Norse Snowboards - Thor

Instead of writing a new text about this work, let me cite from the product description on norseboards.com that has a lot of my own quote:

About the art:
Selecting an artist to create the first snowboard graphic for a Norse Snowboard was quite a challenge. Ancient Norse and Germanic art has nearly been forgotten in the span of the last couple thousand years. We were able to find an artist that specializes specifically in the ancient traditional art of Northern Europe. Our goal at Norse is to revitalize an ancient spirit in ourselves, and one of the most beautiful parts of that spirit is the cultural significance of the art.

 Our artist works with us internationally from Sweden, Freki Wodenswolf Jungnickel. brunnsberga.com Having an expert in Norse art centered in the heart of the Scandinavian homeland is something we are very proud of. Freki puts his heart into every piece that he works on, having deep connection to his art “almost all of my works are single items, customized and personal. I like the individual touch of that approach but at times it feels like there has to be something more.” –Freki

 What is the deeper significance of the art in our snowboard? From the artist:

 “Tradition; It's about the spiritual and cultural tradition of ancient Europe and its artistic correspondence. But it's not like a romantic look into the rear-view mirror, it's the strong belief that we can only benefit from the revival of our past values, to gain strength, pride and a sense of identity that seems lost in our days.”

 “That's what I liked about Norse Snowboarding right from the start - the approach of bringing Norse/Germanic tradition into a scene that is otherwise dominated by very modern styles. Thor's Hammer is the perfect theme for the first Norse Snowboard, a symbol for the vital power of the Germanic spirit.”

 “The design of the Thor Board combines authentic Norse style with a modern design. That's why there are two hammers, one pointing backward into the past, one forward into the future. Like the hammer cracks the sky, this board strikes the top of a snowcapped mountain and the old gods return from oblivion - take a ride with them, take a ride with the Thor Board!” -Freki Wodenswolf Jungnickel

www.brunnsberga.com

Vargdricka - Logo and Label for Scandinavian Farmhouse Ale

Vargdricka - Label

This work was inspired by Lorenz Frølich's "Odin and Fenrir"

This project was a special fun - designing a label and a logo for a scandinavian farmhouse ale.
Let's have a look at the company's own the description of this drink:
"a recreation of the daily drink of the vikings brewed with smoked malt, wheat, rye, and honey upon berry laden juniper branches and bittered with bog myrtle"

Check them out at: http://brauereibecker.us

Recent Custom Works: Guitar Strap Ragnarökkr

 Recently finished custom work - as always a blend of different styles of the middle - later period viking age showing the battle between the forces of chaos and order...

 Details:

Recent Custom Works: Pair of Bracers for the Vocalist of the mighty Amon Amarth

It is seldom that I am absolutely satisfied with one of my works. Strange but true last week was an exception and all pieces I finished recently turned out into what I would call my personal masterpieces.
This epic bracer is part of a pair and was a custom work for the vocalist of the famous Viking Death Metal band Amon Amarth.
The terms of reference were easy - the bracers should be like my good old and bestselling Hammer bracers but with buckles instead of a lacing.

One of the bracers should display Odin or something related to him and the other a Thor's hammer. So I designed a pattern showing Odin's face crowned by his Ravens and some surrounding knotwork. I took inspiration from some wooden statues as well as the famous Aarhus Mask.
While the Odin Bracer is a quite intricate one, I wanted to make the hammer a bit more simple. I wanted to create a new Mjölnir but as close to the originals as possible, a pattern that you easily could imagine as a pendant.

The Odin bracer:

And the Thor's Hammer Bracer:

Recent Custom Works: Decorations for pagan Yule songbook

Recently I was asked of a danish pagan magazin to do some decoration for their release of a booklet with some Yule-songs.
Since I like the idea of collecting pagan songs for a traditional celebration of one of the most important annual feasts, I agreed to do this. Here is the result:

This is the cover of the booklet.This is side frame which returns on each side in addition to the songtexts.
More infos about this little Yule song collection you can get here:
http://www.urds-kilde.dk/

Recent Custom Works: Lugh's Knot Wedding Horns

This job was close to driving me crazy. It was not the first time I carved horns but the first time the horns were for the customers' wedding - so I was constantly aware of the high relevance this work would have for the couple and their pagan marriage ceremony... Furthermore I had to do a pair - a pair that should be almost identical, apart from the fact that they are mirrored.
And doing two identical horns means a total different strategy - so it took me almost two days of work to trace the design onto the horns.
Usually, or at least very often, I design the patterns freehand on the horn - something that was completely out of question this time...
So before I even could think about tracing any patterns, I needed to have the patterns first. Fortunately the classic celtic knotwork bands and the central Lugh's knot pattern were given so I "just" needed some knotwork band for the intermediate parts. And, call it a creative logjam or whatever, it took me ages to come up with this one:
This was a real bastard to carve, but in the end it turned out well and the couple was really satisfied and happy with the result. And this is what makes me happy, too!