Greetings from the North! Yule is upon us and Tis the season to be preparing oneself for a traditional Heathen celebration – Mead, meat and honey, family and loved ones. Be good to each other, people of Midgard. You never know what people around you might be struggling with and the gods knows that it is cold enough here already.
The visit at Sarpsborg was a short one this year. It was just a day trip to breathe some viking vibes with my friends. In hindsight, I wish I had taken more pictures, but I will probably have a chance to do so the coming year. One can never take too many pictures. Never ever. Preparing for a feast, the Viking Way. A couple of men occasionally appeared to turn the animal whilst humming to themselves. I absolutely adore these mugs. They made me daydream of happy times surrounded by friends and loved ones, sitting in front of a bonfire deep in the norse woods. I imagined sharing stories and laughing for hours, singing and enjoying each others company. Ah, that would be grand. It saddens me to say that there is too little of the sort in my life these days. But I would love to change that. Oddities like these have fascinated me ever since I was a weird, kinda lonely child. Crow claws are über cool and crows are my favourite birds. I am well aware of the fact that ravens “should be” my first choice- but I guess I have strange preferences. (Ps – these are ethically harvested. No birds were killed to collect their feet) Okay back to my daydream about the bonfire. In that daydream, these would be filled with mead, and the mead would never end. Anything goes when you imagine it, therefore my mind tends to wander a lot. And wander it does when I am beholding glorious viking goods like these! I could sell myself the whole market with that imagination of mine. I’ll take the Hammer over the cross any day. Therefore I cropped it away, didn’t let it stay. Lamb meat and a viking lady being crafty in the background I like to change my viking boob bling occasionally. The black beads are actually volcano rocks. Btw- those are my natural nails…Unfortunately, the ones on my right hand were shorter than those on my left. I love symmetry godsdamnit! My nails tend to break a lot due to heavy lifting at the gym. Oh well, totally worth it. Been thinking about buying a drum ever since last summer. Any day now… Any day. Viking kitchen awesomeness goods and epic wall decor, heathen statement style.BaBadass Wood carving on a throne Outfit hand stitched by me – 100% wool & 100% linen. The tablet weave is Oseberg style, I wear it to Honor one of the queens that ruled before me *wink*
Like I said in my last post, I am going through a lot of photos that I simply forgot about in order to finally share them with you guys. So – Stay tuned for more:) Hope you are all having a wonderful night.
I love taking photos at viking markets. To me, it is all about capturing the moments--it is all about inviting you into my world, to take you with me on a modern day time travelThrough my blog, I am trying to show you why I feel so drawn to the viking Era I want to show you my love for it by presenting its beautyWords are not enough when your soul is screaming with longing for something that cannot be reduced to academic descriptionsIn all honesty, pictures are not enough either – because if you live it,
you live it with all of your being; your Heathen Heart, body and soul. I can only hope that some of my passion shines through
(With Ekota, a glorious somali cat that granted Frøya vibes to stroll like a true viking! (In case you have been living under a rock – the norse goddess Frøya was known for being a crazy cat lady – kinda like us – xD) Fun fact: Ekota is the grandfather of my blue somali Sága. I can tell that Ekota’s wonderful personality has rubbed off on her – he is one of the coolest cats ever.)
Finally done with my exams and the annoying, creativity-vibe-destroying stress levels are going down (phew!) This post is a little throwback to start the quest of sharing forgotten viking photography with you guys. There shall be loads of them the coming days! – Sól Geirsdóttir, The Viking Queen
“The Stave Church from Gol. Hallingdal, Buskerud, ca. 1200 (Rebuilt and reconstructed at Bygdøy). There are several runic inscriptions and carvings dated to the early Middle Ages in the church.”
Storehouse from Søndre Berdal. Loft from Nesland, Vinje in Telemark, 1759s
Wood carving, Stave church Fjording, Norwegian horse breed
Is it just me or is there a man in the tree?
Ah! I feel like going back there when I go through all my photos. The atmosphere was so peaceful and inspiring that I wish I could hide from security until it closes and spend the night hidden under a loft (hahaha!) No.. that would be silly, simply impossible! Or…would it? Who wants to join my unconventional slumberparty? Seriously though – if I were ever to go to jail for something, it would be a stupid thing like that – for being a way too enthusiastic tourist, so to speak . Yup – just my type of crime. Argh…You know I’m just kidding, I promise to behave. It’s just that I need to have more time here, to actually read the information and not just run against the clock like a madwoman. Oh well, I’ll be back as soon as I can. (I’ll make sure to bring a tent and an invisibility cloak. Hehe;) Sól Geirsdóttir / The Viking Queen
I stopped by Askøy Viking Market as a part of my trip to Bergen a few weekends ago. It was a spontaneous appearance that resulted in a few more treasures that I had to stuff into my suitcase. The market itself is quite small, but very cozy and laid back. Viking Queen approved for sure;)
Behold part one of my posts about Sarpsborg Viking Market!
