The Wild Hunt (https://wildhunt.org/tag/icelandic)
“Sundrung oozes a sort of dark mysticism which can only stem from a deep understanding of Old Nordic lore,” writes Lyonel Perabo of the new album by Icelandic heavy metal band Nexion.
Karl E.H. Seigfried examines the role of duplicitous counselors in Norse mythology, looking at sources from Volsunga saga to Sörla þáttr to puzzle out what lessons these figures can tell us about our situation today.
Fáfnir is not born a dragon. He is a man who kills his own father to steal his wealth, then turns into a dragon to embrace the gold he hoards without ever using. He symbolically represents the negation of values belonging to the culture that produced him.
Like a “Sunday Catholic” who is extremely devout on Sunday mornings but lives a decidedly un-Christian life for the rest of the week, we can all too easily make grand speeches over the drinking horn at blót but neglect to put intention into action when we step out into the wider world. Are we honoring the ancestors in our lives? Or are we dishonoring them?
Týr guides us, keeps faith with us, stays the course us, and never fails us. In the sometimes-wild world of the Norse deities, that stability and faithfulness can bring great comfort to those who seek it.