This Kickstarter came to my attention and I thought it was awesome enough to share! This art book looks fantastic! I backed it right away! Take a moment to go check it out and maybe even support it!

You can take a look here:

Fateful Signs: The Illustrated Voluspa

By Sam Flegal

An exploration of the ancient Norse prophecy, “The Voluspa,” illuminated through 60 unique illustrations.

LINK TO SUPPORT THIS KICKSTARTER:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/samflegal/fateful-signs-the-illustrated-voluspa

About this project

Fateful Signs are the prophecies of the wise woman who Odin bid rise from her grave. They are the myth cycle inherent in us all passed down by our Ancestors. They can be sought in the lore if one is willing to look deep.

Fateful Signs presents “The Illustrated Voluspa,” a collection of art by Sam Flegal. This 144-page book is an exploration of prophecy through engaging the sub-conscious’s recognition of shape and form in an effort to tap into a greater visual and spiritual understanding of the ancient Norse text.

Last year I created “The Illustrated Hávamál,” with your support, I plan to create a sequel (technically a prequel because the Voluspa comes before the Havamal in the Poetic Edda). It will be another beautiful, high-quality art book worthy of a place of honor in your book horde!

You can follow me and my Fateful Signs project on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, my Blog, or www.fatefulsigns.com

Tell me more about The Voluspa

“The Voluspa” is a collection of ancient Norse prophecy, thought to have been written down in about 1270 CE. Within its verse, the “Volva” or wise-woman tells Odin of the creation of the world, history of the gods, the secrets of Odin himself, and of Ragnarok – the twilight of the gods.

The greatest collection of preserved Norse poetry is “The Poetic Edda,” the first and most important section of which is “The Volsupa.” It is also one of the most debated.

The Book

The Illustrated Voluspa will be a cloth-bound hardback book, measuring 9″x12″, with a silver foil embossed cover. It will have 144 pages with 60 illustrations and the complete text from “The Voluspa” as translated by Henry Adams Bellows, including his notes, and the original Old Norse language text.

Ink Drawing Process

Each ink drawing for “The Illustrated Voluspa” begins as an ink blob. Staring at the ink blobs while thinking about the verse, I try to find shapes. I let my sub-conscious mind wander as much as possible searching for shape and form. Using a pencil, I map out the drawing. Once the image has emerged I begin using ink to bring the final drawing to life.

Why the Bellows Translation?

The astute scholar of ancient Norse wisdom will note that there are many different translations of “The Voluspa.” This is not surprising, as a text this important draws many a scholarly pursuit. I chose the Bellows translation for two reasons. Firstly, the text is in the public domain. Many of the more modern and arguably more accurate translations are the creative property of their translators. Secondly, because Bellows translated with a mind towards poetry and rhythm of verse. After all, this is a collection of Old Norse poetry—the English language version should sound like poetry to give the reader the full experience of the text.

This is an art book, so I wanted the text to have an artistic poetic quality that some of the more academic translations lack.