RAVEN'S CALL
Artwork samples
Below a snapshot of my work as a norse pagan woodcarver.
All items are hand-crafted and have a deep meaning based on the original sources of our ancestors. Some will refer to it as 'viking art', although I somewhat detest that name :-)
Odin garden statue
Odin as a garden statue, with the Ansuz rune in his beard, signifying 'divine inspiration' in elder futhark runes.
Heimdall
Heimdall, watcher of the gods, standing on the rainbow bridge Bifrost on the lookout for danger. According to the ancient sources, the rainbow had 3 main colors: Red - Green - Blue. The runes stand for "Vindler" in Old Norse, meaning "He who protects against the winds'. This was one of this alternative names in the ancient sources. Heimdall is the 'whitest of all gods' with piercing blue eyes. The rune on his face is the protection rune 'Algiz', standing for 'protection' in elder futhark.
Eir, goddess of healing and medicine
Eir is not frequently mentioned in the sources, rather scarce actually. She is associated with healing and medicine
Variations of Odin/Wodan
From left to right:
1. Valfodr - 'Director of the slain", the first reference to Odin in Voluspa. This name is written in Old Norse / younger futhark runes below his beard
2. Havi - 'High One', on the sides of this statue are the other names from the same source in Old Norse / younger futhark: 'Even High' and 'High'
3. Wodan - the Battle Frenzy, with runes in Proto-Germanic / elder futhark: 'Wuotani ruoperath' : 'Wodan, prepare for battle'.
Tyr god post
Tyr, with the Tiwaz rune (red upwards pointing arrow) was god of war and justice. He was once the chieftain of the norse pantheon, before Odin took his place. 'Tyr' means 'god' in old norse.
Freyja god post
Freyja, goddess of fertility, lust and love, with her falcon cloak. She is the twin-sister of Freyr and her name means 'Lady'.
Mjolnir, hammer of Thor
Hand-carved wooden Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor, son of Odin, protector of humankind.
Hel, goddess of death
Hand-carved wooden statue of Hel... those who are not fallen in battle go to Helheim, the realm of Hel. She is half woman, half corpse, carying a skull with the Hagalaz rune.
Odin-themed knife handle
Hand-carved knife handle dedicated to Odin, with runes in younger futhark / old norse (bottom) and the elder futhark 'Ansuz' rune at the top. Ansuz stands for 'divine inspiration' in elder futhark.
Odin-themed seax
Hand-carved seax handle dedicated to Odin, with younger futhark runes and texts in Old Norse...
Odin pendant
Hand-carved pendant dedicated to Odin, who hung himself in a tree. Carved from hazel wood.
Odin statue
Hand-carved statue of Odin, with the pale blue as the symbol of death, just like the color of a corpse. The bindrune spells 'Odin' in Old Norse / younger futhark.
Freyr statue
Hand-carved seax handle dedicated to Freyr ('lord' in Old Norse), with the Ingwaz rune (elder futhark rune). Frey is god of fertility and masculinity and the brother of Freyja.