Former Lord of the Rings Producer Plans Norway Viking Epic

  I get emailed newsletters from TheOneRing.Net on a daily basis. Actually, it is quite a few newsletters I get from The One Ring. In one of today's newsletters came the article of Lord of the Rings producer, Barrie Osborne is showing interest in shooting a Viking film in Norway. He thinks doing this will help Norwegian tourism the way Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit have helped New Zealand tourism.

  Mr. Osborne wants to spend $100 million to film a Viking blockbuster in Norway because of its "authentic landscape" and the expert knowledge that local historians have about the Viking Era.

  Mr. Osborne also states that he wants to make a trilogy about the last great Viking king, Harald Hardrada. From "how Harald evolved from a teenager to the great leader that rallied his kingdom."

  It is not clear if this is the same movie about Harald Hardrada that was announced was reported earlier this month and staring Leonardo di Caprio.

 

 

Shieldmaiden Saturday #3

The shieldmaiden Lagertha, wife of Ragnar Lodbrok  lithograph by Morris Meredith Williams, ca. 1913

Thorsday Thursday #2

Last weeks mass posting tired me out a bit. I guess it was all of that adrenalin I had going through me when I was discovering and deciphering , what is new for me, the Viking mythology. Of course the two most common Norse gods I have heard of are Odin and Thor, when doing a crossword puzzle I have to make sure I have at least one letter so I will know which one to write.

  With that I give to you this weeks Thor Thursday. It is a bronze Norse god statuette replica of Thor from the Jelly Dragon.

Floki Friday #3

Well dear Floki, why don't you tell us what you REALLY think of the wine.

Thorsday Thursday

  I don't know how many of you have ever heard of Thorin Thursday. This is a day devoted to Thorin Oakenshield whether it is because of the book The Hobbit  or like me and  others are fans of Richard Armitage and therefore fans of Thorin. 

  Anyway, in the last few days the thought of Thorin Thursday has put the idea of a THOR Thursday, which makes sense considering Thursday was named for Thor. So in honor of his day I give to you Thor Thursday.

Thor Captures  the Dragon

Var/Vor

Var/Vor is the Norse goddess wisdom, marriage, faith,oaths,promises and contracts.
In the Poetic Edda, the blessed Vor is invoked by the king of the jotunn (giant) Thrymr after his "bride" ( who was actually the god Thor disguised as Freyja) is sacred with Mjolnir, the stolen hammer of Thor, at their wedding.

  In the 35th chapter of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, High,one of the three men who answer question posed to them by Gangleri (Gylfi in disguise) about the asynjur. High list Vor as nineth among the sixteen asynjur he presents in the chapter and provides some information about her:
 

     Ninth Var : she listens to peoples oaths and private agreements that women and men make between each other. Thus these oaths are called varvar.She punishes those that break them.

  Also, Var makes two more appearances in the Prose Edda. In Chapter 75 of the Prose Edda book Skaldskaparmal Var 's name appears in a list of 27 asynjur names. In Chapter 87 the name Var is used in a kenning referring to the goddess Skaoi ("bow-string-Var") in the poem Haustlong . A runic inscription inscribed on a stick in Beregen, Norway around 1300 records a common mercantile transaction follwed by a verse of an unsatisfied customer that mentions Var.

     'Wise Var of wire ( "woman of filigree" meaning "wise bejeweled woman") makes (me) sit unhappy.
       Eir(woman) of mackerels'  ground (likely gold) takes often and much sleep from me."

  There are theories regarding the importance of Var as a goddess. Britt-Mari Nasstrom argues that Var was like many other minor goddesses and was one of the many names of the goddess Freyja and was "later apprehended as independent goddesses".
                                                                                                                                                           
The Austrian Germanist and philologist, Rudolf Simek says that the goddesses Saga, Hlin, Snotra, Vor and Var should be considered vaguely defined figures who"who should be seen as female protective goddesses" that are responsible for 'specific areas of the private sphere, and yet clear differences were made between them so they are in many ways similar to matrons."

