Providing Collaborative and Individual Showcasing Opportunities for emerging creatives from all disciplines and for anyone that wants to create. Specialising in collaboration, Supporting Well-being.
9 months, 19 poets and writers, 22 Artists, 3 composers, 1 Viking boat: a magical reworking of Norse Mythology for contemporary audiences
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Alfheim
(the realm of the Elves)
Featuring:
Karin Heyer and Mina Polen
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Hope
by Karin Heyer
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Long ago the same moon and the same sun lay before us, just like now and and the three-strand rainbow bridge that spanned then from Asgard to Midgard was meant for men to fight and walk across into a future life!
What life? A life where the elves of light should shine over the dark, where men become real, visible men with sharp wits and a feeling heart, responsible for their actions: accept the cross, live for love and peace to all men.
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Shining
by Mina Polen
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Shining it might be just a dream a little voice small and fair a blinding sun inside of you
moving it might be just a parasite ………………………an idea a voice that it isn’t there
becoming something at every step something that you might deny something that you might follow
growing it might be just a cloud ………………………………expanding something like a blinding mist
shining it might be just a maggot a little bit of light ……….moving something that you might ignore.
9 months, 19 poets and writers, 22 Artists, 3 composers, 1 Viking boat: a magical reworking of Norse Mythology for contemporary audiences
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Alfheim
(the realm of the Elves)
Featuring:
Nat Hall, Lenka Monk and Jim C Mackintosh
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Guardian Angel from the Ninth Realm
by Nat Hall
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You,
luminous loving being,
so much more than a thousand suns in
darkest corner of my head,
you are sensitive to
my tears,
so far away from fern, foliage,
evergreen feel of
thick forest,
Light Bokeh style –
the untouched side of Freyr’s world…
To
avoid eyes,
hiss and whisper from
haunting mare,
my mantelpiece littered with stones
I once collected from a now
dormant volcano where
hardened rock dances with salt,
leaping fury from young ocean,
I light candles night after night,
chisel your smile out of cold wax, and
seek wisdom out of
a match.
You,
luminous loving being,
you rescued me from the cliff edge.
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And lead me to temptation
by Lenka Monk
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Inspired by story of Freyr and Gerðr
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Through the eyeglass, inner mist Tempted fate, now I can’t resist Lips that haunt, curves that taunt A tortured sigh.
In a drunken fog, endless hunger Bittersweet taste, spell I’m under asunder bursting mind, lifetimes find A Divine comedy.
Wrong feels right, heartbeat elevates one lustful look, reason obliterates Resonates with force, no remorse A string less puppet.
The heart, the insurgent of reason that beautiful face, led it to treason seasoned sixth sense, forget consequence A complete surrender.
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under the heavens dome
by Jim C. Mackintosh
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under the heavens dome the halls tower in this place where maddened spirits bind the claws of ravens haunting blind trees and bright rooms enclosing his hypnotic power unseen to those for whom life past
beneath the high throne of Freyr circled by meadow throngs floating on pillows of gold the words of the wish-giver in bundles tied with sinews of outlaws crucified on the way speared in the crossfire of elf shot
felled in the grapple of light where dark elves stripped them of belief a thin path winds through briar rose where a thousand eyes, black spots in the gloom sense the fear dripping from the pilgrims folly seeking to kiss the feet of Freyr
yet destined to leave empty handed happy to escape the elven grasp to answer their quest elsewhere and rid themselves of this brothel built in the tangle of angels hair nourished by the rot of souls quietly disappeared, lost forever
in remote corners of all realms where the light elves prey upon battle weary warriors, robbing them of their exhausted glory to light the bloodied moss halls of Alfheim their fine mesh weave of gold to line the dark walls of winter nights
under the canopy where Freyr sleeps and confused sayers fall at his gaze fighting over the scraps he scatters in return for the lure of his mystery / so why are you still here? so why do you believe this sermon will lead you to anything but your betrayal?
through the valleys of temptation they will swoop down and lift your eyes to where the single, deadly snake coils hissing promises of everlasting glory a ticket to cross the rainbow, only to die under the wheels of martyrdom to be denied by your band of brothers
where the Gods assemble to divide the spoils of your blood and tears gathered by the scrum of vultures / let your death join me in the salvation of our tomorrows, free from the shores of false dawns where your heart will awaken
in sanctuary from blunted threats where the earth and the sea and the stone and the roots and the rain are true and the stag will roar again and the kiss of blood, the unity of your ken folk will ease your righteous birth once more
9 months, 19 poets and writers, 22 Artists, 3 composers, 1 Viking boat: a magical reworking of Norse Mythology for contemporary audiences
.
