BORN IN 2015
Horns of Odin was founded in 2015, when Yorkshire-born and based Daniel Farrand was bought his first drinking horn, by his wife Sarah, 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 and the pair's garage, quickly followed by a spare bedroom, which became a workshop and office for the growing business. The couple toured the UK attending trade shows to spread the name of the fledgling business. Sarah was the first to go full time with Horns of Odin, taking care of admin, customer service and postage and packing. Whilst Daniel carved and created the horns on an evening and a weekend, in-between his full time job as a plumber. The business began to expand quickly, and Eddy joined the team as head of horn production. Soon after the company outgrew the couple's family home, and moved into a local unit, which allowed the creation of a purpose built workshop.
The Loss of our Co-Founder
In June 2022, the company suffered a devastating loss with the passing of co-founder Sarah. Her input, dedication and hard work is sorely missed, and her presence will forever be felt within Horns of Odin, and all that the company does in the future.
[ Sarah and Dan pictured with, World's Strongest Man, Tom Stoltman ]
BUILDING ON STRONG FOUNDATIONS
Along the road, they have made connections with other artists and craftspeople that have contributed to making Horns of Odin 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.
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 either made by us or exclusively for us by one of our local trade people.
OUR FUTURE VISION
As we look to the future and work to expand our business, new things are on the horizon for Horns of Odin. A blog about all things Viking and nordic mythology is our latest venture. 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.
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.