Tallinn, Estonia.
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When I think about Estonia, I think about Kalevipoeg, Estonia’s national epic by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald. To me, this poem best represents the Estonian people, whose history, language, and mythology are distinct compared to the rest of Europe. The Estonian Declaration of Independence, created on February 24th, 1918, even quotes an excerpt from the last chapter of Kalevipoeg. (more…)
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Lithuania’s Independence Day is February 16. The country celebrated its 102nd birthday on Sunday, but the history of the Lithuanian land, language, and people goes back hundreds of years further. (more…)
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I’ve spent the last few days contacting friends in order to make plans for my upcoming birthday. I always try to make my birthday memorable, whether it be with a group of friends or by myself. Last year’s birthday was one that I would never forget, as I found myself singing a Polish folk song in a restaurant in Iceland while Antifa was burning an American flag directly outside. How did this all come about? Let’s find out. (more…)
John William Waterhouse, A Tale from The Decameron, 1916.
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The Decameron is a novel that is often overshadowed by The Canterbury Tales despite sharing many similarities. Both were written in the 14th century and have a similar narrative structure of various short stories being told by a group of characters. (more…)
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The Hunters in the Snow. Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1565.
I remember December 31, 2009 like it was yesterday. I was driving back home from work, reflecting on my life during the last ten years. I also wondered just how the 2000s would be defined or characterized as a decade. The first thoughts that came to mind about the 2000s were the ongoing wars in the Middle East after 9/11, the US election of a black president, and the increasing importance of cell phones and the internet in our daily lives. (more…)
The Ash Yggdrasil. Friedrich Wilhelm Heine, 1886.
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Part of my daily routine each morning is to read a verse from the Havamal. Roughly translated as “Sayings of the High One,” the Havamal is a 13th century Icelandic poem that provides advice and wisdom in regards to personal conduct, social interactions and pragmatic living. Each morning, I contemplate the meaning behind the verse I read and think about how I can implement its teachings into my daily life. Recently, these proverbs have reminded me of my father and the many life lessons he passed onto me. (more…)
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I am a native English speaker with a love-hate relationship with foreign languages. Along with fantasy novels, video games, and heavy metal, language learning has been a big part of my life. Yet unlike my other hobbies and passions, the study of European languages has been by far the least enjoyable for me. I often ask myself whether I am wasting my time, and ultimately my life, by developing and maintaining a skill where the costs often outweigh the rewards. (more…)
Qasem Soleimani
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Are you tired of winning yet? And by winning, I mean the continuation of endless wars and regime changes for the protection (and potential expansion) of “our greatest ally.”
This is the first thought I had this morning when I woke up to hear about the recent US airstrike in Iraq that killed top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. The details are still unclear, (more…)
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If you did an internet search of movies about or taking place on New Year’s Eve, the majority would most likely fall under the romantic comedy genre. Which makes sense, given that when you think about New Year’s Eve, your first thoughts are probably of drinking parties with friends, and more importantly, waiting for the clock to strike midnight with your significant other.
The Irony of Fate was a Soviet made-for-television romantic comedy that aired throughout the Soviet Union on January 1st, 1976. (more…)
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I’m at the airport right now. Being in Eastern Europe for the past two years, I’ve spent a lot of time at various European airports. In regards to my personal life, I’ve found myself in a revolving cycle of meeting Eastern European women on Tinder, taking them on dates to the local IKEA, and then breaking up and saying goodbye to them at the airport. (more…)
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Czech version here
In order to fully understand the importance of this year’s Asgardsrei festival, one must understand the impact that the Blazebirth Hall scene, and in particular, its most prolific artist, Kaldrad, had on both NSBM (National Socialist Black Metal) and the overall sound of Eastern European black metal.