Alfheim
(the realm of the Elves)
Featuring:
Tom Murphy and Eleanor Perry
Alfheim
by Tom Murphy
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inside the fence I know you as I walk towards me seeing everything through your eye I see it on my face as you step into the firelight we smile the same smile as you look at me and see the toll you’ve still to pay you see the sons we will sire the daughter we lost the eye you have yet to lose
in my pocket I have the apple I will offer you before you offer yourself the ninth knot
9 months, 19 poets and writers, 22 Artists, 3 composers, 1 Viking boat: a magical reworking of Norse Mythology for contemporary audiences
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Alfheim
(the realm of the Elves)
Featuring:
Shirley Golden and Joanna Lee
Fairer than the Sun
by Shirley Golden
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I feel the pull of it. I slip in through the crack between mortar and sill.
The child sleeps across the room, mouth partially open, revealing the missing lower, front incisor. His bedroom is dimly lit by a nightlight, not that I need light to find my way. I step over an action figure in combat gear, face down, still clutching his gun. I smell mint toothpaste, milk and talcum powder.
In a single bound, I land on the graphic print Superman beanbag. I don’t need wings.
Lego and train track sprawl across the floor. I skip around the boy-sized teddy bear and freeze. Loki points at me with one hand, his sceptre in the other, a green cape flows across bronze-coloured armour.
It takes me a moment to see, he is just another toy. I gain pleasure in pulling faces at him without fear. I step closer, remove his dagger and chop, chop at his synthetic, black locks. I admire my handiwork, not so handsome now, punk god.
I climb a stack of books and puzzle boxes, and make my way along the duvet, towards the child’s pillow. He whimpers in his sleep as if my presence has snaked into his dreams. He’s left a note. Dear tooth fairy, I really good like Mummy told me. Please leave a pound. Sam x.
Fleet of foot and nimble, I search, fingers reaching, clawing until I find my treasure, and I grin.
Back on the window sill, I brush fairy dust off my palms, spit on the coin and buff until it shines. Quite a night’s work; Freyr will be pleased. I slip out of the crack between mortar and sill without a backward glance.
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To light up a sky that never ends
by Joanna Lee
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An early summer comes dappling over green banks, as hard to cup in human fingers on the heels of May’s cruel caress as the wide-blue of childhood memory; as a lust poem bathed in riverlight after all these lonely months; as heaven to those with no faith left. Yet
the sunshine is so real you can almost touch it, and the dawn’s blushing break like waves on a white sand paradise holds out the hope of Ju-ly fireflies luminous enough to light up a sky that never ends, enough to make you believe in magic once more.
9 months, 22 poets and writers, 22 Artists, 3 composers, 1 Viking boat= a magical reworking of Norse Mythology for contemporary audiences
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Alfheim
(the realm of the Light Elves)
Vikings Ahoy!
Here we are in early June with the deadline for the poetry and writing for the 8th realm Midgard having just passed on Friday 5th June ! Who’d have thought we would now be on the final realm!
From this week onwards I will be posting out Midgard poetry.
This month we are outlining the final Norse realm of Alfheim. The final deadline for all writing, poetry and mp3s for this realm is Friday 19th June 2015. I can hardly believe that this is the final realm. Congratulations to all the Viking poets for their creativity, interest and perseverance!!
These monthly posts will draw from a range of primary and secondary source materials and focus on selected gods, themes and stories that circle around the highlighted realm. They will not attempt to cover everything, and writers can embrace any other stories and characters within their writing which is not covered. Month by month we will be building our own magical, contemporary norse world whilst exploring the themes of POWER, NATURE and RELIGION. The project’s overall intention is to embrace orality, translation, storytelling and rhythm all of which are inspired by the origins of the oral tradition of the Norse Sagas.
I may well put out little mini-posts intermittently focusing on orality and poetic form as necessary.
What is presented below is designed to inspire, present basic information and offer a starting point for individual creativity within the project inspired by the themes, characters and spirit of the myths and stories.
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The Crossover by Ann Supan (Alfheim, Realm of the Light Elves)
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1. A Brief Overview of Alfheim
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It is often said that there are two sorts of elves in Norse mythology: the Dark Elves and the Light Elves. The Light Elves are said to live in Alfheim near the gods’ halls and palaces. In old Norse, Ālfheimr, is known as ‘Land of the Fairies’. Alfheim is quite an elusive realm, and is only mentioned twice in the Norse Saga texts, making the realm quite hard, in actuality, to bring to life. The god Freyr is said to be the ruler of Alfheim. Elves, along with Freyr, are generally associated with the sun (Ellis Davison: 156). This derives from ‘a kenning for the sun, álfrǫðull…to some suggestive of a close link between the elves’. (Motz1973, p. 99; Hall 2004, p. 40.)
Scholars of Old Norse mythology now focus on references to elves in Old Norse poetry, particularly the Elder Edda. The only person explicitly identified as an elf in classical Eddaic poetry, if any, isVölundr, the main character in the Völundarkviða However, elves are frequently mentioned in the sequence of words: Æsir ok Álfar (‘Æsir and elves’). This sequence shows a strong tradition of an association between the elves with the Æsir.
‘That which is called Álfheim is one, where dwell the peoples called ljósálfar [Light Elves]; but the dökkálfar [Dark Elves] dwell down in the earth, and they are unlike in appearance, but by far more unlike in nature. The Light-elves are fairer to look upon than the sun, but the Dark-elves are blacker than pitch. There are in fact some references that there are three places within the heavens where the light elves live: Gimlé, Andlàngr and Víðbláinn. This information is passed onto the king of Gylfi by a figure calledHigh.’
Freyr goes to Hlidskjálf (the high seat of Odin which allows him to see all the realms~). He gazes across the realms and sees Gerðr the giantess with whom he falls immediately in love. Rather than becoming full of joy he broods and ruminates. Opening up to his pageSkírnir, he asks Skirnir to woo Geror for him.
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Þá svarar Skírnir, sagði svá at hann skal fara sendiferð en Freyr skal fá honum sverð sitt. Þat var svá gott sverð at sjálft vásk. En Freyr lét eigi þat til skorta ok gaf honum sverðit. Þá fór Skírnir ok bað honum konunnar ok fekk heitit hennar, ok níu nóttum síðar skyldi hon þar koma er Barey heitir ok ganga þá at brullaupinu með Frey. Gylfaginning 37,EB’s edition
ThenSkírniranswered thus: he would go on his errand, butFreyrshould give him his own sword-which is so good that it fights of itself;- and Freyr did not refuse, but gave him the sword. Then Skírnir went forth and wooed the woman for him, and received her promise; andnine nights latershe was to come to the place calledBarrey, and then go to the bridal with Freyr. Gylfaginning XXXVII,Brodeur’s translation
S
Sword of Freyr
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As mentioned above, Skrinir asks for Freyr’s sword in return. This request has apocalyptic consequences as Freyr does not have his sword to fight Surt atRagnarök .
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3. Völundr, the main character in the Völundarkviða in the Poetic Edda (see overview above)
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Völundr
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Volundr is an artisan and is said to be one of the three sons of the king of the Finns. He is called “prince of the elves” (vísi álfa) and “one of the álfar” or “leader of álfar”.
So the story goes, his wife Hervör-Alvitr, a valkyrie (“chooser of the slain”), abandons him after nine years of marriage. He is then captured by Níðuðr, a cruel-king of Närke (Sweden) who is out to get Völundr’s gold. Völundr is put to work on an island making artifacts for the king. Eventually he finds means to take revenge and escapes. He kills Niðuðr’s sons, impregnates his daughter and then flies away laughing.
There is a story of an early King of Norway called Olaf, to whom, In a times of scarcity, men sacrificed. This is stated inFlaseyjarbok, one of the largest medieval manuscripts. At times of famine they also sacrificed to Freyr as the god of fertility. ‘When Olaf the Holy was born, he was named after the earlier Olaf. He was christend ‘Olaf, Elf of Geirstad’ [11, 106]. Viking burials quite often seemed to be connected with elves, right into the late Viking age (Ellis-Davidson: 155-156). This is seen to be evidence of the connection between fertility, elves and Freyr.
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King Harold receiving the Flateyjarbok
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Another mention…Sigvat, a poet who served under King Olaf the Holy, in 1018, describes how the king could not find a place to stay because everyone was too busy sacrificing to elves.
Cupmarks on rocks and stones are found in association with sunwheels. Farmers have often poured milk into similar cups as offerings to the elves.
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Themes, Relevance and Questions
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Good versus evil
It has been suggested that this classification of the two types of elves has come in as part of the influence of Christianity. A division of good and evil, light and dark. To consider this in relation to notions of power, fairness and spirituality within The Prose and Poetic Eddas is an interesting notion.
Exploration Point: What other examples of dualism, or contrasts can you find in the Eddas and how are they used to comment on the world and the heavens?
Things of Interest:
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1. The Speech of Elves
J. R. R. Tolkien anglicized Álfheim as Elvenhome, or Eldamarin thespeech of the Elves. In his stories, Eldamar lies in a coastal region of the Undying Lands in the Uttermost West. The High King of the Elves in the West was Ingwë, an echo of the nameYngvi often found as a name for Frey, whose abode was in Álfheimaccording to theGrímnismál.
A Vietnamese verse form. Where lines of 6 syllables alternate with lines of 8 syllables. The name Luc Bat means six-eight. The rule is that each rhyme occurs three times – first at the end of an 8-syllable line, then at the end of the next 6-syllable line, and finally as the sixth syllable of the next 8-syllable line. The end loops back to the beginning. They can be both long and short.
