Author: Nobody's Home

Fast Facts About Alfheim

On By Nobody's HomeIn Norse Mythology2 Comments

LotR_BfMe_II_Elf_siege_concept_art_1Some of the lands of Norse mythology are a bit harder to talk about than others simply because we are not told much about them. Today’s entry is one of those tough ones – Alfheim

What’s in a Name?
Alfheim means, simply, “Elf home.” In later English and Scots ballads it sometimes showed up as Elphame or Elfhame.

Who Owned It?
The Eddic poem Grinismal has one of the few mentions of the land of the Elves but all it tells us is “And Alfheim the gods | to Freyr once gave.” Freyr, or Frey, was given the land when he first arrived in Asgard as an infant and lived there afterwards.

Let There Be Light
Gylfaginning, doesn’t tell us much either. In talking about the many glorious place in heaven the poem simply says “That which is called Álfheimr is one, where dwell the peoples called Light-Elves.”

One of the Nine
Most scholars list Alfheim as one of the nine worlds of Norse cosmology. It is generally thought to be in the heavens like Asgard and Vanaheim.

Is That All You Got?
um… yes, unfortunately. I did find some references to the Kjalnesinga saga which relates the adventures of a human boy who journeyed to Alfheim and fell in love with a girl there but I haven’t be able to find the text in anything other than the original Icelandic. (I’d love to hear from anyone who knows of a good English translation of this saga.)

Acroyear, Warrior King of Spartak

On By Nobody's HomeIn Artwork, KawaiiLeave a comment

AcroyearKawaiiI’ve talked about drawing more characters with hair to push my skills but this is one character I couldn’t resist. There are a number of reasons why the character appeals to me. Part of it is nostalgia since I have fond memories of the first two years of the old Marvel Comics edition. Yeah, it was about a set of toys, but Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden created a really epic adventure from the thinnest of premises. I owned maybe two or three of the toys. They weren’t the main attraction for me. I just liked reading a nicely drawn epic adventure

I also dig the armor. Yes, it is kind of silly. Just think of the neck muscles you would need to hold that thing up all day long, not to mention how easy it would be for your opponents to grab it and pull you off balance. But I don’t care. I’m willing to suspend disbelief up to a certain point and Acroyear’s design edged up to that point without going over it for me.

That’s it for this Saturday. See you next time!

 

The backstory was pretty cool too. Basically, the prince of an entire, sentient world is betrayed by his own brother and cast into prison of a prince of an entire world of reading the old Micronauts comics from the very first issue up through the end of the  f to get my muse fired up. But the second reason why I figured it was time to draw her was the hair. I have tended to avoid drawing characters with hair but Delirium has hair that is wild enough and strange enough that I figured it was a good choice to ease myself in to the world of kawaii styling. See you next time!

Posted by Mark Neumayer

Fast Facts About the Jotun

On By Nobody's HomeIn Norse Mythology, Uncategorized3 Comments

Giants are often thought of as monsters. We have them serving the role of villain in folk tales and myths from around the world. The Norse myths are no exception with Thor, the defender of man, defeating numerous giants throughout his adventures. But if you think of the Jotun as nothing more than cardboard cutout bad guys then you’re making a big mistake.

The First Creatures
The first creature who was not a god was a giant. Ymir’s body arose out of the region where the cold of Niflheim met the fire of Muspelheim, although we are also told that Elivigar, the rivers that existed in Ginungagap, cast forth drops of venom and these formed the body of Ymir. Either way “all giants (come) from Ymir.”

It Does a Giant’s Body Good
If he was born before the world was formed, what exactly did Ymir survive on? Luckily for him, after the drops of vapor condensed to form his body they also produced a cow named Audhumla. Ymir survived on the milk that came from the cow.

They Were Useful
The sons of Bor (Vee, Vili and Odin) killed Ymir. We aren’t told the specific reason for them doing this although earlier in the saga it is mentioned that Frost-giants are inherently wicked. The three brothers then used Ymir’s blood to create the seas and all the waters, his flesh became the land, his bones became the mountains and his skull was used to form the sky.
A giant built the walls of Asgard. Granted, he was in disguise at the time, and he had the help of a magical horse that could pull tremendous loads of stone, and Thor killed him when his deception was uncovered, but he built the walls.

