Jun
Toy Vikings
My favorite toy soldiers were six brightly-painted fellows wielding maces, swords and spears. They were Vikings from the Louis Marx Company’s “Warriors of the World” series. The poses includes a red-haired fur-clad Viking standing with a spear, a Viking in white hauberk and armor standing with spear, a red-clad Viking with sword and shield, a blue-clad warrior running with a spear, a fur-clad man with a mace, and a man in hauberk wielding a war club. They were my favorites. I did not question historical accuracy. All the Vikings I had ever seen had winged and horned helmets. (Marx also made two other Viking poses. I did not have them.)
I recently managed to find a few copies of these Vikings in good shape. Having them has reminded me of some things. I remember when we first learned of Erik the Red. The thing that stuck with me all these years is that no matter what his family did, Erik remained true to the Gods. His wife and son took up with another god, but Erik kept faith with the Aesir.
Having the toy Vikings made it easier for me to appreciate these people. It was better than having a picture. The toys helped make the Vikings real for me.
Children have a harder time objectifying things than do adults. Something as simple as a painting, a toy or a model can make all the difference. Even as adults, we occasionally need extra help in making an idea tangible. We should be willing to use the tools that make this easier.
It is a fact that anything spiritual is also practical. Understanding the subtle things may require finding the physical manifestations which relate most closely to them. It might be as simple as riding a train to get a feel for the Raido Rune, watching the Sun rise to appreciate the Dag Rune, or crossing a bridge to feel closer to Heimdall. The physical thing is the portal through which you can touch the spiritual essence.
At first, the Vikings were stories in a book. The little toy Vikings helped bring the real ones closer to me. It made them tangible. So it is that the physical world can be the means to understand the spiritual side of things. Our material world is also a spiritual world. Sometimes we need a little extra help to appreciate it.
