Viking mythology and all that goes with it
- Thread starter Celtik Militia
- Start date
Bates
Swamp Yankee
I'll add it to my "To Do" list. But at the rate I'm getting stuff done, the list will still be long enough to use a burial shroud when I need it, lol.
Finally, for my medieval paper, i'll do it on the viking influence in europe (i had started a thread to ask about what i could do it on).. it'll give me the opportunity to break some clichés about them.
anyway, i wanted to know... there's this ancient greek statue with runic graffiti on it (carved by the vikings in greece)... what is it called already? i tried to look for it, i know there's an article about it on wikipedia... but i didn't manage to find it again.
can someone help me out with this?
thx
anyway, i wanted to know... there's this ancient greek statue with runic graffiti on it (carved by the vikings in greece)... what is it called already? i tried to look for it, i know there's an article about it on wikipedia... but i didn't manage to find it again.
can someone help me out with this?
thx
TheLastWithPaganBlood
Nordman
In Venice there's a lion with a nice long inscription on it, however, you can't see most of it. Theres also written in the Sofia church in Constantinople somewhere that "Halfdan was here".
Tyra
Member
Yeah, those two are the only ones I know of, too. The writings in the Hagia Sofia (now a mosque) in Istambul is A. in the upper floor of the south gallery (the one that Pagan said says something about Halfdan - Halfdan is the only part that you can still read, so it's assumed it says "Halfdan carved these runes") and B. in a niche in the balustrade (sp?) in the same gallery ("Are" or "Arni" depending on who you ask "made the runes").
Two of four lions found outside the Arsenal in Venice have Swedish names carved in runes from the first half of the eleventh century. I'll see if I can find out which ones for you.
Two of four lions found outside the Arsenal in Venice have Swedish names carved in runes from the first half of the eleventh century. I'll see if I can find out which ones for you.
Tyra
Member
Pic of one of the inscriptions in Hagia Sofia:
http://globetrotter-games.com/trave...l_Hagia_Sofia_Rune_inscription_by_Halvdan.jpg
Pic of one of the lions, inscription abive pic:
http://web.telia.com/~u31139493/runestones/pireus_lion.htm
http://globetrotter-games.com/trave...l_Hagia_Sofia_Rune_inscription_by_Halvdan.jpg
Pic of one of the lions, inscription abive pic:
http://web.telia.com/~u31139493/runestones/pireus_lion.htm
Bates
Swamp Yankee
Umm... huh? I know what you're talking about, but haven't a clue what you're asking.
Anyway, since you asked, I'm going to give my opinion. The way I read it, Ask and Embla existed, and had life, but were weak creatures, not even worthy of the attention of the norns (i.e. lacking fate or destiny), when Odin, Hoenir and Lothur came upon them. The gifts granted by the Allfather and his brothers were that spark that set us, as humans, above the animals. Soul/spirit, the ability to envision things beyond the here and now; Blood and the flush of life, the ability to recognize and use our emotions consciously; Sense, the ability to perceive things in a rational manner. In other words, they didn't exactly create us, but made us what we are.
If you're asking why they did so... Fucked if I know, man. I think that's one of those totally unanswerable questions. They were bored, they wanted to people to play with, they were fated to... too many possibilities and no information to go on. To me, life is an end within itself, I guess. What is, is here and now. What will be, well, it will be and there's not too much point in worrying about it. Even if I do worry about, but more in an intellectual curiosity kind of way, then an "Oh shit, I hope I don't go to Hel" kind of way. Hopefully that made some kind of sense.
Now, those explanations are purely pulled out of my ass, I won't deny that. I possibly have it all ass-backwards, that is reading an awful lot into a few lines, and I still don't have a really great "cultural reference" sense. But it's the best I can do to explain my sense of these things. It makes perfect sense inside my head, but something gets lost in translation when I try and write it down. Insert standard stoner philosopher disclaimer here.
Anyway, since you asked, I'm going to give my opinion. The way I read it, Ask and Embla existed, and had life, but were weak creatures, not even worthy of the attention of the norns (i.e. lacking fate or destiny), when Odin, Hoenir and Lothur came upon them. The gifts granted by the Allfather and his brothers were that spark that set us, as humans, above the animals. Soul/spirit, the ability to envision things beyond the here and now; Blood and the flush of life, the ability to recognize and use our emotions consciously; Sense, the ability to perceive things in a rational manner. In other words, they didn't exactly create us, but made us what we are.
If you're asking why they did so... Fucked if I know, man. I think that's one of those totally unanswerable questions. They were bored, they wanted to people to play with, they were fated to... too many possibilities and no information to go on. To me, life is an end within itself, I guess. What is, is here and now. What will be, well, it will be and there's not too much point in worrying about it. Even if I do worry about, but more in an intellectual curiosity kind of way, then an "Oh shit, I hope I don't go to Hel" kind of way. Hopefully that made some kind of sense.
Now, those explanations are purely pulled out of my ass, I won't deny that. I possibly have it all ass-backwards, that is reading an awful lot into a few lines, and I still don't have a really great "cultural reference" sense. But it's the best I can do to explain my sense of these things. It makes perfect sense inside my head, but something gets lost in translation when I try and write it down. Insert standard stoner philosopher disclaimer here.
