Get Strathclydian with The Hogback Saga

There aren’t many contemporary creative works out there that take their inspiration directly from Norse activity in the old Kingdom of Strathclyde; usually the focus lies on Wessex or York when it concerns Britain (and Mercia often receives a special, blood-spattered nod). The territory that comprises current Scotland in general, […]

Taste the Sampo

Life somehow just feels a little less trite and meaningless when you discover that an entire series of Finnish beers based on The Kalevala exists. Of course, we may be all speeding headlong towards a final destination six feet below ground (and many Finnish bands do their best to remind […]

Stone Cold Rainbow Bridge

I’ve written about Boston’s mighty Longfellow Bridge before (scroll towards the bottom of the Leif Eriksson Norumbega page if you’re curious), but I’ve never had the pleasure of actually drifting aimlessly by it in a shallow-hulled paddling vessel that could never ever hope to possibly survive a full-blown voyage across […]