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| Hall of Hygge! |
I’ve been embracing Hygge, the Danish art of ‘being’ and
‘sharing’, and it got me thinking. This isn’t a new craze that’s never been
tried before. This is something the Danish have been perfecting for hundreds of
years. It’s something the human race has been practising for thousands of years. It’s simply a case
of switching off from all the external distractions of life in our current
world and curling up with those you love. It’s about downtime without
artificial lights or modern technologies that interrupt us all the while. It’s
time to switch off your smartphones, or in the case of our ancestors, leave the
swords outside.
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| 'If I can just thread this needle...' |
Some may argue that television is the modern equivalent to
the tales of Scops or Skalds in the Mead Halls, except instead of listening to
oral stories of brave heroes we are eagerly watching people dance or bake their
way to glory. Here in the Moxon household we’ve had candles and fairy lights on
and the whole tribe has been curled up on a sofa surrounded by cushions and
blankets. There’s been reading, board games and knitting. I’ve almost completed
a knitted tunic that I began in the spring, hoping to wear it for winter. This
is now taking shape and I may still have the weather to wear it in. It made me
think of Medieval women combing raw wool as they sit by the fire.
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| Get the tea on! |
Surprisingly, or not, all this Hyggelig behaviour spurred my
writer’s brain into action. I’ve had plot ideas, promotional ideas and thoughts
of exciting twists in future novels. We’ve planned holidays and daytrips or
taken 40 winks, sent into slumber by the warmth of the dog beside us (not with
the candles burning mind you!). The communal ‘downtime’ not only liberated us
from modern society, but liberated our imaginations. It is easy to see how
productive this socially engaging enclosure is and would have been to our
ancestors in the Mead Halls. Campaigns could be formed and strategized;
community disputes discussed and settled; plans passed for building and crop
growing.
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| Time for adventure |
Like a warrior whittling runes into a bone comb, dreaming of
heroic ventures as he warms his toes by the hearth, so we have been busy making
and plotting in our own 21st Century way. There is a saying that
‘the old ones are the best’ and I think the Danes know this very well. Hygge is
an old tradition and is still the best way to live, tapping into our past as we
move into the future. Here's to exciting adventures and some literary 'a-viking' across the oceans of the writer's page!
BE CANDLE SAFE – NEVER LEAVE A BURNING FLAME UNATTENDED
Elaine writes Historical Fiction as E S Moxon and is currently editing the second novel in the 'Wolf Spear Saga' series, writing the third instalment, as well as a set of Old English tales and several novellas. You can keep up to date with her publishing progress on her website.
Blood, betrayal and brotherhood.
An ancient saga is weaving their destiny.
A treacherous rival threatens their fate.
A Seer's magic may be all that can save them.
WULFSUNA