They Were Worthy Foes
During Balder’s funeral the gods can not move the laden funeral-ship because it is too heavy. The gods had to summon a giantess to move it for them so we know the giants could be stronger than the gods.
When Odin wanted to test the extent of his knowledge he traveled to see the giant Vafþrúðnir and entered into a battle of wits. Odin won, but only with the final question whereby he asked something that only he could know the answer to.
Giants were also behind the defeat of of Thor and Loki in the hall of Utgard-Loki. Loki lost an easting contest when his opponent ate not just the food but the plates and table the meal was set on. Thor lost both a drinking contest and a wrestling match. They were tricked and only discovered this when Utgard-Loki volunteered the information after they had left his hall.

 They Could Be Beautiful
Yes, the giantess Angrboda gave birth to the Midgard Serpent, the Fenrir Wolf, and Hela, so Jotun had the capacity to be monstrous with a capital “M.” But we also have several instances of gods falling in love with giants. The most notable one is probably Frey who fell head over heels in love with the giantess Gerd and eventually married her. In addition to Loki (who fathered those three children with Angrboda) Thor and Odin also had their dalliances on the giant side of the street.

So the story of the Jotun, like many parts of Norse myth, is a lot more nuanced and varied than popular culture would lead you to believe. It’s definitely worth your time to do some further digging on your own.

Nine Worlds Travel – Muspellsheim

On By Nobody's HomeIn ArtworkLeave a comment

Muspell_postcardHey folks, this week’s retro travel poster/Norse myth mashup* brings us to Muspellsheim. Although I don’t think you would have much of a tourist industry in a land that is “too luminous and glowing for foreigners to enter there.” That’s what the Eddas say about the place. Basically if you weren’t born there or part fire-demon, you can’t stand the heat – even if it is a dry heat.

*That’s something you won’t find just anyplace on the web.

Fast Facts About Nifllheim

On By Nobody's HomeIn Norse Mythology, Uncategorized2 Comments

misty-mountains-coldLast week I wrote about Muspellheim, the land of fire. This week we’ll be heading in the opposite direction, to Niflheim, the land of ice and mist. I started with these two since the Eddas tell us that they were the first two lands formed “many ages before the earth was made.” Let’s see what we can learn about the icy land of Niflheim.

What’s In A Name?
We have two parts to the name. Nifl has been translated as “dark” and “misty.” Heim means “home” or “land” depending on the source you’re checking. So Niflheim is the dark-land or the mist-home. If you do an internet search “Abode of Mists” seems to be the more popular interpretation. However, the index of my copy of the Eddas says it means “Nebulous-Home.” The takeaway from all of this is that Niflheim is a cold, dark, misty place – the opposite of Muspellheim’s bright, hot. dryness.

It Takes Two
Niflheim was one half of the equation that created the first being. When it’s icy cold encountered the raging heat of  Muspell, the two combined and created Ymir, the father of the race of Frost Giants.  Odin and his brother Ve and Villi would later kill Ymir and use the parts of his body to create the world.

A Helish Place
You can find various arguments stating either that Helheim, or simply Hel, is located inside of Niflheim or right next to it. Hel is listed as one of the Nine Worlds so I am more inclined to believe the latter. There are some instances that say just the gates to Hel are located inside of Niflheim so it is more likely to me that they are separate worlds and you must travel through Niflheim to get to Hel.

It Has Roots
One of them at least, for we are told that one of the three roots of the World Tree Yggdrasil stands over Niflheim. The root is constantly gnawed on by Nidhoggr, the great serpent or dragon who lives there.
Underneath this root we also find the spring called Hvergelmir (roaring cauldron) which, being a hot spring, must be the only source of warmth in this dismal land. Hvergelmir is also the source of twelve different rivers, one of which is Gjoll, the river nearest the gate to Hel.

Come back next week as we visit another of the Nine Worlds of Norse mythology.

Delirium of the Endless

On By Nobody's HomeIn Artwork, KawaiiLeave a comment

Delirium of the EndlessWe have already had an appearance from her sister Death, now it is time for Delirium of the Endless to take the stage. I picked her for a couple of reasons. First, I saw a couple of neat versions of the character on Comics Alliance’s Best Art Ever (This Week.). They usually have tons of stuff to get my muse fired up. But the second reason why I figured it was time to draw her was the hair. I have tended to avoid drawing characters with hair but Delirium has hair that is wild enough and strange enough that I figured it was a good choice to ease myself in to the world of kawaii styling. See you next time!

Posted by Mark Neumayer