Wolfs-Head
Authored by: Shani Oates
Published by: Anathema Publishing
Óðinn’s identity as the Ecstatic God of the Tethers of Law and Death, is least recognised through his Skin-Turning and Shape-shifting techniques as gifts of the highest craft he imparts to a shamanic warrior elite. Those themes are explored in this volume, alighting upon a wide range of magics and histories identified within the Óðinnic cultus. Medieval source materials yield a wealth of information relating to Totemism; Ritual Guising; the Berserkir and Úlfhéðnar as Óðinn’s True Wolf Warriors; Motifs of Magical Beasts in Battle; the Wælceasega as Carrion Host; the Law and Covenants relating to Wǽr-loga; Outlawry; She-Wulves; The Red Thread of Wyrd, Warding and Binding the Dead, Varðlo(k)kur - the call to spirit; Dragons, the Wyrm, and finally, to the malefic sorcery of the Dog Heads of War, The Zmei, The Roggenwolf and the Bukka, whose presence in the wheat, rye and barley knots of the blessed harvest grains, all wend a path through to the real St George, to Green George.
Enchanted thread, girdles, withies and staves, seiðr and the völur are woven through the time-honoured mysteries shared by Beowulf, Grendel and his brimwylf (‘sea-wolf’) mother. Nordic culture drew inspiration and influence from the magical and martial disciplines of the Sámi, Slavic, north-European and Eurasian peoples. Invoking the divine ecstasy of creation, Shamen priests and warriors, stand ‘outside’ time. Óðinn’s antinomian challenges generated considerable friction within societal ‘law.’ The dehumanisation of the skóggarmaðr (wild men of the forest) outlawed for following his rule, rendered them indistinct from the forest-wolf’s status, and were perceived as equal quarry. Transpersonal experiences shaped their realities, relating to identification through a clan totem, namely the wolf, and later the dragon, wyrm and raven, not merely as wild beasts of battle, but of ancestry, mind, of wit and wisdom. Couched in ambiguities, the role of the Valkyrjur,’ the ‘handmaidens of Óðinn is re-evaluated, leading to a new conclusion for their association with (battle) carnage and the ‘Cult of the Dead.’
Bibliography
Paperback Edition
Publication date/ copyright date: 2023.
ISBN: 978-1-989339-06-0
Original price: £23/CA$39
Contributors
Illustrated by: BFR Art
Physical Description
Dimensions: 5.25 x 8.5 inches.
Page Count: 240 pages.
Illustrative content: Full Colour interior.
Binding
Binding: German Binding. Velvet Matte (Scuff Free) finish. Silver Foil stamping on Cover and Backcover.
Paper: Printed on Tango Opaque White 140M quality paper.
Typography: Fine typography.
Standard Edition
Publication date/ copyright date: 2020.
ISBN: 978-1-989339-05-3
Original price: £50/CA$85
Copies printed: Limited to 705 copies.
Physical Description
Dimensions: 5.25 x 8.5 inches.
Page Count: 240 pages.
Illustrative content: B&W & Colour interior, Illustrated throughout,
Other physical details: Individually hand-numbered.
Binding
Binding: Hardbound 90pts, Tele Legatoria Setalux Shimmering ‘Ice Blue’ bookbinding Cloth from Italy. Gold foil blocking on rounded spine and Blind Deboss on the cover. Eclipse, Coarse Grain texture, Endpapers.
Paper: Printed on Cougar Natural 160M archive-quality paper.
Typography: Fine typography.
Collector’s Edition
Publication date/ copyright date: 2020.
ISBN: 978-1-989339-05-3
Original price: £74/CA$125
Copies printed: Limited to 206 copies.
Physical Description
Dimensions: 5.25 x 8.5 inches.
Page Count: 240 pages
Illustrative content: Illustrated throughout. B&W & Colour interior,
Other physical details: Individually hand-numbered. Glued bookplate signed by the author inside.
Binding
Binding: Hardbound 90pts, Navy Aristo Eurobond leather. Gold foil blocking on rounded spine, Blind Deboss and Black & Gold foil blocking on the cover. Eclipse, Coarse Grain texture, Endpapers.
Paper: Printed on Cougar Natural 160M archive-quality paper.
Typography: Fine typography.
Artisanal Edition
Publication date/ copyright date: 2020.
ISBN: 978-1-989339-05-3
Original price: 18K Edges: £380/CA$650 24K Edges: £423/CA$725
Copies printed: Limited to 33 copies.
Physical Description
Dimensions: 5.25 x 8.5 inches.
Page Count: 240 pages.
Illustrative content: Fully Illustrated.
Other physical details: Glued, hand-numbered bookplate, signed by the author inside.
Binding
Binding: Hardbound 90pts, Cover is Vegetable-Tanned Genuine Leather with a speckle overprint to resemble Vellum. Gold Foil blocking on cover and on rounded spine, Blind Deboss on the back-cover. Raised bands on spine. Gold Satin Ribbon, as well as, gold & brown cotton head & tail bands. 18-Karat Paint treatment on the edges. Handmade Marbled Endpapers by renowned paper marbler Nancy French.
Paper: Printed on Cougar Natural 160M archive-quality paper.
Typography: Fine typography.
Content Note
Accompanying material: Comes with a Slipcase wrapped in handmade Nepal paper made from the fibers of Lokta (a native Nepali plant, also called the Daphne Shrub or Lokta Bush). This paper is unique in its texture and is acid-free. Features a huge wrap-around flat-bed printed motif of the underworld dragon Níðhöggr.
