celtichammerclub

This design depicts this monstrous canine from Northern European legend in a "Neo-Nordic" style. There are lots of traditional style knots and patterns woven together and given a contemporary edge. The colors are distressed to give the image the look of a gold or bronze artifact that was just dug up out of a Viking chieftains burial mound! The runes towards the bottom of the image says, "FENRIR."

After the Celts sacked Rome in 390 BC, they agreed to leave the city only after the Romans paid a massive quantity of gold. After the Romans complained to Brennus that the Celts were cheating by weighing the gold with faulty weights, Brennus rose to his feet, threw his sword on the scale and exclaimed the now famous, “Vae victis!” which translates to, “Woe to the vanquished!” In other words, “what are you going do about it?” The sacking of Rome by the Celts left a psychological scar on the Romans which they never forgot.

Yggdrasil, or “World Tree,” is a central feature of Norse mythology. The World Tree houses all nine of the mythological Norse realms, and several mythological creatures occupy its branches. My artwork here shows Thor, the thunder god, battling his nemesis the “World Serpent” Jörmungandr. Thor and the world serpent do battle in the cataclysmic Ragnarök where they kill each other in their final battle.

Yggdrasil, or “World Tree,” is a central feature of Norse mythology. The World Tree houses all nine of the mythological Norse realms, and several mythological creatures occupy its branches. My artwork here shows Thor, the thunder god, battling his nemesis the “World Serpent” Jörmungandr. Thor and the world serpent do battle in the cataclysmic Ragnarök where they kill each other in their final battle

Celtic warriors have been renowned for their prowess on the battlefield since ancient times. They were head hunters, displaying the heads of their slain victims in their homes as trophies, and they charged into battle adorned in blue war paint. This artwork pays homage to the Celtic warrior legacy; specifically, the Welsh who have long been known to some of the greatest of the Celtic warriors.

Celtic warriors have been renowned for their prowess on the battlefield since ancient times. They were head hunters, displaying the heads of their slain victims in their homes as trophies, and they charged into battle adorned in blue war paint. This artwork pays homage to the Celtic warrior legacy; specifically, the Scottish who have long been known to some of the greatest of the Celtic warriors.

Celtic warriors have been renowned for their prowess on the battlefield since ancient times. They were head hunters, displaying the heads of their slain victims in their homes as trophies, and they charged into battle adorned in blue war paint. This artwork pays homage to the Celtic warrior legacy; specifically, the Irish who have long been known to some of the greatest of the Celtic warriors.

Celtic warriors have been renowned for their prowess on the battlefield since ancient times. They were head hunters, displaying the heads of their slain victims in their homes as trophies, and they charged into battle adorned in blue war paint. This artwork pays homage to the Celtic warrior legacy.

The design depicts this monstrous canine of Northern European lore in a classic Nordic style with knots and patterns everywhere, but with a contemporary twist. The colors are distressed to give an aged appearance.

The design depicts this monstrous canine of Northern European lore in a classic Nordic style with knots and patterns everywhere, but with a contemporary twist. The colors are distressed to give an aged appearance.

The design depicts this monstrous canine of Northern European lore in a classic Nordic style with knots and patterns everywhere, but with a contemporary twist. The colors are distressed to give an aged appearance.

The design depicts this monstrous canine of Northern European lore in a classic Nordic style with knots and patterns everywhere, but with a contemporary twist. The colors are distressed to give an aged appearance.

“The Binding of Fenrir” has become one of the most popular tales in Norse mythology. Fenrir lived with the gods in Asgard, but as Fenrir continued to grow and grow into a monstrously large sized wolf, the gods knew he had become a threat. So, the gods bound Fenrir with a magical chain forged by the Dwarves. After being bound, Fenrir took his revenge and bit off the hand of the god Tyr. The symbolism of the brave Tyr sacrificing his hand to the powerful Fenrir is reflected in this artwork.

Ēostre was an ancient heathen goddess of the dawn. Her name is where we get the name “Easter” today. Ēostre (or Ostara in Old High German) represents the coming of the spring and the beginning of a new season of growth and fertility. Even though the old heathen customs were adopted into Christianity, the modern Easter is still flush with symbols of the old Easter. Easter bunnies, decorating eggs, tulips, and other spring time motifs are still very much with us today.

Almost all cultures have special words or toasts to acknowledge the activity of bonding with others over drinks. The Celtic and Norse tribes were no exception. Fermented beverages played an important role in rituals and sacrifices. It brought people together to help create a sense of comradery and community. Mead and ale took on an almost supernatural power as they are often referenced in sagas and mythology. Mead was referred to as the “nectar of the gods.” Much of the Saxon epic poem Beowulf is set in a mead hall. So raise your drink, and toast to the long held traditions of the past. Skál! Sláinte! Cheers!

This is the standard bearer for the Celtic Hammer Club brand. Celtic Hammer Club is the collection of artwork created by Doug Cavanaugh that pays homage to heroic mythologies, legends, and cultures from the Northern past.

The boar has played a prominent role in Celtic and Germanic culture since antiquity. This image was inspired by a well known Pictish carving stone dating to the 7th century. The Orkney Islands in Scotland take their name from Celtic word for boar. The boar was also used by the Vikings with the mythological Gullinbursti being the war pig of Norse god Freyr.

Huginn and Muninn (“Thought” and “Memory” respectively) are pet ravens of the Norse god, Odin. Odin’s ravens fly all over Midgard (Earth) collecting all of the information they can in order to report it back to Odin. In my interpretation, Huginn and Munnin are surrounding a magical stave named Ægishjálmr (Helm of Awe or Helm of Terror). It’s one of the most mysterious and powerful symbols in Norse mythology.

