'Vikings' Season 3 Countdown - Day 1

Let the raiding begin. What will the Lothbrok brothers  bring unto us? Tears and smiles of love and happiness/ tears of grief and sadness at the loss of someone or something? Will the gods and goddesses survive in the raids or will they be deserted and all but forgotten by a loyal few?

  Starting tonight we will start to be given the answers to theses questions and more that are certain to come up in everyone's hearts and minds. So until the end:

Let's Raid with Rollo and Ragnar!

'Vikings' Season 3 Countdown - Day 2

One more night until we raid with our 'Vikings'. Ragnar has come a long way from the ambitious farmer to maybe an even more ambitious king who has forgotten where he came from. Pity if he does forget and forsakes the AEsir.

'Vikings' Season 3 Countdown - Day 3

 Our dear sweet and a good warrior, Athelston. His fate  may be in the air but really the Norns truly know. As does Frigg but the All-Mother never tells what she know.

'Vikings' Season 3 Countdown - Day 4 - Rollo Monday

Hail Rollo! Soon to be someone great in his own right. But first he will have to help Ragnar and maybe Lagertha.

Vikings' Season 3 Countdown - Day 5

  Aslaug does not get much love from anyone and right now I feel sorry for her. Yes, she is the home wrecker in Lagertha and Ragnar's marriage but he also wrecked his marriage to Lagertha. This is good to remember. It has taken the better part of two seasons not to be annoyed by Aslaug but I have feeling she will be fingernails down the chalkboard again at some time and point, at least according to one of the 'Vikings' promos when she is apparently asking Ragnar if he loves her. Hate to tell her he only married her out obligation and have grown to love her  but she is not Ragnar's soul mate...that is Lagertha. Which makes me feel for Aslaug a little bit more.

  So with that in mind I thought I would make Aslaug today's countdown.

'Vikings' Season 3 Countdown - Day 6 - Shieldmaiden Saturday # 18 Edition

Porunn is looking forward to going into battle and not practicing so much with Bjorn.

Catching Up

I have been sidetracked with other things and thoughts this past weekend and did not, obviously, get around to writing my 'Vikings' Season 3 Countdown post. So now I will try and do this weekends and today's post en masse.  I will start with Saturday's and make it Shieldmaiden Saturday as well as part of the Countdown.

'Viking' Season 3 Countdown - Day 7

A week until the raids commence. I wonder if things will fall in place for Siggy or will she be left out in the cold.? I for one hope things will fall in place for her with or without Rollo.

'Vikings' season 3 Countdown - Day 8

Love and war. War and love. Sometimes they can be different. Sometimes they can be the same, especially where Bjorn and Porunn are concerned. Porunn may still need to kick Bjorn's butt every so often but I think things will work out well for them tis coming raiding season.

'Vikings' Season 3 Countdown -Day 9

It is hoped that the Ragnar, Rollo and the rest of the Vikings will not forget from which they came and remember their gods and return to Uppsala.

'Vikings' Season 3 Countdown - Day 10 - Rollo Monday #12

Rollo still has his own ideas and dreams of being equal to his younger brother. Though first Rollo must fight for Ragnar in order to achieve his own greatness.

'Vikings' Season 3 Countdown - Day 11

I see that Ragnar does not know the greatness that he will have when we first met him.

Shieldmaiden Saturday #17 - 'Vikings' Season 3 Countdown -Day 12

Jarl Lagertha has her own ideas about the coming raids.

'Vikings' Season 3 Countdown - Day 13

The musings of Floki for the coming raid.

'Vikings' Season 3 Countdown - Day 14

  Two weeks. 14 days. That is the time we have left until we start a new season of raids with our 'Vikings'. Ragnar may now be king but could a brighter future be in store for Rollo? Where would this leave Siggy? How much of a woman on the outside could she become? Or could she become a leader in her own right?

 Lagertha is a jarl but how high up will she climb in the hierarchy that is now Ragnar's?

Bjorn and Porunn will be together. She will be a fierce shieldmaiden.

What will happen with Athelstan? I guess the real question is, what won't happen with and to Athelstan?

  Floki and Helga I do not know. I do wonder why Ragnar has his hand around Helga's throat? That I feel would end Floki and Ragnar's rocky relationship? Jealousy of Athelstan.

  Then their is Torstein. Oh how I don't want to happen to him what one of the previews showed. Thorstein has been loyal to Ragnar and is a trusted advisor to him and should have given bigger roles in seasons past.

Oh well...we shall have to wait and see.


Let the 'Viking' countdown begin.

First Asatru Temple in 1,000 Years

  In Iceland an Asatru temple will be built in March in Öskjuhlíd Hill that overlooks the capital of Reykjavik for the first time in 1,000 years. The temple will be circular and will be 350 square meters ( 3,767 square feet) and will house 250 people. The temple will be dug 4 meters (13 feet)  down int the hill, built with a dome on top to let in the sunlight. The sacred numbers of 9 and 432,000 are used in the design. Completion oft he temple is expected to be complete in the summer of 2016.

  Says  Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, high priest of Asatru Association "The sun changes with the seasons so in a way we are having the sun paint the space for us".

  The temple sight was donated by the city of Reykjavik to the Asatru Association but the buildings costs, is  estimated at ISK 130 million ( USD 975,000 EUR 860,000), will be raised by the Association.


  In Iceland Asatru Association has tripled in membership in the last decade to 2,400 members out of a population of 333,000, according to data from Statics of Iceland.

   When the temple is complete Icelandic worshipers (and I assume those that visit Iceland) will be able to publicly worship at a shrine to Odin, Frigg and Thor. The temple will host weddings, and funerals,. The group will also confer names to children and initiate teenagers, similar to other religious communities.


SOURCES:
 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/02/iceland-temple-norse-gods-1000-years?CMP=share_btn_fb

http://icelandreview.com/news/2015/01/30/asatru-temple-be-built-reykjavik