The ancient Greek Gods were of the warm south, but in the north of Europe the Norse Gods reigned in equally ancient lands of ice and fire. The Norse deities and heroes seem to me to be carved from the landscape, craggy, more primitive and megalithic than the sun-bathed, elegant Greeks. While my initial inspiration comes from my love of Wagner’s take on aspects of the Nordic myths in his Ring Cycle - gods, goddesses and those magnificent Valkyries - further research illuminates an entire worldview of sagas from Iceland and Scaninavia, a true inspiration for sculpture.

Helwige, Siegrune and Waltraute are three of Wagner’s Valkyries in his Ring Cycle. The Valkyries were Odin’s daughters by the Earth Goddess Erda. They rode horses through the sky and chose which heroes would die in battle and be taken to Valhalla, Odin’s hall.

Benandonner, the most powerful giant in Scotland, challenged the Irish Giant Finn McCool to a fight. Finn accepted, not realising just how big Benandonner was, and built the Giant’s Causeway across to Scotland. Benandonner was tricked into thinking Finn McCool was much bigger than him, so he destroyed the causeway to stop Finn McCool from coming to Scotland.

Welsh Giant Rhitta Gawr held court on Snowdonia. He fought and defeated many giants and the twenty-six kings of Britain and their armies.He cut off the kings' beards and made them into a great cape to protect himself from the cold.