The Norn's-Controllers of the Fates of Gods and Men

                                 

The nightmares of your dreams come to life-or-death, when the Norn's come to visit. Urd ("what has happened"), Verdandi ("what is happening") and Skuld ("what should happen") are three Norns's who create and control the fates of Men and Gods alike. To those who believed in the Nordic Gods, the three Norns were all powerful and unassailable.

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 Be it by casting of wooden lots, the carving and throwing of Runes or the weaving of the cloth of life, the Norn's determined the fate of every human and the gods they worshiped.

Once their fates were decided, no power could change the outcome.

All one could do was decide how they would live their life and face their eventual fate.

Malice was never an issue with the Norn's, theirs was a duty to perform and they were very good at it.

With one fate decide, it is time to cast the lot for the next...a never-ending task for the Norn's.

Loki, the Trickster, is Known by All

                                              

Loki, the Trickster God/Giant of Norse fame. He was "Blood Brother" to Woden (not his son). He was actually the son of the Jotunn Farbauti and the Goddess Laufey.

A devious creature of divided loyalties, Loki could with one hand present the gods of Aesir with fantastic gifts such as Woden's steed Sleipnir. While using the other hand to stab a god in the back. Such as his involvement in the death of the most popular Aesir god-Baldr.

Loki was also a shapeshifter and was forever getting in either others or himself into serious difficulties. The strangest was possibly when he changed himself into an alluring mare to lure away the stallion Svadifari from his giant master. Their union resulted in Loki giving birth to the eight legged and magical Sleipnir who became Woden's steed.   

Though his "marriage" (he had at least three wives) to the Jotunn Angrboda, he fathered three of the deadliest and most horrific monsters in the Norse World. These were the World Serpent Jormungard, who grew so large that his body encircled the World. Fenrir, the terrible Wolf willing to swallow the World during Ragnarok. And Hel, a woman with one side of her body stunningly beautiful while the other side was decayed rotting flesh. It surprised no one that Hel became the ruler of Helheim-the land of the dead.

Small by Jotunn standards, Loki often seemed to overcompensate for this by being at the center of many of the most outlandish adventures/actions in the Nine realms. Some with Thor as a companion, such as when he gave Thor the mighty hammer Mjolnir. But most of his actions vexed the Aesir, such as when he kidnapped the Goddess Idunn. One never truly knew what Loki really had in mind or what side he was on, except his own.

Woden's Eyes

                                           

The ravens, Huginn ("Thought") and Munin ("Memory") are the eyes of Woden and keep him appraised of the activities of the Nine Realms especially Midgard.

Midgard, the human world, with all its wars, monsters, giants, trolls, mysteries, wonders and brave warriors; was always under Woden's watchful eye and the eyes of his ravens.

Each day at dawn, Huginn and Munin, would travel though the Nine Realms and return by breakfast time to report to Woden what they had observed. 

With an insatiable thirst for knowledge, Woden relied upon his ravens to bring him a constant stream of information and news of the happenings, especially battles, that occurred in the Nine Realms.

As was the nature of ravens, Huginn and Munin would feast on the bodies of dead warrior after a battle. So prevalent was Huginn at such feasting that warriors were commonly referred to as "those who make Huginn's claws and break red," and blood was often called "the drink of Huginn."

I Am Woden-the God of Wednesday

               

Mounted on his powerful and mystical warhorse Sleipnir and armed with his matchless rune encrusted spear Gungnir, is the leader of the Aesir-Woden the All Father. Woden was known for his many skills including master of magic, seeker of knowledge, Rune Lord and the God of Victory, Poets, Fury and Madness.  

Be he Odin, Wotan or Wuidan; Woden, was a god of over 100 names. Most were descriptive such as Yggr-the Terrible One, Sigtyr-God of Victory, Runatyr-God of Runes, Hoarr-One Eyed or Aldafaor-Father of Mankind. But to the peoples of the British Ilses he was most often called Woden and they gave his name to the middle day of the week Wednesday.

His steed was Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse that could run on land air and water and cross the divides into all of the Nine Realms was a gift from his Blood Brother Loki. By the way, Sleipnir was also one of Loki's offspring. To be exact, Loki was Sleipnir's mother (see World Historyprof: All Know Loki! for this strange story).

