For the NFL fans out there: did you happen to watch FOX Sports last weekend? (The best NFL broadcasting and commentary team in the business, IMO.) Did you see the awesome (Norse) T-shirt worn by a Minnesota Vikings defensive player during the Michael Strahan interview?

I couldn’t believe my eyes! THUNDER AND PLUNDER was emblazoned atop the design, with THOR D FORCE beneath. THOR D FORCE? Seriously — I had to rewind the DVR to make sure I hadn’t misread the more traditional expression “TOUR de FORCE”.

Clearly, this is a Vikings team that knows its roots. Even though they beat my Cowboys like adolescent thralls, I’ll be pulling for the Vikings against the Saints. Vikings defensive ends Jared Allen and Ray Edwards along with defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams are a force indeed, and I heartily endorse the name they’ve come up with for their unit: THUNDER AND PLUNDER. I’ve looked high and low for an image of the shirt and have struck out. But rest assured I’ll post it when I find it.

Until then here’s an image of the almost-as-cool Four Norsemen T-shirt depicting Bret “Old Man” Favre, Adrian “Butterfingers” Peterson, Percy “Headaches”  Harvin, and Jared “Mullet” Allen:

With monikers like those, you gotta wonder how the Vikings keep winning. Or do you? If you understand Norse lore, you already know: individuality and ferocity can combine to make a formidable team — fashion, finesse, and age be damned.

Thanks for stopping by. See ya next time!

We published the third issue of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly on New Year’s Eve. (Yes — HFQ editors DO have lives! We’d done all the work already and merely needed to push the virtual publish button. Sweet!) HFQ Issue 3 features a very cool Samurai tale, a decidedly original Arthurian story, and a gun-wielding dragon-slayer yarn.

You can check out these stories here:

http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Thor’s Day, everybody!

I haven’t posted on Thor’s Day since August, and while I normally reserve Thor’s Day posts for things strictly Norse today I’m making an exception. Why? Because yesterday the world lost another Robert Howard.

This is an important name. If you’ve followed this blog and/or my involvement with the ezine Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, then you doubtless know of my great respect for (and influence by) a writer named Robert E. Howard. You know, the guy who gave us Conan the Barbarian. (Among other things.)

Until yesterday, I thought this Robert Howard (REH) was the greatest of all Robert Howards who ever lived.

But then a US Soldier named Robert L. Howard died.

And if you’ve read any portion of my novel excerpt, you probably understand the tremendous respect I have for honorable warriors. Which is why Robert L. Howard trumps Robert E. Howard for the title of Top Bob at Storm of the North blog.

If you’re not familiar with the soldier and great American named Robert L. Howard, do yourself a favor and check out his page at Wikipedia. If you don’t feel like reading further, then just hit RLH’s Wiki and scroll down to see the images of his many, many medals and bars — word has it he’s the most decorated US soldier of the 20th century.  (Eight Purple Hearts. Eight?  Seriously — did this guy ever get tired of being wounded? Had he no fear at all — not even of military hospitals? Did I mention his winning of The Congressional Medal of Honor — America’s highest military award — alongside two other recommendations for the same award within barely more than a year. I’m guessing 99% of soldiers never receive a single recommendation in an entire career.)

Truly, truth is stranger than fiction; no mere writer could’ve dreamed up this man’s exploits and made them believable. Thus in the case of Robert L. Howard the warrior vs. Robert E. Howard the writer, actions speak way louder than words.

So Robert L. Howard you deserve the best of all toasts, offered here for a true warrior as written in the Havamal and translated by the incomparable H. R. Ellis Davidson:

Cattle die, kinsfolk die,
oneself dies the same.
I know one thing only which never dies –
the renown of the noble dead.

Hey! (For the uninitiated — drink!)

RIP, RLH.

For more information on Robert L. Howard, visit the RLH Tribute website.

Just a short post today, because there’s better reading to be had at the Scandinavian Aggression site.  Check out Rowdy Geirsson’s (true?) account of modern Vikings and some of the hilarious trouble they caused a few years back. I’d buy this book if it were available. Fight on, Rowdy!

I have a new favorite Viking. Her name? Freya Svensson. If you haven’t heard of this Swede and the problems with her Swedish steed-of-the-street (kenning translation: Volvo XC70) , check it out. Something tells me Freya’s tactics are going to pay off.

Here follow some vids where you can witness Freya’s assault on Volvo North America and Rusnak Volvo — the dealership that’s (allegedly) screwing her around:

Do NOT miss this next one — Freya lamenting Volvo in Swedish song. Awesome:

Here’s where it gets really good: Freya has issued a call for service records for any Volvo owner who cares to send them to her. She’s going to compile common Volvo ownership problems and go public with them. You can follow and cheer her on at her Rusmacked Volvo blog, here:

http://rusmackedvolvo.com/

Go Freya!

