Whoa, inspiration JUST struck!

I need to tell someone about this silly little idea.

Good morning friend,

One of the great myths of art is that you have to wait for inspiration to strike before you can produce something of merit. In my experience, this is not much true; 99% of art - any art, really - is just hammering away at said art until something shakes loose.

But just now, as I was sitting down to edit a post I’d already written, something shook loose.

Suddenly it’s all I want to talk about! (Also, the post I’d already written is a brief bio about myself, and ugh oh my goodness does that sound boring.)

What shook loose is the most random thing: it’s the name of the axe carried by Galahorn - my antagonist - throughout the series.

This axe is a thing of lupine power. It’s long and hooked, its face fixed with a murderous expression of laughter.

Galahorn himself never laughs.

It is a terrifying axe - and it’s really fun to draw! - but it’s not without beauty. Something in its moon-like luminance - so at odds with the rest of this hairy minotaur of a man - has always felt like a hidden promise of nobility. It is the axe of a villain, yes… but so too could it be the axe of a hero.

Rüna. That’s the name I came up with.

I was looking through Nordic names for girls, and I came across the name “Alruna,” who was a Valkyrie. Valkyrie are warrior-women of Odin, so I thought “Okay wow, we are off to a great start.”

Then I shortened it, and asked google “What does Runa mean?” Google told me that “Runa or Rúna is a feminine given name of Old Norse origin meaning rune or secret lore.”

This made sense. A rune is a mysterious thing of power, associated with magic and divination. And because this axe is of great significance to the Protog - Galahorn’s people, who are basically super-Vikings - and the Protog are people of the umlaut, that would make my word:

Rüna.

A short, beautiful-sounding word… which just so happens to include the word RUN.

Welcome to my weird, creative journey. Yes, it’s like this in my head, all the time.

I’m so happy you’re here too :)

Jonah