Oseberg Blowing Horn

This is a commissioned piece by a fellow in Chicago who really liked my first horn of the same name. So I went about making another but it took a long time as I had so many projects on the go.

I started with a blowing horn I had already sanded and finished with beeswax polish. But I could never get a good sound out of it and needed to carve out the mouthpiece for better embouchure.

Next, carve the design...

Ink in the background to to bring out the design...

 Add strap.

And then I changed my mind on the strap because I didn't like it, also carved runes, so here it is now...

Viking Banner and my personal emblem

Finished with tassle fringe.

This project started with the support stick. I harvested it from my yard when clearing some trees and branches. It has a perfect side branch growing at a right angle from the trunk. I knew I had to use it for just such a purpose as a viking banner, inspired by the wind vanes from some of the viking ships. But I hadn't come up with a design to go on it. Until now...

The design is my own, inspired by the Oseberg Art style.

The canvas was some leftover scrap from my tent, I added some leather straps and horn toggles and painted the design on both sides. It is all hand-sewn.

To add more colour, I hand-knotted the tassle fringes which you can see in the first picture.

To give it height, I fashioned a straight stick that I can drive into the ground and, to which, I can attach the banner. The dowel pegs help to align and strengthen the joint while the rope holds it all together.

You can see the season change in the foliage in the background, indicating it took awhile to get done - mainly deciding to add the fringe. I'm happy with how it turned out and can use it for my banner for my campsite at demos and also as my unofficial 'Coat of Arms' at SCA events. I'm not a member of the SCA but was awarded their Award of Arms (meaning I'm officially a Lord in their game).