Frøy, Odin and TorMy good friend Kristin is holding this glorious wood carved Gere and Freke badness that I pillaged at the market. It makes my mead taste better simply because of its beauty<3
All year is viking season for me, but I really miss the Market Season… I’ts hard to decide on ONE favorite market as they all have their charm. I am happy to be wherever people are warm and welcoming. Borre Viking Market(four years ago) was magical to me. I spent quality time with my dearest sister in spirit, and we celebrated and feasted until we fell asleep on top of a viking grave(!). Yes, my friends – That’s how we party. Good energies and viking vibes is all that I ever ong for;)
Dear readers, what about you? Have you ever been to a Viking Market? And of all the markets you’ve been to, which market is your favourite and why?
Carved skulls everywhere! My head was turning like I had gone completely bonkers These had some serious witchy vibes about them. Uffe, I don’t know if you’ll ever read this, but if you do :
Thank you for being such a sweetheart. Statues, some of our gods
This whole outfit is hand sewn by me. 100% linen, and 100% herringbone wool.
Damask. Weapon porn. What is chair, and what is dog? Mad viking pose-maidens game on!
My lovely ladies Silje and Vigdís
Oh, if I could just take all of you home….
.….I just want to put you up on my wall… Einar.
What caused his mysterious smile? It might have been that a norse muse whispered lyrics softly to his ears, or it might have been the ecco of a tone from ancient history.. Then again, he might just have been happy and content to be;) (Or all of the above) Mjødurt, Meadowsweet Tathariel’s glorious viking bling.
Yes, she has the bronze one, and I have the silver one. We’re so much like sisters you would almost not believe it. Details, Saga Oseberg (reconstruction of the Oseberg Ship)
I promised to deliver a blog post today, and here it is. Borre Kaupangen was aesthetically beautiful as ever, and I was in awe of all the glory to behold. This viking marked is held every two years at the site of Borrehaugene where one can see many viking graves. It is wonderful, heartwarming and relaxing to take part in this market, and I strongly recommend it. There are so many good people there to bring forth laughter and smiles. I adore you all! This year, the camp rules were a bit strict due to some unfortunate events that happened last market (I do not know the nature of these events, and it is not in my place to speculate about it). Some of my friends and I were asked to leave the festival as we were not officially registered as party participants at the gilde. We felt a bit sad about being asked to leave, but this quickly turned as many friends clearly expressed that they wanted us there. So… regardless of strict rules, we just stayed and participated in the magical ceremony of the night. Einar Selvik from Wardruna performed Helvegen. on top of one of the viking graves (video by Espen WinPics underneath)
I must say thank you to all the lovely blog readers who came up to greet me. You truly make every market very special and you are all oh so dear to me. Thank you for reading, and thank you for all the warmth and kind words you grant me.
“Deyr fé,deyja frændr,deyr sjalfr it sama,ek veit einn,at aldrei deyr:dómr um dauðan hvern.” ~Hávamál, 77.
Actually, I prefer silver to bronze. I managed to fight the urge to pillage all these beauties. Will you just look at the size of this wooden spoon? I felt like an ant next to it. The bling… Oh, the glorious viking bling! Lise and Jan Tore are two of my bestest friends. I love you guys more than I love mead.
Sometimes, I feel like I should have more fingers to blingify. Hehe.Maybe I should blingify my toes too? Unfortunately, I’ve never seen viking jewelry for that sort of thing. Pardon my random babble….but Isn’t that what a blog is for?
Day quickly turned into night, and we enjoyed our time together at a random bar in Oslo.
Jan Tore snapped this photo of us while enjoying a much needed beer. Markets make us all very thirsty, you see.
To all of you who frequently ask me where I am from: I AM FROM NORWAY! *waves from the mountains* My ancestors were from the north of Norway (Lofoten) to be specific. I write this thing in english because it is easier to interact with the world that way, and I do like to interact.
I know I’m waaaay behind with my blogging – but hang on, my reasons are good! I’ve been sewing so much weird (and hopefully soon to be pretty) things that I will wear in the near future. I shall flaunt them here as soon as I finish them! *wipes sweat and returns to the fabrics*
I didn’t want to upload this particular photo as I do not care for churches. They mark the sad ending of the viking era, especially when covered in norse ornaments. Epic norse ornament on Garmo stave church (bah) Dated – 1200 CE (Common Era) Maihaugen is an open air museum in Lillehammer, Norway with 200 old and new buildings. It is prettyful and you should go see it when the buildings are open for guided tours!
Who is crazy enough to stand 4 hours in line, only to do it again the next day? She is. Dear readers – I went to see the exhibition not only once, but twice! Luckily, I was surrounded by my dearest of friends both times – people that I am eternally grateful to have in my life ❤ With the strength and energy we gave each other, any sign of discomfort magically vanished.
Once inside the exhibition, we got to feast our eyes on all the details of the wonderful costumes, sit on the Iron Throne, and experience how it is to stand on The Wall in 4D. It was excellent! Here are photos to prove my exsitence inside the Exhibit Oh my gods, the details! Bow before your queen!
This photo was taken by my dear friend Jan Tore