In the rich tapestry of the art world, there are a select few artists whose works have the magical ability to transport viewers into a realm of wonder, where reality and fantasy coalesce. One such artist is Kay Nielsen, celebrated for his enchanting illustrations of fairy tales. Nielsen’s unique and mesmerizing style breathed life into …
Kay Nielsen: The Enchanting Illustrator of Fairy Tales Read More »
An exploration of the sacred feminine and its initiatory function in Germanic paganism There are several ways we can distill the mythic wisdom in the myths examined in this series of articles and use it as nourishment for our own spiritual growth. One such level of analysis is to see the different heroes as an …
An exploration of the sacred feminine and its initiatory function in Germanic paganism Much has been written about the quest and the initiatic journey of the hero, but little attention has been paid to the feminine figures who often function as guides and initiators on those adventures. In Odin’s case, he retrieves the sacred mead …
An exploration of the sacred feminine and its initiatory function in Germanic paganism The next natural object of this essay is the nature of the sacred mead, and the spiritual meaning thereof. Depicting spiritual knowledge as a liquid is a central indoeruopean theme, from India to Ireland. The Vedas referred to the substance as soma, …
An exploration of the sacred feminine and its initiatory function in Germanic paganism Rites of initiation fascinate us: ceremonies wherein mysterious workings of another world alter the spiritual being of man, and in turn how he relates to the world, by exposing him to a glimpse of the sacred reality before which the material world …
While in many places the frost still crouches deep in the ground and the mountains sleep under a thick blanket of snow, the first harbingers of spring are already appearing in sheltered corners and sunny places: snowdrops and crocuses greet the first warming rays of sun, the young trees begin to bud and the first …
In myths and fairy tales, the heroes and heroines are pushed towards change through crisis that most often manifest as an adventure they will live on their own, and which will ultimately lead them towards a state of completeness and self-knowledge they would not have been able to acquire without enduring a transformative crisis. A …
Norse paganism and folklore is filled to the brim with otherworldly beings, many of which are still alive and kicking in Scandinavian popular belief! In this article we will discover the magical creatures of the North, such as trolls, nisser, nøkk, elves and dwarves. trolls The trolls are a well known race of otherworldly beings …
Trolls, dwarves and elves: magical creatures of the north Read More »
Discover the secrets of the dark gloomy forests of Sweden, meet the nasty trolls, the gnomes and travel alongside young princesses able to tame even the biggest bears. Plunge with us in the mythic world of John Bauer and discover the magic hidden behind mountains and rocks with the fantastic illustrations of the most famous …
John Bauer, Swedish illustrator of Scandinavian folklore, mythology and fairy tales Read More »
Brothers shall fight and fell each other,And sisters’ sons shall kinship stain; Hard is it on earth, with mighty whoredom; Axe-time, sword-time, shields are sundered, Wind-time, wolf-time, ere the world falls; Nor ever shall men each other spare. – Völuspá Just as Indian mythology knows the Kali Yuga and Hesiod and Ovid write of an “Iron …
The Age of the Wolf and Ragnarök – The end of the world in Norse mythology Read More »
