Description
The name Lofoten is a conjunction of two words: Loft or a high place, and Oten or Odin, king of the Norse gods. In a manner of speaking, Lofoten could mean Odin’s loft or Odin’s high place. The name could not be more apt as Lofoten is a country of rugged mountains and steep peaks that could very well have been the abode of the mythological Norse gods.
When the sunlight bathes the Lofoten mountains with its life-giving rays, just when the clouds rise as if in glorious flight, it is nature casting a spell on the onlooker. The viewer is transported to an imaginary hall where noble warriors fallen in battle are met with a hero’s welcome, feasting, drinking, and fighting until Ragnarök or Doomsday comes. A Viking’s vision of paradise is wonderfully articulated in this textured landscape, a chiaroscuro of light and shadow.
