Categories
Photography Woodworking

August Update 2019

Here are a few photos of my runic woodworking projects recently as well as a sunrise on the lift bridge in Duluth, MN and an encounter with a fawn in southern MN.

I am preparing for a busy September where I will have my work for sale at the Little Falls Arts in the Park, Hutchinson Art Show, and the Norsk Høstfest in Minot North Dakota!

Categories
Photography Woodworking

Woodworking and Art Show Update

I have been working on woodworking as well as photography, but haven’t posted much lately so I thought it was time for a few updates. Some of these items sold at the recent Midwest Viking Festival at the Hjemkomst museum in Moorhead, MN, but there are plenty more to come!

Categories
Woodworking

Fall Woodworking Update

Here are a few project updates for my new woodworking projects this year. I tried to make a few new ideas including a burning log lamp and wood sided bags. I hope you enjoy the update!

Categories
Woodworking

Red Oak Slab Table with Black Walnut Butterfly Inlay and Runic Verse from the Vǫluspá in the Old Norse Poetic Edda

This end table is made from a chainsaw cut naturally fallen oak tree from southern MN. The edges are chiseled free of bark and rot and dried for over a year. The crack which opened up during the drying process has been held together by three black walnut butterfly inlays for strength and decoration. The oak slab is mounted on raw steel legs which also brace the cracks in the wood. Around the edge is an Old Norse verse written in Elder Futhark runes from the Vǫluspá in the Poetic Edda.

The verse reads:

Vǫluspá 3                                                                                               

Ár var alda

þar er Ymir byggði,

vara sandr né sær

né svalar unnir,

jörð fannst æva

né upphiminn,

gap var Ginnunga,

en gras hvergi.

The Seeress´s Prophecy 3

Young were the years,

when Ymir made his settlement,

there was no sand nor sea,

nor cool waves,

earth was nowhere

nor the sky above,

chaos yawned,

grass was nowhere.

The English translations are from The Poetic Edda: A New Translation by Carolyne Larrington. Oxford University Press. 1996

ᚨᚱ ᚹᚨᚱ ᚨᛚᛞᚨ ᚦᚨᚱ ᛖᚱ ᛉᛗᛁᚱ ᛒᛉᚷᚷᚦᛁ ᚹᚨᚱᚨ ᛊᚨᚾᛞᚱ ᚾᛖ ᛊᛇᚱ ᚾᛖ ᛊᚹᚨᛚᚨᚱ ᚢᚾᚾᛁᚱ ᛃᛟᚱᚦ ᚠᚨᚾᚾᛊᛏ ᛇᚨ ᚾᛖ ᚢᛈᛈᚺᛁᛗᛁᚾᚾ ᚷᚨᛈ ᚨᚱ ᚷᛁᚾᚾᚢᚾᚷᚨ ᛖᚾ ᚷᚱᚨᛊ ᚺᛖᚱᚷᛁ

 

Categories
Woodworking

New Runic Cutting Boards

Black Walnut and Elm cutting/serving boards with Elder Futhark and Medieval Futhark Runic Inscriptions from Havamal in Old Norse.

Categories
Woodworking

Cutting and Serving Boards

My most recent project was to make a variety of cutting and serving boards out of black walnut, oak, and cedar. Some of these boards are charred with a blow torch in an attempt at the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban style of cedar wood charring which I also performed on oak and walnut. The charring makes the wood UV, weather, rot, and bug resistant and makes for a unique look and interesting creation process.

Two of these boards have runic inscriptions of Gnomic/Wisdom sayings from Hávamál in the Old Norse Poetic Edda. The chosen verses for these boards deal with friendship and hospitality which I thought was most fitting for something which can be used for entertaining.

The axe/cleaver styled board has a verse which translates:

34.  It’s a great detour to a bad friend’s house,

even though he lives on the route;

but to a good friend’s the way lies straight,

even though he lives far off. 

Afhvart mikit er til ills vinar

þótt á brautu búi

en til góðs vinar liggja gagnvegir

þótt hann sé firr farinn.

ᚨᚠᚺᚹᚨᚱᛏ ᛗᛁᚲᛁᛏ ᛖᚱ ᛏᛁᛚ ᛁᛚᛚᛊ ᛁᚾᚨᚱ ᚦᛟᛏᛏ ᚨ ᛒᚱᚨᚢᛏᚢ ᛒᚢᛁ ᛖᚾ ᛏᛁᛚ ᚷᛟᚦᛊ ᚹᛁᚾᚨᚱ ᛚᛁᚷᚷᛃᚨ ᚷᚨᚷᚾᛖᚷᛁᚱ ᚦᛟᛏᛏ ᚺᚨᚾᚾ ᛊᛖ ᚠᛁᚱᚱ ᚠᚨᚱᛁᚾᚾ

The more board shaped example has the inscription:

47.  I was young once, I traveled alone,

then I found myself going astray; 

rich I thought myself when I met someone else,

for man is the joy of man.

Ungr var ek fórðum fór ek einn saman

þá varð ek villr vega

auðigr þóttumsk er ek annan fann

maðr er manns gaman.

ᚢᚾᚷᚱ ᚨᚱ ᛖᚲ ᚠᛟᚱᚦᚢᛗ ᚠᛟᚱ ᛖᚲ ᛖᛁᚾᚾ ᛊᚨᛗᚨᚾ ᚦᚨ ᚹᚨᚱᚦ ᛖᚲ ᚹᛁᛚᛚᚱ ᚹᛖᚷᚨ ᚨᚢᚦᛁᚷᚱ ᚦᛟᛏᛏᚢᛗᛊᚲ ᛖᚱ ᛖᚲ ᚨᚾᚾᚨᚾ ᚠᚨᚾᚾ ᛗᚨᚦᚱ ᛖᚱ ᛗᚨᚾᚾᛊ ᚷᚨᛗᚨᚾ

The English translations are from The Poetic Edda: A New Translation by Carolyne Larrington. Oxford University Press. 1996