Trollhättan: the City of Trolls. Or more aptly, the City of Troll Hats, since that’s what its name actually means. It’s a hilly, craggy place, with a mighty river running through it, and in the olden days the rocks that protruded from the riverbed reminded the locals of the headgear […]
The Folkloric Nordic Art of J.Z. Blackstadius
Good old Johan Zacharias Blackstadius; he just doesn’t get the credit that he deserves. It probably doesn’t help that his name doesn’t quite roll off the tongue with the same grace and ease of, say, a “John Bauer,” a “Gustaf Tenggren,” or a “Jenny Nyström.” Nor does it help that […]
Drink Beer and Listen to Ambient Norse Music at Idle Hands
On October 24th, Matt Smith and I will be commiserating, consuming beer, and listening to ambient Norse music at Idle Hands Craft Ales in Malden, Mass. We’ll also be peddling our wares (because that’s the kind of people we are). This event was originally scheduled for March of 2020, but […]
True Norwegian Rådhus Ragnarök
It turns out I achieved one of my very few life goals this summer by getting my sorry self published in the one and only Viking Magazine, which is unfamiliar to most people, but nonetheless exists—primarily as a benefit to members of the Sons of Norway fraternal organization here in […]
Beavis and Butt-Head Starring Odin and Thor
ODIN: Huh huh. Huh huh. THOR: Heh heh. ODIN: Huh huh. Huh huh. Vikings are cool. Johan Hegg looks like a viking. Huh huh. THOR: Heh heh heh. This song rules. Heh heh. ODIN: Huh huh huh. Of course you like it, it’s like, all about you, and how you, […]
Heroes of Norse Proliferation: Eirik Storesund
Once again, the sun rises high in the heavens as the sky-wolf chases her across the atmosphere in the eternal quest to fill his belly with photon fodder. In other words, the summer heat is here and the weavers have dictated that I should retreat back into the cool, dark […]
Palm Beach Finland is the Place to be
“First a mysterious death, then the sauna burns down. There was always something very clear and explicit about burning down a sauna. If you want to get a Finn’s attention, if you want to tell your compatriot something vital and important, you burn down his sauna. Then he’ll get the […]
Get Strathclydian with The Hogback Saga
There aren’t many contemporary creative works out there that take their inspiration directly from Norse activity in the old Kingdom of Strathclyde; usually the focus lies on Wessex or York when it concerns Britain (and Mercia often receives a special, blood-spattered nod). The territory that comprises current Scotland in general, […]
Heroes of Norse Proliferation: H.R. Ellis Davidson
She wrote the hard-hitters (if not necessarily best-sellers) such as Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, Pagan Scandinavia, Scandinavian Mythology, and Roles of the Northern Goddess.
Geatland Forever
So, the idea for this post came about through a brief, recent Twitter interaction in which I blabbered a bit about the Land of the Eastern Geats within the Kingdom of Sweden and someone responded, basically asking, “Hey, whatever happened to Geatland?” The relevance, of course, is that Beowulf was […]
Hugin and Munin Watch Over Us All from Their Perch in Örnsköldsvik
Hugin and Munin normally perch on Odin’s shoulders where they whisper all the news of Midgård into his ear. And that’s usually how they’re depicted—loitering around his head, whether perched beside it or hovering above it. But Kjell Landfors has given us a different vision of Odin’s ravens: one where […]
World Wound Webbed Ragnarök and Rebirth
The world’s worst Viking-themed blog just received a fiery Surt-like death-blow and is now resurrected! In other words, Scandinavian Aggression has just undergone a major overhaul and is now equipped with actual, honest-to-Odin, up-to-date digital technology. Compared to the previous incarnation that relied on twelve-year old technology, I think this […]
“Hrafninn flýgur” Screening
For a month starting November 15th, the classic Icelandic film Hrafninn flýgur (When the Raven Flies) will be available to rent through the Scandinavian Cultural Center in Massachusetts. This is special screening because it features a new high definition digital transfer. And as an added bonus, my brother-in-arms, Matt Smith, […]
Leif Eriksson’s Quaint New England Inn
Last year I added a couple of posts to this floundering website about the everlasting heritage and influence of Norumbega in the state of Maine. The words “heritage” and “influence” are exaggerations, but there are a handful of fun landmarks and establishments in Vacationland that pay homage to the fabled […]
How to Drink Ale and Glare About Fiercely
”At the worst, the game will soon be played, and others will stand where we have stood, and strive where we have striven, and fail as we have failed, and so on, till man has worked out his doom, and the Gods cease from their wrath, or Ragnarök come upon […]