#Norse art

[skyggsja-art]

241013 • Frauki („The Frog“)

I‘m in a bit of a hyperfixation relating to Norse/Viking artworks. I recently bought a book about the topic and I can‘t stop looking at it. The animals typically depicted are dragons, wolves, horses and similar, but I‘m currently trying to design some other animals that I think would be cool in this style.

These are four versions Frauki, The Frog. Or actually two different designs and one comes in three versions.

White on Green is a different design, but only slightly. The hips, chest and the feet are a bit different.

The other three are the same design, only different outline/colour combinations.

Tbh I‘m such a fan.. I hope the hyperfixation doesn‘t fade too quickly, because I wanna try insects and more complex designs.

I do already have one more, it‘s a bit more complex but it‘s frogs again. I love frogs and toads, that‘s why :D

Hope you like it!! ✨ 🐸

[softheartscribes]

Loki and Jormungand by mollythemole

[themuseumofwitchcraftandpaganism]

Did Christianity Steal From Paganism? Yes... No... It's Complicated. Part 2: Vikings

Tis the season so I figured I'd talk about the topic that's been the subject of debate for a long time, most recently with the 2024 Olympics. I will be discussing the visual aspect of these religions, not the theological aspects.

Short answer: Yes

Long answer: No

Let's get into it: The Viking era is from 800-1050 AD and can be divided into seven parts based off the style of visual art that was popular. The first style is called the Oseberg style (775-800 AD) and would be the basis of all the Viking styles of art after it. It was made of three forms that were derived from Pagan pre-Viking art: ribbon animals, gripping beasts, and ambiguous forms. You can see it on the bow of the ship below; the ship dates to the 9th century and was found in a burial mound in Tønsberg, Norway. Remember these forms because they're going to be important later.

The Vikings started coming into contact with Christian Anglo Saxon (modern day English) missionaries in the 700-800s, but they had little effect. The missionaries were well received by the kings but when their Pagan chieftains threatened to rescind their support, the missionaries were sent away. Another example of that is in 878 AD, the Christian king of the Anglo Saxons, Alfred the Great of Wessex, and the Pagan king of the Vikings, Guthrum the Old, were at war. King Alfred ended up winning and as part of the peace treaty, Guthrum had to get baptized into Christianity. He did so but maintained his Pagan worship and did not implement Christianity.

Besides the kings, common people had also started to slowly assimilate to Christianity. Christians had a rule that they couldn't trade with Pagans so Pagan Vikings began primsigning. Primsigning is an old Norse word meaning "to make the sign of the cross," the way to show you followed Christian beliefs before converting all the way through baptism. Even though they weren't being baptized and were still practicing Paganism, primsigning was enough for Christians to feel comfortable trading with them and brought the Vikings more into the world of Christianity.

An interesting example of this is in Kopparsvik, Sweden, where a large number of Viking individuals were buried in a prone position from 900-1050 AD. This is completely different from traditional Pagan Viking burials: there were no grave goods, no animal sacrifices, no mighty ships. Typically, a prone position is a sign of showing humility towards God and all the figures had notches carved into their teeth (below). Historians theorize that they used the notches to secretly signal to Christian merchants that they were also Christian to get discounts while not being alienated from their Pagan communities.

The coin below is from ~921 AD. It's a Viking coin from York, England and wonderfully shows the mixing of Pagan and Christian iconography. Coins like this typically had the name of the Viking king engraved on them but this one has "St. Peter." However, it also depicts the hammer of Thor on both the head (left) and reverse (right). It really demonstrates the visual mixing of religions.

Sometime between 940-1000 AD, the cross below was made. It was found in St Andrew's Church, Andreas, Isle of Man (between England and Ireland), and is another great example of the combination of Pagan and Christian art. On one side (left) it depicts Odin with one of his ravens fighting the wolf Fenrir at Ragnarök. The other side (right) depicts Christ triumphing over Satan. Both of these are stories of good vs evil and depict a god triumphing at the end of days. It would have drawn attention to the theological similarities between Christianity and Norse Paganism, making it easier for people to conflate the differing theologies.

Remember the Oseberg style from before? We're going to revisit it. By the 900s, Viking art was being done in the Mamman style; the ribbon animals and gripping beasts had combined into an icon called the Great Beast. The Great Beast was a symbol of power and strength, frequently put on longships and other Pagan items. In 986 AD, Viking King Bluetooth, a recent convert to Christianity, had the jelling stone below erected in honor of his deceased parents. On one side, he included a Great Beast; this was to show the strength and nobility of his parents and the nation they ruled. On the other side, he put an image of Christ Triumphant. This makes sense for a cenotaph as the promise of a resurrection is a comfort in the face of death. But the combination of a Pagan symbol of strength and an image of Christ is very interesting; it's doing more than pointing out the similarities between the two religions, it's uniting both Pagan and Christian subjects under his rule and proudly displaying the two different sources of the Viking's strength.

