Restless words

Own Photo

Beltane celebration May 2017 at the Harz Mountains, Germany.

Sigur Rós + Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson - Odin's Raven Magic (Hrafnagaldur Óðins)

No words to describe the beauty of this. 

Traditional Sami clothing in Sweden. 

Norway's Sami place  Ph by Zoe Prosser

Folklorism By Zuzana Mitošinková

Øyonn Groven Myhren

Ritual 

Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson

A native of Iceland was instrumental in helping to gain recognition by the Icelandic government for the pre-Christian Norse religion. The Ásatrúarfélagið ("Fellowship of Æsir faith"), which he founded in 1972, and for which he acted as goði (priest), was officially recognised as a religious body in 1973.

Sveinbjörn lived his entire life in West Iceland. From 1944 on, he was a sheep farmer while also pursuing literary interests on the side. He published a book of rímur in 1945, a textbook on the verse forms of rímur in 1953, two volumes of his own verse in 1957 and 1976, and edited several anthologies. In 1982 Sveinbjörn released an album, Eddukvæði (Songs from The Poetic Edda), in which he recites in rímur style 75 stanzas from Hávamál, Völuspá and Sigrdrífumál. The album, on the Gramm label, included a booklet of the poems in Icelandic, with translations into English, Swedish, and German

Some things never change By David Williamson

The Kåta Photographed by Lina Scheynius

The Kåta or goahti is a Sami construction that can be similar to a Sami lavvu or a peat covered version using the same base structure. It is often constructed slightly larger than a lavvu. In its tent version the goahti is also called a 'curved pole' lavvu, or a 'bread box' lavvu as the shape is more elongated while the lavvu is in a circular shape.

Th. Kittelsen: Guldhornet, 1910 Found on The National Library of Norway

The Celebration

Hails to you all in this Walpurgisnacht

In Norse traditions - and many others - this night is the time when the boundary between our world and that of the spirits is a bit shaky. Much like Samhain, six months later, Walpurgisnacht is a time to communicate with the spirit world and the fae. Bonfires are traditionally lit to keep away malevolent spirits or those who might do us mischief.

Today, some Pagans in central and northern Europe still celebrate Walpurgisnacht as a precursor to Beltane. Many Germanic Pagans try to honor the celebrations of their ancestors by observing this traditional holiday each year. It is typically observed much like May Day celebrations - with lots of dancing, singing, and ritual around the bonfire.

Kristjan Logason

Georg Olafr Reydarsson Hansen

I really want to meet this man in Gudvangen someday...

Hurdy Gurdy Photographed by John Merriman

The hurdy gurdy or hurdy-gurdy (also known as a wheel fiddle) is a stringed musical instrument that produces sound by a crank-turned rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to a violin. Melodies are played on a keyboard that presses tangents (small wedges, usually made of wood) against one or more of the strings to change their pitch. Like most other acoustic string instruments, it has a soundboard to make the vibration of the strings audible.

Brudedrakter fra Hardanger Found on The National Library of Norway

Photo taken by Normanns Kunstforlag ,1971 in Hordaland,Hardanger Norway