The ancient Irish writing of ogham reads “tip of the spear” on the spear shaft. The runes around the image read “all our hopes and dreams travel with you” because, as stated above, your existence represents the summation, the grand total of all the lives and actions before you.

The ancient Irish writing of ogham reads “tip of the spear” on the spear shaft. The runes around the image read “all our hopes and dreams travel with you” because, as stated above, your existence represents the summation, the grand total of all the lives and actions before you.

The design depicts this monstrous canine of Northern European lore in a classic Nordic style with knots and patterns everywhere, but with a contemporary twist. The colors are distressed to give an aged appearance almost as if it’s a gold or bronze artifact that was dug out of a Scandinavian chieftain’s burial mound. The runes at the bottom of the design say “Fenrir”.

The pumpkin Jack O’ Lantern is the North American cousin to a much older tradition going back into Ireland where the country folk would carve angry faces into turnips to drive away evil spirits. This was done on Halloween, a folk tradition with ties to a much older Celtic holiday called Samhain. It’s believed that the dead roam free on Halloween night. My drawing of this Jack O’ Lantern looks like it’s already been possessed by one of the evil spirits!

Thor, son of Odin, god of Thunder, protector of Midgard. Thor was a popular Norse god among the common farmers of Scandinavia and other Germanic speaking cultures as he was a protector of the people. Thor’s magical war hammer, Mjölnir, is the centerpiece of my artwork here. Mjölnir pendants were worn by many including the Vikings in the Middle Ages as a symbol of Thor’s protection and strength. Thor continues to be a popular figure in modern culture.

Thor, son of Odin, god of Thunder, protector of Midgard. Thor was a popular Norse god among the common farmers of Scandinavia and other Germanic speaking cultures as he was a protector of the people. Thor’s magical war hammer, Mjölnir, is the centerpiece of my artwork here. Mjölnir pendants were worn by many including the Vikings in the Middle Ages as a symbol of Thor’s protection and strength. Thor continues to be a popular figure in modern culture.

This Viking shield design builds on my most popular artwork of the wolf Fenrir. Fenrir is an enormous, monster wolf from Norse mythology, and is the father of all wolves. You’ll see Fenrir painted on the circular Viking shield. The shield is accented with two heavy-duty Viking axes that are decorated with wolves and Viking-style knot work. The shield is also accented by knot work and Elder Futhark runes.

This Viking shield design builds on my most popular artwork of the wolf Fenrir. Fenrir is an enormous, monster wolf from Norse mythology, and is the father of all wolves. You’ll see Fenrir painted on the circular Viking shield. The shield is accented with two heavy-duty Viking axes that are decorated with wolves and Viking-style knot work. The shield is also accented by knot work and Elder Futhark runes.

One of the personas of Odin is when he disguises himself and travels Midgard in search of knowledge and wisdom. As this persona, he is often portrayed as a wizard-like character. In fact, J.R.R. Tolkien used Odin the Wanderer as the foundation for the Gandalf the Wizard character in Lord of the Rings. This is my portrait of Odin as his Wanderer persona riding his horse, Sleipnir, who has eight legs in the mythology. Odin carries a magical spear named Gungnir.

The banshee (bean sí in Irish) is a ghoulish figure from ancient Celtic fairy lore. She is said to appear as an omen of death, wailing and crying outside of the home for a loved one in the house who is soon to die. She is a pretty terrifying figure. Legend has it that the banshee only wails for five different Irish families. I am a descendant of one of those five families, so I felt compelled to portray this wailing wench in all her spooky glory!

This is my take on the legendary Robin Hood! The Prince of Thieves done up in a Neo-Celtic style! I like the image of Robin as a Native Briton (either Saxon or Celtic) fighting the invading Normans. I used the leaves on him not just to represent camouflage in the forest, but also to draw connections to the Greenman whose archetype has often been associated with Robin.

This is my take on the legendary Robin Hood! The Prince of Thieves done up in a Neo-Celtic style! I like the image of Robin as a Native Briton (either Saxon or Celtic) fighting the invading Normans. I used the leaves on him not just to represent camouflage in the forest, but also to draw connections to the Greenman whose archetype has often been associated with Robin.

I did this bull elk in what could be called a Neo-Celtic or Neo-Nordic style. The stippling and knots are more traditional, but the image has a modern edginess to it. Elk and other antlered species have been a popular archetype representing strength, power, and virility going back to ancient times.

I did this bull elk in what could be called a Neo-Celtic or Neo-Nordic style. The stippling and knots are more traditional, but the image has a modern edginess to it. Elk and other antlered species have been a popular archetype representing strength, power, and virility going back to ancient times.

I did this bull elk in what could be called a Neo-Celtic or Neo-Nordic style. The stippling and knots are more traditional, but the image has a modern edginess to it. Elk and other antlered species have been a popular archetype representing strength, power, and virility going back to ancient times.

I did this bull elk in what could be called a Neo-Celtic or Neo-Nordic style. The stippling and knots are more traditional, but the image has a modern edginess to it. Elk and other antlered species have been a popular archetype representing strength, power, and virility going back to ancient times.

I did this bull elk in what could be called a Neo-Celtic or Neo-Nordic style. The stippling and knots are more traditional, but the image has a modern edginess to it. Elk and other antlered species have been a popular archetype representing strength, power, and virility going back to ancient times.

I did this bull elk in what could be called a Neo-Celtic or Neo-Nordic style. The stippling and knots are more traditional, but the image has a modern edginess to it. Elk and other antlered species have been a popular archetype representing strength, power, and virility going back to ancient times.