I can't end this without also talking about architecture. The last Viking art style is called the Urnes style and it's primarily because of the church below. It was built in 1132 AD in Urnes, Norway and is a stave church, meaning the whole thing was built without any nails!! The entire thing is self-supporting wood made using the post and lintel system. It's a Chrisitan church but has Pagan iconography on the sides: the last version of the Great Beast (right) and Pagan runes. It's fascinating how a Christian place of worship is decorated and protected by Pagan icons, once again showing the combination of visual cultures and methods of thought.

So, the answer everyone is looking for is NO.

The Christians didn't steal anything from the Pagans, they made an association. They produced art in the style that was popular and followed the artistic trends of the time. Christian and Pagan imagery was produced in the same medium and combined until Paganism was phased out over hundreds of years. They saw similar gods and iconography and combined them to make a message that was understandable to all audiences.

Happy Yule! Happy Winter Solstice!

Further reading:

Smarthistory – Art of the Viking Age

BBC - History - Ancient History in depth: Viking Religion

The Vikings and Christianity | History of Christian Vikings – Sons of Vikings

Treaty of Wedmore - Wikipedia

Manx runestones - Wikipedia

Prone Burials and Modified Teeth at the Viking Age Cemetery of Kopparsvik - Historische Beratung Dr. Matthias Toplak

Ancient Viking Art - Medievalists.net

Gamla Uppsala - Wikipedia

[victusinveritas]

A man repairing a cracked runestone in 1936 at Svedjorna in Södra Ving, Sweden. Approximately 2,500 runestones can be found along the roads of Sweden, many of them having been maintained by caring locals for centuries. The inscription on this stone reads, "Tole and Torny raised these monuments in memory of Tore and Klakke, their sons".

[salixsociety]

Hail Ullr and Skaði!

A very experimental piece for me, but I'm happy with how it came out

[vityabersent]

Hello, here I share other of my drawings of Nordic Loki.

(Yes, he added details with gold paint to the second drawing, I loved it. I loved painting his hair, I love thinking that his hair is like the flames of the fire. This painting has a special place above my work desk in my room.)

[vanitythevantropist]

‘The wolf; larger than the largest of giants, stronger than the strongest of dwarves; had the power to break any binds. Yet, the transparent ribbon that glistened beneath the dull sun held him down. Those ribbons - known simply as Gleipnir - built by the gods. They tricked him. Made a fool of him and laughed in his face. The wolf, Fenrir, vowed to end them upon the great apocalypse; Ragnarok. But for now, he struggles and pulls against his restraints, hoping to find a way to Asgard before the world’s end.

Can you tell I’ve been super into Norse mythology recently? I hope so👀 Anyways, here’s a Fenrir painting cuz I find him super interesting! This was mighty fun to map out and paint :D The colour picking was especially fun! I wanted to go for mostly dull, blue tones so Fenrir’s amber eyes would stand out more, plus the blood. Poor Tyr💀

[he-xie]

Sköll and Hati Drew them for tapestries. I’m so excited to get them.

[barefoot-a-pregnant]

What if...Sigyn cries...

Can you imagine? Every Time Sigyn goes to empty the Bowl, as soon as she is no longer heard or seen, she cries. She cries desperate, devestated. Overwhelmed from Grief and Anger and Exhaustion.

She just cries.

But as soon as she hear her Man scream, feeling the Earth shake, she wipes her tears away and run back inside. Putting on a Smile, a brave Face. Get out her gentle Voice, her soft Touch. Eases his pain - swallowing her own.

Sigyn is close to my heart. I feel her burden.

[torque-witch]

If a Hel Mary statue isn’t in the cards yet - I’ve got plenty of prints available instead!

Shop Death’s Head Divination

[grimmborg-in-the-bog]

Design from runestone Öl 27

[unbaed]

Warrior

[miltaart]

: ᚺᚱᛁᛗᚦᚢᚱᛊ : / HRIMÞURS / FROSTGIANT

Conceived as a sketch, then outlined with ink and finished via digital editing.

© MiltaSvartvis 2024

[tamburnbindery]

The 2025 Runic Zodiac calendar print is going to be available as a free download next week when we launch the Edda Kickstarter Project - just share our campaign on social media and DM me for the download link!

[salixsociety]

A devotional portrait of Oðinn I did a few weeks ago! Commissions are open!

[themizzenmask]

[ID: Coloured illustration of one of Loki’s daggers encircled by a sort of Urnes style snake coloured in green. End ID]

-

Random Loki related thing