I am a harper, vocalist, and geographer who enjoys traveling through time and place in
my music. I have been playing harp for fourteen years and researching Scandinavian and Irish/Scottish history even longer. My interest in historical music began many years ago while researching early Irish and Scottish history and music; in my research I discovered a close kin to Scottish music - Scandinavian music (including Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, and Finnish).
I especially love the mystery and magic of the old ballads and poetry, which led me to seek out early instruments such as the lyre and, more recently, the kantele. I continue to research how early cultures may have used instruments, their environment, and imagination to create music. My interests continually grow and led me to learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and take a linguistics course, so that I would be able sing in different languages.
I enjoy using
my skills to weave a musical tapestry that includes history, mythology, storyelling, and
poetry. I am also interested in herbal history and how the early Vikings may have
practiced medicine. I realized that I needed an outlet to share my love of history,
anthropology, and music, and sought out a guild that focused on “living” Viking
history. Awhile back, I joined the Dark Boar Vikings and The Royal Scots Guild;
unfortunately, both guilds meet only twice a year. I wanted to spend more time on
living history, so I continued my search. In my quest, I came across
The Vikings of
Bjornstad, who were most welcoming. Although new to the group, I am looking forward to working with like-minded folk who enjoy history and sharing their knowledge with others.
In the Viking world, in Old Norse, my name is Alfrúndís. Alf means “elf” (a nod to my grandparents who, long ago, shared with me their old world beliefs about the elves), rún means “secret, hidden knowledge” (storytelling), dís meaning “priestess” (music, magic, and healing).
I am a musical weaver of magic and mystery and teller of tales.
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