Thank you very much:)

As for the sadness the story is maybe a bit more complicated. I guess that the Iron age and Viking age people of Scandinavia saw this story, not as a sad one, but one of cunning and dangerous magic. What happens in the poem is that Odin, the only male God of magic (sorcery was an area managed by women ), is trying to get hold of the magic of writing (to these people literacy was akin to magic) and to do this he has to make a sacrifice to the male God of magic - himself! Sacrifice, suicide, and resurrection all in one.

But on the other hand you are right that I do emphasize the tragic part in the image by imposing the three monsters, because Odin got the knowledge of writing and thus also of poetry, and in poetry was the end of Odin and the world foretold. The beautiful vølupspa. So in my interpretation: getting the runes also gave Odin the power of poetry and divination, which in turn told him of the end of himself and his world.

And yes, I do believe in giving away what you do not need. The things I sell or might have use for in my projects, for them I keep my copyright. But these images would just turn to dust on my harddisk. :)

Try look at my next post for some extra info :)