Leif Eriksson on the Rocks

Highland Park has gone and done something wonderful: they have produced Scotch in honor of Leif Eriksson. Why did no one think of this sooner? It took the discoverer of North America approximately 1012 years before he had a Scotch whiskey named in his honor? Sometimes I am ashamed of […]

Victorious March!

I’m not sure whether this painting is saying, “We are coming to destroy everything in our path!” or “We have just destroyed everything in our path!”, but either way, if this isn’t a victorious march of some sort, then I don’t know what is. John Charles Dollman wasn’t dicking around […]

Happy Up Helly Aa!

On the last Tuesday of every January, the honorable jarls up in Shetland celebrate the end of the yule season by setting everything on fire. It’s called Up Helly Aa and not only is it a glorious homage to Viking glory, but it’s also the biggest fire festival in Europe. […]

Welcome to the Mead Hall

Welcome to the Mead Hall is a glorified/self-deprecating account of the first time I ever met Trond Troll-Breath Trondsen. It was originally published online by Word Riot in September of 2009, but that site seems to have unfortunately taken the long walk down its own Helvegen sometime in the past […]