Dvalinn

  Dvalinn of Norse mythology was a dwarf who appears in many Old Norse tales and kennings . Dvalinn translates as "the slumbering one" or "the dormant one".

  In Grimnismal, the fourth of the poems in the Poetic Edda, and in Gylfaginning, the first poem of the Prose Edda, Dvalin is listed as one of he four stags that eat among the branched of the World Tree Yggdrasill. There is speculation as to why the stags exist and what is their value.

 Also in Voluspa, the Poetic Edda first poem, is mentioned in a listing of dwarves names and then in a later stanza as a leader taking a host of dwarves from the mountain to look for a new place to live.

"The rocks they left, and through the wet lands

They sought a home, in fields of sand" 

  In Havamal, a single poem in the Poetic Edda that is mainly made up of meaningful and wise sayings put to verse to help the memory, Dvalinn is said to have introduced the writing of runes to the dwarves, as Dain had done for the elves and Odin for the gods.

  In Alvissmal, a kenning for the sun that is listed as the "deceiver of Dwalinn", referring to the power from the sun can turn a dwarf into stone. In skaldic poetry, "Dvalinn's drink" is used as a kenning of poetry, since the mead of poetry was originally created my the dwarves.

  In Fafnismal , an Eddic poem, found in the Codex Regius, during a discussion between Sigurd and Fafnir concerning the minor Norns, (apart from the three great Norns), female beings who govern the lives of men and gods. Those that govern the lives of dwarves are known as "Dvalinn's daughters".


  In Hervarar saga, Dvalinn , along with Dain, is one of the pair of dwarves to make the magic sword Tyrfing.

  In the late 14th to early 15th century Icelandic short story, written by two Christian priest, Magnus Thorhalson and Jon Thordson, Dvalinn is the name of one of the four dwarves who made a necklace that was later obtained by a woman named Freyja, who is  King Odin's concubine, after she agreed to spend the night with each of the dwaves.

  Of course, J.R.R. Tolkien took the name Dvalinn for Dwalin  for his book The Hobbit.

Grahm McTavish - Dwalin

Gylfi

 According to Norse tradition, Gylfi is the oldest recorded king of Scandinavia. When appearing in disguise he would use the name Gangleri .

  According to the Icelandic bishop, historian and poet, Snorri Sturluson's Ynglynga saga section of  the best known old Norse kings saga, Heimskringla and the Eddic poem about Ragnar Lodbrok, Ragmarsdrapa, Gyfli was seduced by the goddess Gefjon to give her as much land as she could plow in one night. Gefjon then transforms her four sons into a team of oxen and took enough land to make the Danish island of Zealand and leaving the Swedish lake, Marlaren.

In the Tricking of Gylfi, Gylfaginning, in the Prose Edda and the Ynglynga saga the supposed historic story of how Odin, in non-deity version and his people the AEsir and Vanir, who would later become Swedes, obtained new land where they built the settlement of Old Sigtuna. In Snorri's account, Gylfi is deluded by the AEsir to accept their religion, hence the name "Gylfaginning" : the Deluding of Gylfi. Gylfi and the older remaining Bronze Age inhabitants of the land then supposedly adopted the religion of the AEsir and began to live under their rule.

Deluding of Gylfi

Snorri presented an outline of Norse mythology through a dialogue between Gylfi and the three rulers of the AEsir. Snorri's account is possibly based upon an old tradition of tracing particular beliefs or foundations of tracing old Norse cults to the legendary Gylfi. Because, more than likely the historic King Gylfi was already a follower of the Norse religion and, naturally, could have passed his beliefs and/or on to his subjects.

Gylfi greets Odin ~ Hugo Hamilton etching, 1830

Gyfli also makes an appearance in a version of Hervarar saga Gylfi married his daughter Heior to Sigrlami, king of Gardariki (Russia) and the first owner of the sword Tyrfing , that was forged by, due to force of Heior and Sigrlami's son, Svafrlami, the dwarves, Dvalin and Durin (Hello Mr. Tolkien!)  .