Maria Kvilhaug
Maria Kvilhaug is a Norwegian author and historian who writes in the English language. She was born in Oslo, Norway, in 1975. She has written
The Seed of Yggradsill
Synopsis
The Seed of Yggradsill. The most comprehensive guide to Norse literature, historical folklore, and more. Kvilhaug peels back the layers of the Eddas, Poems, and Sagas to reveal hidden truths within. Maria’s background in research and philology is visible throughout with full illustrations, timelines, and beautiful translations of passages providing the key to unlocking and deciphering the hidden wisdom within. Her exploration of modern interpretations, past parables, and related cultural mythos provides a deeper layer into the mysteries of Old Norse practices.
Official Site of Maria Kvilhaug:
Youtube Links:
Maria is now offering lectures, discussions, recordings and more on her Patreon page.
How The Seed of Yggradsill cover was made
By Cover Artist: Sheal Mullin-Berube
Author Background
In 2010 and well into 2012, urged on by her beloved man, Maria began to release lecture videos where she discussed the poetical metaphors and deeper spiritual and philosophical meanings of Old Norse myths, especially as they appear in their oldest, poetical form in the Elder Edda.
She employed a way of presenting her theories and her research that she had learned from growing up in a family that still took the old ways of making entertaining and poetical speeches very seriously, ways that were designed to convey difficult and complex matters in a fashion that would be easily grasped even by people who never knew anything about the subject matter before.
Having studied art, she added some performance art techniques, making the videos visually pleasing and mysterious. The video series “Hidden Knowledge in Old Norse Myths” may be found on her YouTube channel with the username (and alias) “LadyoftheLabyrinth“.
Her original site has been transferred to her new site, where she posts in-depth articles on a variety of subjects. Her knowledge of Norse Myths and feminist history is highly coveted among academics.
Whats Inside
Divided into sections that explain various elements of Norse mythology, Maria takes you on a guided journey through the mysterious wording of passages and the hidden clues these hold.
1: THE BOOKS OF OLD-OUR SOURCES TO OLD NORSE PAGAN BELIEFS
- 1.1: THE FORGOTTEN MANUSCRIPT (POETIC EDDA) 19
- 1.2: SNORRI STURLUSON`S PROSE EDDA AND YNGLINGA SAGA 46
- 1.3: GYLFAGINNING 50
- 1.4: SKÁLDSKAPARMÁL 53
- 1.5: HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT-WHAT SNORRI COULD NOT SAY 54
- 1.6: OTHER SOURCES TO OLD NORSE MYTHOLOGY 56
- 1.7: MY METHODS OF INTERPRETATION 58
- 1.8: GENDER AS A MYTHICAL FORMULA 66
- 1.9: THAT WHICH IS DISGUISED IN RUNES 82
2: CREATION, COSMOS AND THE RULING POWERS 95
- 2.1: PRECONCEPTIONS AND STEREOTYPES 95
- 2.2: VÖLUSPÁ, “THE DIVINATION OF THE VÖLVA” 101
- 2.3: THE NINE WITHIN THE WOOD 112
- 2.4: IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WAVE AND A BIG BANG! 125
- 2.5: AESIR, THE FIRST INTELLIGENCE 145
- 2.6: THE STEEDS OF HEAVEN (SUN, MOON, STARS) 161
- 2.7: EARTH, THE ANCESTRAL MOTHER 173
- 2.8: THE EARTH´S PROTECTIVE FIELD AND ÞÓRR THE THUNDERGOD 186
- 2.9: DWARFS, THE BLUEPRINTS OF EXISTENCE 190
- 2.10: ASKR AND EMBLA 201
- 2.11: YGGDRASILL, THE WORLD TREE 205
- 2.12: NORNS, FYLGJUR AND THE RUNES OF FATE 217
- 2.13: VANIR, SEIÐR AND THE SACRED MEAD 246
3: THE MAIDEN WITH THE MEAD 287
- 3.1: THE MEAD OF POETRY 291
