Blogs of Odin

Welcome to the first ever Horns of Odin blog post!

In this blog, we will highlight various subjects and aspects of the Viking age and nordic mythology. Each blog post will cover a new topic, featuring in-depth chronicles and articles by academics and scholars on the subjects for anyone wanting to discover this rich mythology. 

But first, let’s start with our story!

Horns of Odin was founded in 2015, when Yorkshire-born and based Daniel Farrand bought his first drinking horn at the Jorvik Viking Festival.

Having always had a keen interest in the Viking Age and Nordic Mythology, he was eager to own one of the beautiful items but soon realised the product was not intended for use. Being a crafty Northener, Daniel got to work turning the horn into a vessel fit for drinking out of and decorated it with silver trimmings. The horn received attention amongst his friends, who, one by one, demanded one for themselves. Soon after, an Etsy page was created, which became a successful website and business selling horns and other related paraphernalia online at shows and festivals worldwide. 

Along the road, Horns of Odin have made connections with other artists and craftspeople that have contributed to making the company what it is today: A business not only selling the beautiful hand-carved horns that make up the business name and logo but also other Viking, mythological and nordic themed art in the shape of handmade jewellery, clothing, pottery, musical instruments, woodwork, books, candles and much much more. All share the vision for creating sustainable, high-quality products handmade in the UK. 

Alongside Horns of Odin, Daniel Farrand and Dr Mathias Nordvig (Nordic Studies Professor at University Colorado Boulder) have been running the very popular Nordic Mythology Podcast since October 2019. Each week, Nordvig and Farrand sit down and discuss everything Viking Age and Nordic Mythology, with occasional deep dives into various topics with academics and specialists in each field as guests.

At Horns of Odin, we are passionate about offering the highest quality products using only the highest quality materials. There is no buy-in mass-produced items to sell for "a quick buck" or fast fashion made to discard after a couple of uses. Everything we stock is made by us or exclusively for us by one of our local trade people.

As we look to the future and work to expand our business, new things are on the horizon for Horns of Odin, including this blog. This way, we hope to share our knowledge to develop an inclusive community and debunk some of the misinformation floating around to help restore the community's reputation.

All while providing high-quality handmade items meant to be useful and beautiful.

Thanks for taking the time to get to know us. 

Horns of Odin