Tuesday 2 February 2010

Let Tooth & Nail Begin



Jack Card - Hati
Hati Hróðvitnisson (first name meaning "He Who Hates, Enemy") is the Warg that chases the Moon across the night sky, just as his brother the wolf Sköll chases the Sun during the day, until the time of Ragnarök when they will swallow these heavenly bodies, after which Fenrir will break free from his bonds and kill Odin, chief god and ruler of Asgard, land of the gods.


Hati's surname, Hróðvitnisson, indicates that he is the son of Fenrir and whose mother is an unnamed giantess, who dwells to the east of Midgard/ Middle earth in the forest of Járnviðr ("Ironwood"). This giantess and witch bears many giants for sons, all in the form of wolves.


I have made Hati my Jack card because he is one of the three main Wargs although he is not the queen because I think the Moon is less of an important thing than the Sun which his brother runs after. In the card itself you can see him trying to capture the Moon.




Queen Card – Sköll


Sköll Hróðvitnisson (first name meaning "Treachery") is the Warg that chases the horses Árvakr and Alsviðr that drag the chariot, which contains the sun, through the sky every day trying to eat her.


Like his brother Sköll’s surname, Hróðvitnisson, indicates that he is the son of Fenrir and whose mother is an unnamed giantess, who dwells to the east of Midgard/ Middle earth in the forest of Járnviðr ("Ironwood"). This giantess and witch bears many giants for sons, all in the form of wolves.


Like I explained above I made Sköll my queen card because he chases the sun making him more important than Hati, although, of course, he can never be the King. In the card itself you can see him trying to capture the Sun.



King Card – Fenrir


Fenrir Hróðvitnisson (first name meaning fen-dweller", Fenris wolf", "fame-wolf", "the monster of the river Ván") is a monstrous Warg, father of the Wargs Sköll and Hati Hróðvitnisson, is a son of Loki and giantess Angrboða, brother to Hel (ruler of Hell) and the serpent Jörmungandr. It is foretold that Fenrir with kill the god Odin during the events of Ragnarök, but will in turn be killed by Odin's son, Víðarr.


I made Fenrir my King because he pretty much is king of all wars. In the card itself you can see the two sons (Sköll and Hati) eating the Sun and the Moon and completing the events of Ragnarök, so that Fenrir can rise again.

Back of Card - Yggdrasil


For the back of the card I used the image I made of Yggdrasil, with “the unnamed Eagle” in its branches, the four Stags Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór either side of its trunk, and the worm/serpent/dragon Níðhöggr sucking at one of it’s three roots. I then amalgamated my four symbols into the image so that there is more of a connection with the front of the card. I put the Bloody Fang, the Black Claw, and the Rotten Tooth close to the base/roots of the tree because they represent the Wargs, other evil beings (including Hel and Jörmungandr), and giants respectively, all of which are evil and are meant to live at the bottom of the tree. The Rusty nail is up in the branches of the tree because it represents the Gods and Man which are good and the top of the tree is meant to be where Asgard, land of the Gods, is located. For the border, I researched into Norse runes and chose the runes which relate the best to the cards I’ve designed. I made the border quite rough to make it look eroded and ancient looking.



The Final Show Down!