- 3.2: ORIGIN´S WELL 296
- 3.3: HEL´S PRISONER 298
- 3.4: THE FROSTY CUP : SKÍRNISMÁL THE SPEECH OF THE BRIGHT SHINING ONE 300
- 3.5: THE MEAD OF MEMORY 305
- 3.6: EARTH`S GUIDANCE 310
- 3.7: THE DRINK OF THE BURIAL MOUND 314
- 3.8: THE SLEEPING VALKYRIE 320
- 3.9: THE MAIDENS OF THE WIND SHIELDED ISLAND 324
- 3.10: THE MOUNTAIN OF MEDICINE 327
- 3.11: A WOMAN´S PATH OF INITIATION 336
- 3.12: BRIGHT RUNE, THE MEAD-PRODUCER ABOVE 339
- 3.13: FREYIA, GULLVEIGR, THE GODDESS IS THE DRINK- 344
- 3.14: SOMA AND HAOMA, AMBROSIA AND KYKEON 346
- 3.15: BEOWULF AND ARCHAEOLOGY: THE REAL MEAD-WOMEN 354
- 3.16: THE MEAD AND THE SUN GODDESS 358
- 3.17: NOT QUITE THE CHRISTIAN POEM AFTER ALL 366
4: RETRIEVING THE SOUL OF THE GODS 376
- 4.1: A SHIELD POEM OF THE VIKING AGE 377
- 4.2: SHAMANIC SOUL-RETRIEVAL 378
- 4.3: THE MYTH OF IÐUNN AND ÞJAZI SNORRI`S VERSION (1225 AD) 378
- 4.4: THE MYTH OF IÐUNN AND ÞJAZI THIÓÐOLF’S VERSION (900 AD) 381
- 4.5: THE MEANING OF THE JOURNEY OF THE THREE GODS 388
- 4.6: THE ORIGIN OF A SACRED PATH 389
- 4.7: THE VERSE-SMITHS: HOW THE GODS ARE KNOWN 391
- 4.8: ÞJAZI, THE EAGLE OF DEATH 393
- 4.9: THE WOLF AND THE GIANTESS OF THE BURIAL MOUND 398
- 4.10: THE BRIDE OF THE GODS 399
- 4.11: THE KNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN 403
- 4.12: THE KNOWLEDGE-HUNGRY GODDESS 406
- 4.13: LOKI, THE MOVER OF THE STORIES 413
5: THE LOSS OF THE GOLDEN AGE IN OLD NORSE MYTHS 417
- 5.1: GOLDEN AGES IN HUMAN PREHISTORY? 417
- 5.2: THE PEACE OF WISDOM AND THE SONG OF THE MILLSTONE 430
- 5.3: WHEN THE GOD OF WAR LOST HIS ARM TO GREED 436
- 5.4: WHEN WISDOM WAS FREE 452
- 5.5: WHO REALLY KILLED BALDR? A MURDER MYSTERY 461
- 5.6 THE RAPE OF THE REJECTER 473
- 5.7 THE SONG OF THE SACRED GROVE -VÖLUNDARKVÍÐA- 479
- 5.8: LOST IN ILLUSION 490
- 5.9: THE SLEEPING GODDESS 500
6: RAGNARÖK AND THE NEW AGE 514
- 6.1: THE BUILD-UP TO RAGNARÖK 514
- 6.2: RAGNARÖK 539
- 6.3: THE RESURRECTION 557
7: DEATH AND RESURRECTION 566
- 7.1: ELVES, SOULS AND REINCARNATION 566
- 7.2: INTO THE DARKNESS 570
- 7.3: THE KISS OF DEATH 592
- 7.4: AFTERLIVES 597
- 7.5: SALVATION 597
8: THE WAY OF THE WAND-WITCH 615
- 8.1: RESTORING THE WISE WOMAN 615
- 8.2: THE VÖLVA´S PATH 619
- 8.3: WITCHES AND WARRIORS 624
9: THE PRIESTESS AND THE KING 631
- 9.1: THE SACRED MARRIAGE INSTITUTION 631
- 9.2: PRECIOUS MEAD AND SACRED MARRIAGE 634
- 9.3: ÓÐINN AND THE GODDESS 644
10: THE WISE MAN´S PATH 656
- 10.1: HANGING THE SORCERER 658
- 10.2: THE RITUAL BEHIND THE MYTH 663
- 10:3 THE VISION QUEST 668
11: THE TRIALS OF ÞÓRR-THE SON OF EARTH- 674
- 11.1: ÞÓRR IN HÁRBARÐSLJÓÐ 674
- 11.2: ÞÓRR IN ÞRYMSKVÍÐA AND HYMISKVÍÐA 683
- 11.3: ÞÓRR AND THE MIND-A PERSONAL REVELATION- 694
- ÓÐINN AND ME, A PERSONAL REVELATION 785
- EPILOGUE 790
- BIBLIOGRAPHY 794
- PRIMARY SOURCES NORDIC SOURCES 794
- DICTIONARIES AND LINGUISTIC LITERATURE 794
- PRIMARY NORDIC SOURCES IN TRANSLATION 795
- OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES (ANCIENT TEXTS) IN TRANSLATION 796
- ANALYSIS ON OLD NORSE LITERATURE AND MYTHOLOGY 797
- GENERALLY ON MYTHOLOGY 800
- ANCIENT NORTHERN EUROPEAN PAGANISM:
- RITUAL AND RELIGION 801
- CULTURAL HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF
- NORTHERN EUROPE 803
- COMPARATIVE MYTHOLOGY:
- CLASSICAL/PREHISTORIC PAGANISM, PHILOSOPHY, PANTHEISM AND MYSTERIES 804
- COMPARATIVE RELIGION: SHAMANISM AND ETHNOGRAPHY 807
- COMPARATIVE MYTHOLOGY: ANCIENT MIDDLE EASTERN RELIGIONS AND THE SACRED MARRIAGE 807
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 810
