Of Viking Queens And Olden Things

You are lying in your own gore as the ravens circle above. This vision sweeps down to lead you to Valhalla. You have lived and died well, my comrade!

The Internet has its downsides, to be sure, but I greatly value the connection it provides with the like-minded across the globe. It is both a comfort and an inspiration to see others who are on the same path, or a similar one, recounting their journeys and adventures. I recently discovered a couple of folks pursuing a passion for Norse history and culture and making it relevant for their lives in the contemporary world  — and its a beautiful thing. In some cases, a VERY beautiful thing.

As I am doing with Frontier Partisans, they are connecting with a past that resonates on a cellular level, and endeavoring to “make the past present.” It’s hard to explain this deep sense of connection and the profound need to make the past present to those who do not feel this pull, or feel it only faintly. When I was young, I was often told that I needed to “live in the real world.” To those who think this way (which, fortunately for me, were not my loved ones) a fascination with other worlds, including worlds of the past is mere Escapism.

In the first place, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with Escape, as J.R.R. Tolkien so eloquently argued in his essay “On Faerie Stories”:

Why should a man be scorned, if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if, when he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls? The world outside has not become less real because the prisoner cannot see it. In using Escape in this way the critics have chosen the wrong word, and, what is more, they are confusing, not always by sincere error, the Escape of the Prisoner with the Flight of the Deserter.

For those of us who are bent this way, immersion in other worlds is not merely Escape. It is a nurturing of the roots that feed the tree of our life. For me, a sense of what has gone before me informs my every moment. When I falter, I have a volume of heroic examples to draw from to inspire me to carry on, to be strong, to stay in the fight. Frankly, I can’t see how people who don’t have these resources to draw upon function. Truly.

As I’ve noted elsewhere, the connection with the past can take the form of re-enacting, but not necessarily. I never connected well with that endeavor. Some seamlessly integrate reenactment with modern life. Ultimately, it makes no difference. As Norwegian author and bushcrafter Bull Hansen writes in a blog post exhorting his fellows to “go Viking” (in the sense of leaving home to go adventuring):

Going Viking doesn’t mean dressing up as a Viking. Going Viking has nothing to do with how you dress. Although, I must say that personally, wearing Viking clothes is my natural state and it’s when I have to look like a modern man that I’m “dressing up.”

Hansen — his blog is here — is endeavoring to live well in the modern world through his connection with the virtues of his Norse forbears. Who could argue with the principles he avows?

• Never give up
• Kneel to no king
• Seek adventure
• Seek challenges
• Wisdom is wealth
• Respect must be earned – and that goes for you as well
• Live so that you will be remembered in a good way

Another Norwegian making the connection with her heritage is Sól Geirsdóttir, who blogs at thevikingqueen.wordpress.com.

This is a blog about my personal fascination and admiration for the Viking Age and how it lives on in our modern world. In other words – a blog about Viking related things, places and happenings with a sparkle of creativity and current-era touch. I am not a reenactor, just a girl who is deeply in love with the Viking Era.

OK, sure, she’s ridiculously beautiful, but really — who doesn’t love the spirit?

Made a spontaneous decision to visit Norsk Folkemuseum last weekend (living in Oslo makes it easy to do stuff like this. Besides, I’m not much of a party lion — getting cultural inspiration is much cooler than clubbing).  If you have followed my blog for a while you’re probably well aware of my fascination for old buildings, especially wooden ones. I absolutely adore weird, crooked, wood-carved stuff- everything from roots to houses!  What better place to be for a creature like me than an outdoor museum? I mean, how epic is that? Norsk Folkemuseum is the largest museum of cultural history. It has 160 different buildings from rural and urban Norway – from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century. Of course – my favorites are the oldest stuff. Twirling in leaves amongst old lofts made me feel so alive, it was spiritual food for my ancient soul…Modern day time-travel is my kind of fun! Unfortunately, I had very little time when I visited so I literally RAN through it while I was shooting pictures like a maniac. Quite the workout, I must say.

Skoal!