His thirst for knowledge was insatiable to such an extent that he ripped out one of his own eyes to gain knowledge and see the forbidden future. A future that showed his own doom, on the fangs of Fenir, the destruction of his people (including the deaths of 14 of his 15 sons) and the ruin of the world in the final battle between Gods, Monsters, Men and the Jotunn- Ragnarök! For this final battle he strove to create an army of the greatest warriors and sent the Valkyrie to every battlefield to bring back the bravest, most worth warriors to his great hall in Valhalla in Woden's realm of Asgard, where they would feast and prepare for Ragnarok. A battle they could not win, but a battle that must be fought to the bitter end.

Greek and Norse Goddesses Power to Rival any Male God

  Throughout history, humans have looked to their Goddesses for guidance, protection, knowledge and beauty.  Here is a small sampling of some of the most powerful of the Norse and Greek Goddesses. For a more complete description of each goddess and her powers check the link below each one's name.

Athena Knowledge

World Historyprof: Athena-Minerva

Queen Frigg

World Historyprof: Yes, Friday is Named for ME

Artemis the Hunt

World Historyprof: Goddess of the Hunt

Skadi the Hunt

World Historyprof: Skadi, Hunting her Passion, Revenge Her Goal

Aphrodite Love

World Historyprof: Aphrodite Goddess of Love

Frejya Passion

World Historyprof: Frejya Mistress of Love, Fertility, Wealth, Seidr and WAR

Hekate Magic

World Historyprof: Need Magic, Call Hekate

Idunn Youth

World Historyprof: My Golden Apples Restore Youth

Queen Hera the Family

World Historyprof: Hera Queen of Revenge

Angrboda "Mother of Ragnarök Monsters"

World Historyprof: Mother of Monsters of Ragnarok

Echidna "Mother of Greek Monsters"

World Historyprof: Echidna Greek Mother of Monsters

Gaia Mother Earth
World Historyprof: Never Mess with an Irate Gaia

Hel Ruler of the Dead

World Historyprof: Welcome to Hel, Helheim that is!

              All are plastic pieces from Monolith that I have painted over the years.

Greatest Recruiting Posters of the Great War

The need for millions of soldiers for "The Great War" (later renamed World War One) lead to the creation of one of the most iconic recruiting posters in American history the "Uncle Sam, I Want You" poster by famed illustrator Jame Montgomery Flagg.

 Most Americans instantly recognize this famous poster that has become an icon of two World Wars that first appeared on the cover of Leslie's Weekly magazine on 16 July 1916 as a preparedness poster (the words being "What are you doing to prepare"). The recruiting poster was first issued in 1917 with more the 4 million posters produced. 

What few Americans realize is that this poster concept was copied from the British one shown here, where Field Marshal Lord Kitchener wants you to join the British Army. Herber 1st Earl of Kitchner, was a 19th and early 20th century Imperial war hero. He was also the War Secretary of Great Britain from the start of the Great War until he died as a passenger on the HMS Hampshire when she was sunk on 5 June 1916. His instantly recognizable face directly pointing to the viewer was a powerful recruiting tool that helped induce hundreds of thousands, possibly a million+, volunteers to join as "Kitchners Soldiers." While the Kitchner poster continued to be used until the end of the Great War, the American version would continue to appear in public for decades to come.

"The lamps are going out all over Europe"

 Although war had already been declared between Russia, Germany, Serbia and Austria-Hungary in late July-early August 1914, it was still seen as a limited war. Upon learning of the German declaration of war upon France one of the most prophetic statements of that time was made: "The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime," Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, August 3, 1914. Later the next day the British Empire would join the folly that became "the Great War," that would last four years, redraw the map of Europe, destroy four empires (Austo-Hungarian, German, Ottoman & Russian), kill more than ten million soldiers, wound more than 23 million others, kill 11-15 million civilians and lay the groundwork for the greatest war in human history a generation later. The lights of the old Victorian/Edwardian World would never be lit again.

British "Tommies" pass through a ruined farm in the early days of "the Great War."

(These are metal miniatures from Renegade that I painted in 2010 the ruined house is a terrain piece I completed around the same period.)