Bruce Lee and the Tao of Ásatrú
The Norse Mythology Blog
by Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried
2w ago
Bruce Lee was the first Asian actor to achieve star billing in a Hollywood movie since the silent film era, and he was the first Chinese-American man ever to do so. His performance in Enter the Dragon (1973) made him a worldwide superstar, even though it was released a month after his premature death at age 32. The spirit of his on-screen performances continues to be a felt presence in motion pictures, television shows, video games, and comic books. From teaching kung fu (which he usually spelled gung fu) in Seattle as a college student to developing the new martial art he called jeet kune do ..read more
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Art Contest – Adult Winners, Midwinter 2023
The Norse Mythology Blog
by Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried
3M ago
Here are the adult winners! This year's Midwinter Art Contest celebrates the tenth anniversary of our international Norse Mythology Art Contest here at The Norse Mythology Blog. We received many amazing entries from around the world in the adult division this year, and it was very difficult to choose between them. You can view the winning work in the teen division and check out comments from the judges by clicking here. I'd again like to thank my fellow judge Lee Carter (UK artist for 2000 AD, Judge Dredd Megazine, and many other great comics). This contest would not have been possible witho ..read more
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Art Contest – Midwinter 2023
The Norse Mythology Blog
by Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried
4M ago
Art by Ayu Putri Kenyo Jati (Indonesia), Teen First Place Winner, Midwinter Art Contest 2014 CONTEST Ten years after The Norse Mythology Blog's first art contest, the theme for our tenth art contest is different than it has been in the past. Be sure to carefully read the entire Contest Theme section so that you understand the assignment. During the winter solstice on December 21, those of us in the northern hemisphere will experience the shortest day and longest night of the year. This may seem early in the season, but it’s really the middle. From this point on, days will get longe ..read more
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On a Viking Ship: Interview with Stephanie Smith Pasculli
The Norse Mythology Blog
by Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried
5M ago
In 2010, construction of the ship known as the Draken Harald Hårfagre began under the curation of Norwegian businessman Sigurd Aase. Scandinavian historians, ship builders, craftspeople, and artists collaborated to build the Draken on the model of the greatest long ships of the Viking Age, basing their work on archaeological finds, traditional techniques, written descriptions from the Icelandic sagas, and a range of other historical material. Stephanie blows the horn aboard the Draken Harald Hårfagre Named for Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway, the oak ship is 115 feet long ..read more
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A 4th Grader Asks About Norse Mythology and Norse Religion
The Norse Mythology Blog
by Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried
1y ago
It’s been a minute since I posted a set of answers, but I’ve long received emails from students in a wide range of levels who want to interview me about Norse mythology and Norse religion for their school projects. I first answered questions that were sent by a high school student in 2011, followed by ones from a middle school student in 2012. One sixth grader interviewed me in 2013, then another one did in 2014. A college student sent a series of questions in 2016, and a second high school student sent more in 2018. All my sets of answers can be found in the For Students section of this webs ..read more
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Interview with Jason Aaron (Thor: God of Thunder), Part Two
The Norse Mythology Blog
by Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried
1y ago
Click here for Part One of the interview. Politics and religion KS – Some of us who teach and write about Norse mythology have to deal with the dark side of growing interest in this material being connected to the resurgence of white nationalist fixation on these myths and religions. You were writing the most well-known figure from Norse mythology while far-right mass shooters were name-checking Valhalla in their manifestos. Was the connection between white nationalism and Norse symbols such as Thor’s hammer and the runes ever something you considered as a writer, when communicating with vi ..read more
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"Articles of Faith": American Heathenry and Cultural Appropriation
The Norse Mythology Blog
by Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried
2y ago
After photographs and video from the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol showed one of the participants – the individual formerly known as “QAnon Shaman” – having tattoos of Thor’s hammer, the World Tree, and the so-called Valknut, American practitioners of Ásatrú and Heathenry who publicly self-identify as “not racist” issued public statements or communicated their responses to members of the media. "QAnon Shaman" during the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021 (Manuel Balce Ceneta photo) A common theme in reporting on the event and the American Heathen reaction was the assertion t ..read more
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It's Up to You
The Norse Mythology Blog
by Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried
2y ago
The United States of America is not at a turning point. We took the wrong step years ago. We’re now having breakfast in the ruins of the American promise and watching the chickens coming home to roost. Illustration from In an Enchanted Island (1889) by W. H. Mallock For those of us who still believe that this ship can be forced back on course toward a better future, there is work to be done. For those of positive intent who still believe in hope and change, there are tasks to take up. The path to progress is both simple and difficult, but it takes clear vision and determined will t ..read more
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Sigurd, the Dragon, and Our World Today
The Norse Mythology Blog
by Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried
2y ago
Mythology matters. The tales we tell reflect our values, even when we tell ourselves that they do not. The old stories bring with them the old worldviews, yet we are not duty-bound to accept everything that is woven into the texts to which we still return after all these long centuries. In the formulation of French philosopher Paul Ricœur, myths are spaces where symbols interact in narrative form. Symbols are notoriously slippery, and what they may have meant to the peoples of the long ago time are not necessarily the same meanings they carry to all of us in the now. One of the stories that ..read more
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Following the Wanderer
The Norse Mythology Blog
by Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried
2y ago
We’re living through an era in these United States in which wisdom seems a scarce commodity. Vísdómr, the Old Norse analogue to our modern English wisdom, has not only the meaning “knowledge, intelligence,” but also “foreboding” and “to know for certain.” These secondary meanings weigh heavy on the mind during these tumultuous times and years of plague. Here in Chicago, the skies are filled with shadows. Dark clouds loom overhead. The natural world seems to express the national mood, as America’s nineteenth century landscape painters surely believed it did. A Coming Storm (1863) by Sa ..read more
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