup, and also have enjoyed the movie The Northman in the past. Book recs for lit/novels along those lines? Norse mythology, vikings, stuff set in Scandinavia?

Can someone help point me in the direction of a collection of historical artwork depicting Fenrir please?
I’ve tried finding a collection for quite some time but keep getting directed to the same handful of google’s algorithm. Thank you!

Or maybe there just isn’t as many as I expected?

Are they one and the same, with the only difference being that of regional language or local legends? Or does Norse and scandinavian mythology fall under 'Germanic'? And any good reading material on the subject?

It makes me wonder if languages with the Proto word in it should be substituted for a more natural sounding word, like “Common”, “Ancient”, or “Early”. I know that people back then wouldn’t have called their language as so, but I feel like calling an ancient language “Common” instead of “Proto” makes it sound more natural, even if it’s a modern linguistic label

I've recently made a sword for myself and am trying to come up with a name for it in old norse language

Something along the lines of "man slayer" but I don't know the language very well and don't trust Google.

Which end is the bow?

Im getting an art piece done and I need some help finding reference images. Im looking for things that have historical signifigance like the greeks with Amphorae/Vase style art or the Egyptians with Hieroglyphics/tomb painting style , but im having trouble finding good classic cultural art that is as striking and distinct. A lot of the things I'm finding are kinda blobby or heavily weathered so they aren't great references. Ive looked into Urnes style and some of the carvings on the Oseberg ship and like that style a lot, but cant find any good references for Odin, Freya, and Njord that really fit that style. I would love some help! TY

I just learned that Wednesday is for Odin and Thursday is for Thor

Any recs for books on the Irish Viking age?

I'm trying to represent a roughly 10th century, somewhat wealthy man from Gotland.

I came across this book in a store and was wondering if it's accurate, planing to start studying norse mythology and is this a good start?

One thing to note is that I do know about eddas, but I am not in a financial situation to buy them.