Welcome to another Tuesday Althing. Today’s Scandinavian randomness comes recommended by Jill Johnson, US Project Manager for a band called Krauka.

Krauka

I hadn’t heard of Krauka, but I LIKE ‘EM. Here’s what they’re about — from the Krauka website:

Krauka was formed in 1999 around the idea of combining storytelling and music from the Viking Age. The band takes you on a journey back in time to an era when life was all about battles, pillaging and drinking. Krauka’s music is played on instruments reconstructed after archaeological findings, but modern elements interwine, creating an intense and often wild atmosphere inspired by the sagas and the Nordic forces of nature.

Intrigued? Me too. Here’s a video of the title track from their most recent album, Odinn:

Did you notice the chrome sculpture in the background? By Thor! It’s the thunderer himself — Mjollnir raised for smiting — being pulled in his chariot by his tireless goats.

To learn more about Krauka or to listen to some free songs, you can hit their website here. To get straight to the music, go here. Do yourself a favor and listen to the song Gimli — a crazy good tune where Viking folk music collides with Talking Heads. (I don’t speak Danish or Icelandic, but I’m guessing this song is less about the dwarf of Tolkien fame and more about the the gold-roofed hall in Asgard where good men were said to go upon their death.) Awesome.

Hope you enjoyed the music. Thanks again to Jill Johnson for giving me the head’s up on Krauka.

Thanks for stopping by!

At today’s Althing I’m taking a break from things Nordic in order to talk about other random goodness. But, like the legend of Asmund Frægdegjaevar that I’ve been pimping the last couple of months, today’s subject does include a warrior.

Sort of.

Maybe he’s more of lovable loser. He’s definitely a hero. His name? Skip. Skip Lipman. And he’s the real-life star of a docudrama called Darkon.

Don’t get me wrong, Skip isn’t heroic in the soldier/cop/firefighter sense — but I think you’ll agree that in the arena of the human condition, he’s got all the right stuff: he’s true to himself, he’s true to his family and friends, and he’s got the balls to scorn societal convention with every turn of his foam-padded sword.

See, Skip is what’s known as a live-action role-playing gamer. Yep. Along with hundreds of other folks in Maryland, Skip dresses up as a warrior — specifically a Roman centurion, I believe — in order to wage feudal war against other groups/countries in the Darkon Wargaming Club.

If you’re unfamiliar with such organizations, consider the sorts of exhibitors you might see at a Renaissance festival. If you’ve ever wondered how deeply those personas carryover into people’s personal lives, I think Darkon might give you some insight. Here’s a movie trailer — the first guy you see is our man Skip Lipman:

I can’t recommend this film highly enough. I DARE you not to pull for Skip — both on the battlefield, and off! Rent or buy Darkon the movie without delay.

Special thanks to Philip Martin for recommending Darkon for a slot at the Tuesday Althing. Also thanks to Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer for directing this bit of genius!

And to you, good reader, thanks for stopping by.

 

Today we reach the end of the Asmund Frægdegjaevar legend via the 13th and last song off the album by the Norwegian band Lumsk. This is supposed to be a happy song, but to me it sounds kind of sad. But keep listening beyond the organ/singing and you’ll soon feel downright jiggy — Lumsk gives us a cool bonus with a fiddles-only version of the most excellent I lytinne tva.

So, back to today’s tune: Der e ingi dag’e, which the album liner notes explain:

Asmund returns
The King and queen are looking out on the fjord as Asmund returns with their precious daughter Ermelin.

Listen:

So that’s it. Thanks for listening these past weeks. Did you buy this album yet?

I hope you’ll stop by next week, when I’ll start earning my keep around here again!

Only two songs left to play from the awesome album Asmund Frægdegjaevar by the Norwegian band Lumsk. Here’s track 12 — a tune called Kampen mot bergetrolli — and here’s what it’s about, from the liner notes:

The battle against the mountain trolls
Asmund slays all of the trolls and sets off from Trollebotten with all the gold and silver he can find. The magical horse takes [him and Ermelin] across the sea as if the water was made of solid earth.

Witness:

Thanks for stopping by! See ya Tuesday for the last song on this album, and of course for the conclusion to this highly truncated telling of the Asmund Frægdegjaevar legend.

Here’s track 11 from the album Asmund Frægdegjaevar by the Norwegian band Lumsk. It’s a long but good song. Here’s what it’s about, from the liner notes:

The magical horse
[Asmund] wonders how much gold the horse would want for helping him across the fjord. The horse replies that he must sacrifice his right hand (lay down his sword). Asmund confers with his God and agrees upon this term if both Ermelin and himself are taken safely across. He tells Ermelin to gather gold in a box, while he swings his sword one last time.

Behold:

Thanks for stopping by! See ya Tuesday.