Six Questions VII: Odinson
In the seventh interview of Mimisbrunnr.info's Six Questions series, we interview Odinson, an American strength athlete and professional wrestler inspired by Germanic and Norse mythology. Odinson's character is a mixture of traditional, Marvel, and Mad Max: Fury Road Norse elements.
Six Questions VI: Kim Larsen
The subject of our sixth interview in Mimisbrunnr.info's Six Questions series is Danish artist Kim Larsen. Larsen is best known for his musical work, particularly as founder and sole constant member of musical project Of The Wand And The Moon (OTWATM).
Since OTWATM's first album in 1999, Nighttime Nightrhymes, a steady stream of singles, EPs, and albums has cemented the project as one of the most well known groups in a musical genre widely known as neofolk. Like some of his collaborators, Larsen has frequently employed symbolism and motifs from Germanic mythology in both his musical and visual output, perhaps most prominently in the 2005 album Sonnenheim.
Six Questions V: Vigdís Sveinsdóttir
In the fifth interview of Mimisbrunnr.info's Six Questions series, we interview Vigdís Sveinsdóttir, an Icelandic-Norwegian psychology PhD candidate and Viking Age reenactor living and studying in Bergen, Norway. Vigdís operates the site valkyrja.com, where she regularly posts her thoughts, photography, and research on Viking Age-related topics.
Six Questions IV: Kevin French
The fourth entry for Mimisbrunnr.info's Six Questions series is an interview with American academic and Heathen Kevin French. Outside of his academic work, French maintains a popular following via his Tumblr blog, where he regularly fields questions regarding topics such as North Germanic religion, runology, and Germanic linguistics.
French is additionally moderator for Fuck Yeah Norse Mythology, a Tumblr blog that functions as something of an aggregate for posts on Norse mythology within the Tumblr community, ranging from art to discussion threads. French's Tumblr activities provide a window into how Germanic Heathenry exists and operates on a popular internet platform in 2016.
Six Questions III: Frøydis
The subject of our third Mimisbrunnr.info's Six Questions entry is Frøydis. Frøydis has a background in fashion modeling—represented by model agency Pholk in Norway—and was notably a finalist in Norway’s Next Top Model in 2008 (before exiting the competition due to illness).
In addition to modeling, Frøydis is active in Viking Age reenactment, environmentalist, live action roleplaying (LARP), and cosplay circles. She maintains a blog documenting her activities, Lin og Lauk (Nynorsk ‘flax and onion’, referring to a magic formula appearing on a runic inscription from Fløksand, Norway and in the Old Norse Völsa þáttr).
Six Questions II: Arrowyn Craban Lauer
Mimisbrunnr.info's second Six Questions subject is artist Arrowyn Craban Lauer. Lauer produces art in a variety of media and is co-creator of Hex Magazine—an independent bi-annual publication active between 2007 to 2013, totaling 11 issues. Today Lauer lives in Portland, Oregon with her daughter and husband, and produces art under the name Little Gold Fox Designs.
Hex Magazine's stated mission was "mak[ing] old world knowledge and wisdom available for use in our everyday lives, and thus to bring continuity to the present and heart to future generations". In effect, a typical issue of Hex Magazine might various feature a guide to building a home garden inspired by the Old English Nine Herbs Charm (issue #6), an essay about the North Germanic goddess Freyja, or an interview with a neofolk musician working with themes from Heathenry. In effect, Hex Magazine was a clearing house for the intersection of subcultures around post-industrial music and forms of Neopaganism, particularly Germanic Heathenry.
Six Questions I: H. L. H. Swärd
The present post marks the first entry in a new series on Mimisbrunnr.info, Six Questions. Six Questions consists of brief interviews with artists, academics, and otherwise notable individuals that regularly work with topics from historic Germanic studies (as well as subjects such as modern Germanic Heathenry). With Six Questions, Mimisbrunnr.info hopes to provide data on a topic often obscure even to specialists in the area: How concepts of the ancient Germanic peoples are introduced, interpreted, and explored in the modern world.
While following a general formula, interview questions may vary by subject. To maintain accessibility for as wide an audience as possible, interviews are conducted in English, and, for convenience on the part of the subjects, interviews are conducted by way of a variety of media. E-mail interviews are unedited beyond typo correction and formatting.
The subject of our very first Six Questions session is Swedish artist H. L. H. Swärd, who works under the name Forndom. As Forndom, Swärd produces work in a variety of media, including photography and music. Swärd is himself a student with a focus on North Germanic religion.