A lesson in Norse mythology

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This article was published 25/09/2017 (2985 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Charleswood resident Ainsley Bloomer has turned her journey of self-discovery into a three-week course.

The retired teaching assistant will be teaching a three-week evening course on Norse mythology at John Taylor Collegiate starting on Mon., Oct. 16. Her passion for Icelandic history and mythology began in university, when she decided to take some electives on the subject.

“Then I was kind of just stuck there — that was it,” Bloomer said of her interest.

The idea of teaching classes on mythology came to her at one of her many graduation ceremonies. A fellow grad saw an Icelandic broach that Bloomer was wearing and asked her about it.

“She came up to me and said how can you wear that? How could you wear that broach to a Christian ceremony?… I was really shocked… she said to her it was a symbol of something evil or pagan or not Christian.

ALANA TRACHENKO / Ainsley Bloomer’s three-week course on Icelandic and Norse mythology will include a mix of history and language, as well.

“I think that was my first lesson that I gave… I told her it was a symbol of my heritage.”

The broach in question was actually designed after a very old and famous Christian church in Norway, and is a symbol of the Yggdrasil, the World Tree.

“I learned that there were people that not only were prejudiced, but they were also misinformed,” Bloomer said.

She has taught some mythology courses in the past at the Scandinavian Centre, and she’ll be leading a class through a similar format, which mixes history, mythology and a bit of language, which Bloomer says is impossible to avoid when learning all the different words.

“Old Norse grammar is really complex, it’s not like anything in English,” she said. “There’s language as well, because you can’t get through all the words without it.”

Things like names follow a different structure as well, with sons and daughters taking different versions of their father’s names. Some say English is a difficult language to learn, but Bloomer will laugh and point out her stacks of Icelandic language books.

“I’m still learning,” she said.

To sign up for the course, visit www.sjasd.ca and select “Continuing Education” under the “Programs” tab.