Knarfi
Yaba-daba-doo!
The point of making humans from logs?
Hmm, Thor ate all the monkeys so Odin could create us from apes and such (there goes the evolution theory), and if Odin changed his mind how the human race should be/look/act like, he could just easily use the wooden "prototypes" as twigs for his campfire just outside valhall.
Bates
Swamp Yankee
Knarfi
Yaba-daba-doo!
I also had another question (to be paired up with my simple, yet extremely difficult question earlier): Has anyone done a complete genealogy of all the characters in Egil's Saga? I haven't found any, and as it is, if I don't find any soon, I'm going to do the entire thing (plus more texts).
Maybe, if I can get some basic web design down, I could upload all the work
edit: Also, anyone know where I can buy some of the recordings of Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson's rímur? Or anything by Jónas Hallgrímsson or Sigurður Breiðfjörð books, this shit is hard to find
Knarfi
Yaba-daba-doo!
Bates
Swamp Yankee
Those sound like Tyra questions to me. I also can't bullshit my way into an answer on this one. Something tells me English translations of those works would be rather rare, indeed.
I don't even need english translations!
Sure, understanding it would be easier, but then I would be missing out on the wordplay so many poets were fond of; I'd rather just try to translate myself (probably not going to be possible/very good though).
Sure, understanding it would be easier, but then I would be missing out on the wordplay so many poets were fond of; I'd rather just try to translate myself (probably not going to be possible/very good though).
Bates
Swamp Yankee
I know what you mean, I have the same problem with translations. Icelandic is moving up the list, as I get some projects accomplished, however.
You know, those are old enough... if they're out of print, they may be available in one of the many online archives.
No luck there, but this stuff looked kinda nifty.
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/languages/is
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/languages/fi
I have no idea what any of them are, but it should keep you busy for a while.
You know, those are old enough... if they're out of print, they may be available in one of the many online archives.
No luck there, but this stuff looked kinda nifty.
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/languages/is
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/languages/fi
I have no idea what any of them are, but it should keep you busy for a while.
Tyra
Member
I used to own a Viking (Penguin) issue of Sagas of Icelanders that had Egil's family tree in the back, as an appendix. I have since bought a better issue and given the other one away, so I can't really say much other than "Yes, it's been done":
Landnamabok (Icelandic book of settlement) gives you not only the history of Iceland but also the genealogy of the settlers etc. Look there first. I can't swear, but I am 95% sure Egil is in there.
I am not good at recordings, so can't really help you there.
As for the question about the first people, I can give you some sort of personal interpretation of what this text may mean, but I am not going to, because that's cheating. The object of asatru is to gain knowledge. You will gain some by merely reading the text, some more by questionong why (as you have), but infinately more by finding the answers by looking introvertly. That is where the answers are. Some texts will mean nothing to you. Others will alter your thinking fundamentally. Those that have the biggest impact are the ones that teach you something about yourself. I cannot say what all the different interpretations are of this specific segment(there are many, especially since there are two versions of the same story that differ vastly, and it is continuously up for interpretation which one of the two, if only one, or if either, describes the true traditional "asatru" version of the Genesis), because someone elses interpretation of something isn't necessarily what you are supposed to learn from it. That's why there is no such thing as an Asapope (which is not to say that some have not tried to become one...some more famously than others, I might add). So, turn it over in your mind a few more times. If it still means nothing, it either means nothing to you, or it just means nothing to you at this point in time. Make sense?
Landnamabok (Icelandic book of settlement) gives you not only the history of Iceland but also the genealogy of the settlers etc. Look there first. I can't swear, but I am 95% sure Egil is in there.
I am not good at recordings, so can't really help you there.
As for the question about the first people, I can give you some sort of personal interpretation of what this text may mean, but I am not going to, because that's cheating. The object of asatru is to gain knowledge. You will gain some by merely reading the text, some more by questionong why (as you have), but infinately more by finding the answers by looking introvertly. That is where the answers are. Some texts will mean nothing to you. Others will alter your thinking fundamentally. Those that have the biggest impact are the ones that teach you something about yourself. I cannot say what all the different interpretations are of this specific segment(there are many, especially since there are two versions of the same story that differ vastly, and it is continuously up for interpretation which one of the two, if only one, or if either, describes the true traditional "asatru" version of the Genesis), because someone elses interpretation of something isn't necessarily what you are supposed to learn from it. That's why there is no such thing as an Asapope (which is not to say that some have not tried to become one...some more famously than others, I might add). So, turn it over in your mind a few more times. If it still means nothing, it either means nothing to you, or it just means nothing to you at this point in time. Make sense?
edit: Also, anyone know where I can buy some of the recordings of Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson's rímur? Or anything by Jónas Hallgrímsson or Sigurður Breiðfjörð books, this shit is hard to find
Is this what you´re looking for?
http://www.amazon.com/Edda-Current-93/dp/B00000G6LZ
Vikingkid3
New Metal Member
- Jan 25, 2007
- 16
- 0
- 1
Are there only two sections to the prose edda? The Gylfaginning and the Skaldskaparmal (along with the introduction and prologue parts)? Because I don't know if it is just this version but those are the only sections in my copy. I'm confused because there is a ton in the poetic edda, and I don't know how many there are in the prose edda.
