There are many names for earth goddesses; depending on your leaning, you may favour Prithvi, Ki, Phra Mae Thorani, Etugen Eke, Papahānaumoku, Asase Afua, Mama Pacha, Trengtrengfilu, Cybele, Bhum, Zonja e Dheut, