March
Hello! I’m back from Jorvik!!! (York!) where I attended the Jorvik Viking Festival 2019
Here are this month's offers, projects and studies.
This Month's Artwork Offer:
Title: Harald Fairhair - Vikings
This Month's Study & Thought:
Jorvik Viking Festival 2019
20th - 27th February
The Pagan Lady of Peel, Isle of Man
Discoveries on display in the Viking History Centre include this 10th Century necklace made from glass, amber and jet beads and was uncovered in the grave of a middle-aged woman. Amongst other items discovered were a mortar & pestle, and an iron rod or staff covered in textiles and feathers. Seeds were also found, suggesting the woman may have been a “Volva”; a powerful sorceress buried with the tools of her trade.
Out all the artefacts on display, these ones stood out. The vibrancy of the necklace colours and its pristine nature was something I felt compelled to admire, capture and to learn more about.
Creating my own unique Viking-inspired necklace could be the next project for me. At the Jorvik market stalls I saw a wide variety of multicoloured glass beads for sale. One organisation that sells particularly high-quality glass beads is https://www.asgard.scot/
Their stall at the festival provided examples of Viking wood carving and blacksmithing. As their products are available to purchase online, I decided I’d spend my money on Mead and other items available at York. Online purchases would have to wait until I got home.
Something else I have to say about York during the Viking festival was how friendly and loving people were (perhaps the Mead helped). I met people from Canada, Germany, the USA, and Yorkshire even. Everyone had their own stories to tell and reasons why they came to the Festival week.
In the local pub, Valhalla, customers could actually be seen talking to each other instead of being stuck to their phones and ignoring each other. Everyone sat at the long table brushing elbows and horns of Mead, talking, laughing and every so often shouting “Skol!” accompanied by banging of the table and horns in the air. It was a wonderful atmosphere of community and care. We talked about anything and everything (perhaps a bit lubricated by the Mead), positively and unapologetically ourselves.
I have so much more to write about my trip that it would be impossible to share it all in one newsletter. I’ll be adding pictures of the Festival to my Instagram and Facebook page in manageable chunks for your viewing in the coming weeks.
Skol!
Thank you for your ongoing support! It means the world to me! ☺︎
Jordie - MsBlackInk
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