‘Viking Song’, <em>The Bulletin</em>, 25 August 1910
anvil, Australian Navy, David McKee Wright (1869-1928), forge, National Defence, national pride, Norse mythology, Odin, politics, Thor, Thor’s Hammer, Vikings.
<p>David McKee Wright draws inspiration from the journeys of the Vikings across the North Sea in this poetic martial ‘ditty’ that brims with national pride:</p>
<p>Australia with her bright hair glowing<br />Has her eye on the furrows of the deep <br />[...] <br />Clang, clang, clang on the anvil <br />There are steel ships wanted on the sea!</p>
<p>The reason for Wright’s show of enthusiasm was doubtless the creation of the Australian Navy in 1909. Billy Hughes told the <em>Sydney Morning Herald</em> in 1910 that “Mr Deakin had taken Mr Watson’s scheme [c. 1905] and adorned it with that magnificent eloquence of his till it shone [...] But it was a thing in the clouds [...] The Fisher Government transformed it into iron and steel and guns” (See The <em>Sydney Morning Herald</em>, Wednesday, 16 February 1910, pp. 9-10. <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15133137" target="_self">http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15133137</a>). When the fleet eventually arrived off Australian shores in October 1913, it was welcomed “By very large and demonstrative crowds [...] and fervently patriotic speeches were made at the welcoming banquet” (F. K. Crowley, <em>A New History of Australia</em>, Richmond, William Heinemann, 1984, p.294). During the Federal electioneering of February 1910, the fleet featured large in the overall proceedings. The Deakin-Cook Fusion Party lost the 1910 election, but Australia still got its navy, and balladeers and patriots sang its praises.</p>
David McKee Wright
<em>The Bulletin</em>
<em>The Bulletin</em>
25 August 1910, p.3
Public Domain
Journal (Microfilm)
Sea serpent roof ornament, Lyttleton Street, East Launceston, Tasmania
architecture, domestic architecture, dragons, dragon, East Launceston, gargoyle, Jörmungandr, Launceston, Lyttleton Street, Midgard Serpent, Norse, Norse mythology, ornamentation, roof, Scandinavia, sea dragon, sea serpent, Tas, Tasmania, Thor, Viking, World Serpent
One of three photographs of domestic roof-top adornments in Lyttleton Street, East Launceston. The ornament on this roof creates a sea serpent effect, with its body coiling along the roof line and its head raised to look over the roof. Also known as a sea dragon, sea serpents, while appearing in classical literature, are particularly prevalent in Scandinavian culture. In Norse (Viking) mythology, the Midgard or World Sea Serpent, Jörmungandr, lives in the ocean that surrounds the world and is so large that it can encircle the world and grasp its own tail. A number of stone carvings exist in Scandinavia and northern England from the early medieval period showing the god Thor fishing for Jörmungandr.
Dorey, Margaret
2 December 2011
No Copyright
Digital Photograph; JPEG
Gandalf at the Perth Medieval Fayre
Arthurian legend, legend, Arthur, Arthurian, Costume, fantasy fiction, Gandalf, J. R. R. Tolkien, Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, medievalism, Merlin, Norse mythology, Norse, mythology, myth, Perth, Perth Medieval Fayre, Peter Jackson, power, re-creation, recreation, popular culture, sage, Sir Ian McKellen, Western Australia, wisdom, wizard, wizards, wizardry
A member of the public dressed as the iconic wizard Gandalf from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings at the Perth Medieval Fayre. Like the Merlin figure in Arthurian legend, the character of Gandalf is a sage. He harbours power through wisdom and knowledge. The name ‘Gandalf’ was taken from Norse mythology. In Peter Jackson’s 2001-2003 screen adaptation of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Gandalf was played by Sir Ian McKellen.
The Perth Medieval Fayre is organised and run by the Western Australian Medieval Alliance. In 2011 it was held at Supreme Court Gardens on 19 March. Enthusiasts and vendors showcased a range of medieval arts and crafts, from dancing, calligraphy and lace-making to demonstrations of the techniques, weaponry and apparel of medieval combat.
McEwan, Joanne
19 March 2011
No Copyright
Digital Photograph;
JPEG