Behold the oldest recorded Scandinavian song, found in a Danish manuscript dated 1300 CE.
This song is a medieval Scandinavian staple, but only in abbreviated form— i.e., the first two lines. This video is priceless for performing the entire piece (even using a frame drum!)
Here is a translation of the lyrics:
I dreamed a dream last night
of silk and costly furs.
Of pillows soft and deep,
of peace and rest unbroken.
And in my dream I saw,
as through a grimy window,
all wretched humankind pass by,
a different fear on every face.
The number of their terrors grew
as did the remedies sought.
Yet oft the answer is heavier to bear, .
though the question may burn hot.
I could sleep well nonetheless
and thought it was surely best
to slumber in soft, costly furs
and forget about all the rest.
Peace- if ever it's to be found-
is where man and woe are not;
Where one can wall oneself away
And dream of silk and furs.
"Dreaming of costly furs and silk" is a way of saying, dreaming of equality and justice. No more class distinctions and corrupt establishment.
First and foremost, Oddny Einarsdottir is a series about women. So many of the Viking novels I run into are focused on men, warfare, feuds and just the male world in general. None of them feature a heroine, an average, relatable woman living a woman's life and experiencing the Northern world from a woman's unique perspective. I wanted to examine this overlooked aspect and the timeless plight of women as well—hence the theme of bondage, something so many captive women in our world endure.
Book review of The Sword - Readers' Favorite: Book Reviews and Award Contest (readersfavorite.com)
This is my reproduction of the woman's winter coat found in the Birka dig in Sweden (dated 9th century). I made my own pattern, drafting it directly onto the fabric after studying its construction in photos of the artifact. (It pays to know one's size!) It definitely weighs a bunch but it is very warm!
To me, character development has got to be one of the most fascinating and rewarding aspects of writing. I used to really struggle with that; my characters always felt rather cardboardy or two dimensional, their voices lacking in individuality. It was only when I started to study screenwriting that things really started to click for me. For the first time, I felt I had some tools with which to enrich my written world. When you're writing a screenplay, you don't have 500 pages to spend describing someone's innermost psyche or even their physical appearance. At best, you have a couple sentences, but by and large, the description takes place in the action itself, in the dialogue. I decided to take the same approach with my prose writing and returned to the manuscript of my novel to go over the characterizations and beef them up.
I just saw on Facebook today an article on how Viking women have been misrepresented as housekeepers etc. and neglected in literature. While I agree with the last point, I'd like to mention the fact that women did feature in sagas and poems, and not just as the trope warrior maiden. Take Auður in Gísla saga or Guðrún in Laxdæla saga - the whole book revolves around her and her love life. But the reason imo that women didn't feature as frequently is based more on what people expected of literature in the Middle Ages when these sagas were written. People wanted to hear about towering feuds, family crises, and fighting warriors, not about the kind of "quiet" action that would define most women's lives. I say quiet, as women's stories were not generally considered interesting or exciting enough to the general populace. There was no concept of a novel, nor of writing about day to day life. It was all about preserving or embellishing events. You don't hear about the cotter in the woods, either. But I do agree, there is an overall sexist bias there.
Well to me, a lot. I am the kind of person who appreciates being exposed to a variety of different names from different cultures, and I prefer to see them transliterated as accurately as possible. If the two languages are compatible in terms of sounds etc, why not show the name as it is instead of anglicize it needlessly. For example, drawing from my book, why show Vermund when I could write Vermundr? We don't write Juli for Julius or Drus for Drusus, why? Because we're familiar with Latin names.
I´m excited to announce that my Welsh myth, The Tale of Gwawl, Son of LLwybyr, should be finished by May 2024. Here´s a little sneak peek for you - I'm hoping I captured some of the vagueness, humor, and general vibe of the Mabinogi.
Yay! The article I was invited to write for Readers' Magnet magazine went live! Below is a copy of the article.
So, I have finally come to the end of The Vow, the second and last part of Oddný Einarsdóttir. It's so hard to let go of characters that you have worked with intensively for six years! I can't envision writing anything that doesn't feature them. Still, I have to write something, I feel the urge, and I'm wondering what to pick up next (I always have a handful of ideas/projects going at the same time). There is my fantasy series, The Isle of The Mighty, which is a reconstruction of the four main stories of the Mabinogi in that I hope to create a version of the tale that may possibly have existed. Tales back then were pretty fluid, and while adhering to the same main plot etc., they could have many different versions. Hence the frequent confusion and vagueness of the fragments we have left today. I intend this series for a general audience but particularly for fantasy-loving young people, as I want to make the magic and treasure of the Mabinogi more accessible to modern kids - something they would never otherwise give time of day.
An article from Morgunblaðið (the Icelandic morning paper) back in 2021, highlighting my knowledge of Icelandic language/history and the tapestry I created:)
Hi, just alerting everyone that I'm currently seeking reviewers for my book. Here is the link if you're interested in leaving some honest feedback:
Anybody want some free reading this winter? In exchange for signing up for my email newsletter, I'll send you a free ebook copy of The Sword. Don't miss out:)
I was hoping to get my Tale of Gwawl out on March 25, but due to some unforeseen health concerns I will have to delay the big day till May 25-- same date, just two months later.
I am pleased to announce that my newsletter will be sent out on the 15th of every month:)
A THOUSAND YEARS ago, there was more to Norway than Netflix would have you believe. There were real people, apart from the pirates, and they led raw, real lives. Some were nobles bedecked with gold, governing districts from their sprawling estates. Others were ordinary thanes, landowners small and great, tilling the earth and minding their own business. There were outlaws in the wilderness, merchants, fishers, poets, salt burners, and slaves. Many would never sail the seas, apart from rowing from fjord to fjord for business or visits. And of course, there were the professional Viking leagues, the underworld of ancient Norwegian society, with their cutthroat sea-kings.
inscribenink@proton.me
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