The Lore

Every name means something.

We name our soaps after the gods, giants, creatures, and places of Norse myth, and a few from our Celtic roots. The name always fits the bar: the scent, the ingredients, or the feeling. Here's the short version of who's who. Each product page has the full story.

Our lore comes from the Poetic Edda, Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the sagas, and later Scandinavian and Icelandic folklore. Where something is later folklore rather than Viking Age myth, we say so.

Odin, the All-Father

He gave an eye for a drink from Mímir's well and hung nine nights on Yggdrasil to win the runes. Odin's Wisdom (cedar) is named for him, and Mímir's Gold (made with real mead) for the well. At Yule he's called Jólnir, the Yule one: Jólnir's Hearth. His ravens Huginn and Muninn fly out every morning: Huginn's Offering. His hall of joy is Glaðsheimr: Gladsheim's Grace. And in Valhalla the mead never runs dry: Valhalla's Indulgence.

Thor and the hammer

Mjölnir struck giants, hallowed Baldr's pyre, and blessed brides. Pine tar soap is old, honest, and serious, so the whole Thor's Essence line is pine tar: Forge Fire, Opprinnelig ("original"), Myk ("soft"), and Myrkviðr ("dark forest"). Mjölnir Frost and Mjölnir's Magic carry the hammer itself. Thor's wife Sif lost her golden hair to Loki and got it back in real gold: Sif's Serenity.

The Vanir

The gods of plenty. Freyja, goddess of love, seiðr, and battle: Freya's Essence. Her brother Freyr, lord of rain, sun, and harvest: Freyr's Harvest. Their father Njörðr, god of the sea: Njord's Nectar. And the whole family: Vanir Dream.

Frigg and her circle

Frigg knows every fate and speaks none. Around her are goddesses Snorri names in a line or two: Eir, best of healers (Eir's Confection), and Vör, from whom nothing can be hidden (Vör's Bramble). Iðunn keeps the apples that keep the gods young: Iðunn's Elixir and the Orchard Witch bar.

Loki

Frigg made everything swear never to harm Baldr, except the mistletoe. Loki noticed. Kiss of Loki is our mistletoe bar, and Loki's Gambit is a mystery soap, because with Loki you never know what you're getting.

Fate, spirits, and the old powers

The Norns weave fate at the roots of Yggdrasil: Norns' Fate and Norns' Citrus Forge. The dísir are the ancestral guardian spirits of a family: Dísir's Dream. The valkyries choose the slain: Valkyrie's Grove. And the skalds kept it all alive in verse: Skald's Sanctuary.

Giants, beasts, and the beginning of the world

Before the gods there was Auðumbla, the cow whose milk fed the first giant: Auðumbla's Bounty. The sea giant Ægir brewed for the gods: Ægir's Reserve. Fafnir murdered for gold and became a dragon: Fafnir's Blood. Fenrir is the great wolf: Fenrir's Fur, our dog soap. Heimdall guards the rainbow bridge: Heimdall's Bifrost Ale. Midgard, the world in the middle, is where we all live: Midgard Purity.

Folklore and the long winter

The huldra of Scandinavian folklore is beautiful from the front and hollow as a dead tree from behind: Huldra's Veil. Iceland's thirteen Yule Lads raid the kitchen every December: Jólasveinar's Kitchen. These are later tales, not Viking Age myth, but they grew out of the same long northern nights.

From our Celtic side

Brigid keeps three fires: the forge, poetry, and the hearth. Brigid's Bloom is named for her. Samhain, when the veil thins: Samhain Sweetness.

And a few that are just ours

Some names aren't mythology. Patience's Dream and Patience's Cinnamon Charm are named for Patience. Charlotte's Cauldron is Charlotte's. And Unicorn Poop is Charlotte's too. She named it, and she was right.