FJORD

My 2D design project that I chose was to design the art for a fake video game. While I normally wouldn’t write anything of a school project, with all the effort I put into it, I consider it one of my most detailed works.

My topic was to encompass Norse culture, psychology, and Geology. The basic premise consists of a young man using ancient magic to save his best friend who is generally believed to be dead and beyond saving. The use of dramatic Norwegian landscape, Norse culture, and the question of what is reality and what is fantasy incorporates all three themes.

I also sought to emulate Hayao Miyazaki’s style of drawing. Though I obviously didn’t utilize an anime style, I did my best to use intricate detail. I also was influenced by Square Enix games, and the realism of their human characters.

After much research, I incorporated many elements of Norse culture into the game. I decided to incorporate the Elder Futhark runes into the magic that the main character, Gerd, practices. The ancient nature of the runes and their previous association with magic made it the perfect choice. I also was careful to research the dress and appearance of Old Norse people. I learned that the only males who cut their hair short were slaves, and Gerd’s short hair implies that he is ill-regarded in his community. Other parts of Norse culture I used were the trademark Viking shields, runestones, and mythology. An example of mythology I used was Munin, Gerd’s raven guide. Munin and his counterpart Hugin were two ravens whose names meant “memory” and “thought” respectively. They delivered information to Odin. I used Munin because of his association with memory, another subtle allusion to psychology.

Another thing that deeply influenced me was the Bible. Though it is overlain with Norse imagery, the game is largely allegorical with the principal of the association of words with power, and the power attached to the name of Jesus. Accordingly, the bracelet that amplifies Gerd’s abilities bears a runic inscriptions of the name “Jesus”.  The whole principal magic of Liđvald (“bound ) in the game circles around the verse Matthew 18:18, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” In this game, I depict “binding” as an action that draws matter to one point and “loosing” as expelling matter from one point. This and other subtle references makes the game very Christian, despite the Norse overtones.



A wallpaper image, incorporating main character Gerd with Munin from the cover art, a runestone from the back cover, and the logo. Note the Norse sheild and the runic inscriptions both on the stone and in the wisps of magic.



The Runic Alphabet

Elder Futhark

For my 2D design project, the class’ theme was Vikings. This prompted me to research the runic alphabet.

The runic alphabet was used primarily for Germanic languages before they adopted the Latin alphabet. They were used primarily in the very beginning of the common era, likely before 200 BCE. They are often found on runestones.

It is unsure from where the runic alphabet originated. They are assumed to have originated from one of the Old Italic alphabets that preceded them by hundreds of years, however, no one is entirely sure which alphabet was specifically its origin. While the Raetic alphabet shares 18 of the symbols of the Elder Futhark runes, some think that the runic alphabet was derived directly from the Latin alphabet, while others think it may have originated from an Old Etruscan alphabet with a Germanic name, called Harigast.

Originally, runes could be written in any direction, but eventually they came to be written from left to write as many other western alphabets. In addition, words tended to run together, with no spaces, though occasionally one or two dots may serve the same purpose of spaces.

The most ubiquitous set of Runic alphabet is the Elder Futhark runes. They are also considered the oldest set of runes. The term “Futhark” is used because the first six runes are symbols for the Latin equivalent of “f-u-đ (or th) -a-r-k”.  

The Elder Futhark runes are the runes I chose to use for my project, because I wanted an element of antiquity. Runes are associated with mysticism, and I incorporated this magical element, although it is overlain with subtle Christian symbolism. The particulars of my project will be discussed in the next blog.

Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki is a legendary Japanese director and animator, internationally famous for movies such as My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and Spirited Away. Along with Isao Takahata, he cofounded Studio Ghibli. He tends to both write and direct his movies, and relies predominantly on traditional art rather than digital.

Miyazaki is most noted for including stunning detail in his work and the very realistic motions and gestures that he incorporates with his characters. Even in scenes that are shown only for a split second, he spares no effort. Howl’s Moving Castle is a good example of this, as the castle’s exterior is ridiculously intricate. Regarding the human-like motions he utilizes, an example that comes to my mind is in Spirited Away, when the main character, Chihiro, puts on her shoes. She doesn’t just put them on, but she pulls on the backs of them and taps the toe of one of her shoes to make sure it’s on right. Another example is in My Neighbor Totoro, as the two girls Satsuki and Mei inspect the porch of their new home.

Many of Miyazaki’s movies include strong environmentalist themes. Examples include Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, which is about a post-apocalyptic world where the dwindling human population is in enmity not only with each other but with a toxic fungal forest and its insect inhabitants, and Princess Mononoke, a movie about the conflict between humans in Muromachi-period Japan and neighboring forest spirits. There is also a strong feminist element to many of his movies; most of his main protagonists are strong female characters, and even the side characters fail to fit into the damsel-in-distress classification.  As an example, though San in Princess Mononoke is not the
main hero of the movie, she is very tough and
headstrong.