GANDOFF
Gandoff is a road name that I got while riding motorcycles that has kind of stuck with me. It started when I was at a party smoking a church warden pipe, which is a long pipe similar to the one used by the character Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. Needless to say I'm nowhere as awesome as Ian McKellen.
The spelling was altered being more phonetic as to how it was pronounced by a bunch of drunk folk at a gathering.
- Good Times -
SOV - stands for "Son of Vinland"
Vinland is the name given to an area in Canada by Leif Erikson when he discovered North America 500 years before Columbus.
LEIF ERIKSON
VINLAND
L'ANSE AUX MEADOWS
L'anse aux Meadows was excavated in the 1960s of a Norse settlement dating to approximately 1,000 years ago. The site is located on the northernmost tip of the island of Newfoundland in Canada, here Norse expeditions sailed from Greenland, building a small encampment of timber-and-sod buildings. Thus proving that Scandinavians discovered North America 500 years before Columbus. Leif Erikson is credited with the discovery as the first explorer to deliberately set sail to discover the new land after hearing reports of its existence from others blown off course while at sea in the Atlantic. He called the most southern part of the land Vinland due to its ample amount of grapes. It is debated today whether the term Vinland is specifically meant for the area around of what is now Newfoundland or if Vinland was the name given to all of North America. Hopefully there will be future discoveries of other Norse settlements in North America.
For more information I recommend reading the Vinland Sagas.
BINDRUNE for SOV
This is a bindrune that I created to represent SOV.
It is a combination of three runes, one for each letter of the acronym.
Sowilo - The denotation of the rune is "sun".
Othala - The denotation of the rune is "heritage; inheritance".
Wynn or wyn - The denotation of the rune is "joy, bliss".
My Holiday Calendar
These are the main Holidays I follow.
How I brew my Viking Blod mead.
Converting a store axe into a Viking axe.
Pictures from my trip to Denmark
The Jelling Stone and
from Trelleborg Ring Fortress.
Drakkar Longship
Drakkar, 'dragon', are ships that are described as most unusual, elegant, ornately decorated, and used by those who went raiding and plundering. The earliest mentioned drakkar was the ship of unstated size owned by Harald Fairhair in the tenth century. These innovative ships with a shallow bottom, sails and oars allowed the Vikings to travel fast across the seas , travel in shallow water and to beach and set sail quickly for incursions. The Vikings Naval prowess is what made the Viking Age possible.
The Drakkar model above was handmade by my father.
Valhalla's Call
A song I wrote & recorded years ago for the show Vikings hopefully in the next 6 months I'll complete some more songs to post.
The Viking Axe
When going off to war most Vikings could not afford a weapon made specifically for battle, like a sword. They would often grab the same axe they used for woodcutting to serve as their weapon.
A wood cutting axe was not an ideal weapon due to it's weight and the effort required to wield it. Lighter hand axes were made to improve speed for hacking opponents, they were easier to maneuver and didn't tire out the warrior as quickly.
Happy MidsumarBlot
Oath Ring/ Armband / bracelet
Animal headed bracelets are not a common find from the Viking period. There are very few examples recovered to date, many finds are flattened cuff type bracelets. Finds of bracelet fragments tell us that they were in fact a form of wearable currency rather than an oath ring.
Some arm rings are called ‘oath rings’. These arm rings are open and have funnel-shaped ends, the name comes from the beginning of the nineteenth century.
In modern culture many use oath rings as a form of decorative jewelry or as spiritual connection and dedication to practicing the old ways. Oaths are also given upon them by some with the understanding of the unbreakable commitment that goes with them.
Happy Freyfest
HAPPY LEIF ERIKSON DAY
Mjölnir
The hammer of the thunder god Thor, of the Æsir. Used both as a devastating weapon and as a divine instrument to provide blessings. Mjölnir was forged in Svartalheim by dwarfs and it was presented to Thor by Loki as reparation for stealing the golden hair of Sif, Thor's wife. Loki also replaced her hair with new golden hair created by the dwarfs.
HAPPY YULETIDE 2021
New Axe completed in Jan. 2022.
This axe was made from a truck leaf spring and was designed with a burn tool.
A few songs that I'm really enjoying
Korpiklaani - Sanaton Maa
Faun feat Eluveitie - Gwydion
Skald - Run
Amon Amarth - Put your back into the oar
A new Lyre that I bought in Jan. 2022, I've been playing guitar for over 30 years so I have a good foundation to start with. I hope I will be able to add more traditional sounds to my music recordings.
Making of an Odin candle holder with Thor and Freyja figures.
Happy Up Helly Aa
Crafting a clay bowl for offerings
Happy May Eve
Runes my daughter made
The Seax, AKA “Scramasax” Or “Sax,” was the blade shape of choice for the much-feared and revered Vikings.
Typically the Norsemen were associated with their famous axes, but they also carried a knife that saw more general use: the seax.
SIGRBLOT
Hnefatafl was a popular game in medieval Scandinavia and was mentioned in several of the Norse sagas. - This board was made by my ever talented father.