To get involved contact us via any of the comments boxes on our posts/pages or @ArtiPeeps. You would be very welcome!
Vikings Ahoy! It’s The Nine Realms!
The Nine Realms: a Norse inspired interactive, combined arts experienceSeptember 12, 2015
ONGOING EPICS
THE NINE REALMS (2014-2015):
Watch this space for our next 9-month large-scale collaborative project ! Starting in the 2nd Week of October 2014. Inspired by the Norse Sagas and Norse Cosmology, Giving creative opportunities to nearly 50 creatives. We'll be combining poetry, prose, art, music and sculpting a Viking boat out of ash, Vikings Ahoy!!!
The Nine Realms Poetry Playlist
The Nine Realms Realm Music
PAST EPIC COLLABORATIONS
TRANSFORMATIONS (2013-2014)
A POETRY AND ART EPIC:
31 Creatives from all around the world and the UK showcased through 1 Contemporary Reworking of Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Making the virtual real via a poetry-art exhibition held at Hanse House, Norfolk, 12-14th September 2014,
The launch of our large-scale exhibition template to be used to give creatives from all disciplines collaborative opportunities year on year.
A Shattered Moon
Via ArtiPeeps , Hot Potato Summer 2014 : 6 Writers, 12 weeks, 1 short story. Featuring: Steve Harris, Michael Schmidt, Shannon Pardoe, Sam Grainger, Josh Kremer and Jessica Cooke. Illustrations by artist Sam Grainger
ARTIPEEPS IS COLLABORATING WITH:
Future Radio
Community Radio, Norwich
Hanse House, King’s Lynn
Home to our 'Transformations' Exhibition/Poetry Performance September 2014
Elizabeth and Lisa
2 artists from Florida USA who create great comic strips...
Deborah Services Limited
Who help us build exciting exhibition stands
The Global Twitter Community Poetry Project
Click on the image to find out more
LAURA BESLEY
SNIPPETS : An ebook Collection of Flash Fiction. Written by Laura whilst with ArtiPeeps during her feature 'Flash Fortnightly' in 2013. Congratulations Laura!
Please note: the views expressed by the creatives on this site are their own, and are not necessarily the views held by ArtiPeeps.
VERY INSPIRING BLOGGER AWARD NOMINATION
The Inspiration in ArtiPeeps is entirely collaborative. With many thanks to Ant DiMartino for the nomination
VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD NOMINATION
With thanks to AK Anderson for the Nomination
This site's versatility rests in the diversity and talents of its contributors on an ongoing basis
Super-Sweet Blogger Award Nomination
Thank you To Soad 88 for nominating us
The Sunshine Award
Many thanks to writer Laura Besley for nominating us
Kindly providing some music for 'Transformations' September 2014
@honeybeeandhare newly formed beliefs. We have to continually adjust the relationship between our beliefs & habits. That can be painful..(3 6 years ago
@honeybeeandhare our lives. This affects the habits we create. They have to be flexible enough (within their rigidity) to align with our..(2 6 years ago
@honeybeeandhare Yes, I agree. I also think that it's worth factoring in that these core beliefs & values can change as we move through.. (1 6 years ago
EXPRESS YOURSELF IN AS MANY WAYS AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT FEAR.THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR.THERE IS NOBODY WHO IS GOING TO PUNISH OR REWARD YOU. EXPRESS YOUR BEING IN ITS TRUEST FORM, IN ITS NATURAL FLOW, YOU WILL BE REWARDED IMMEDIATELY, NOT TOMORROW BUT TODAY, HERE & NOW. YOU ARE PUNISHED ONLY WHEN YOU GO AGAINST YOUR NATURE. BUT THE PUNISHMENT IS A HELP. IT IS SIMPLY AN INDICATION THAT YOU HAVE MOVED AWAY FROM NATURE, THAT YOU HAVE GONE A LITTLE ASTRAY-OFF THE ROAD-COME BACK. PUNISHMENT IS NO REVENGE.NO, PUNISHMENT IS ONLY AN EFFORT TO WAKE YOU UP: 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' . SOMETHING IS WRONG, SOMETHING IS GOING AGAINST YOURSELF. THAT'S WHY THERE IS PAIN, THERE IS ANXIETY.
EVOLUTION IS INTRINSIC TO MAN'S NATURE, EVOLUTION IS HIS VERY SOUL, AND THOSE WHO TAKE THEMSELVES FOR GRANTED REMAIN UNFULFILLED. THOSE WHO THINK THEY ARE BORN COMPLETE REMAIN UNEVOLVED. THEN THE SEED REMAINS THE SEED. IT NEVER BECOMES A TREE AND NEVER KNOWS THE JOYS OF SPRING AND THE SUNSHINE AND THE RAIN AND THE ECSTASY OF BURSTING INTO MILLIONS OF FLOWERS.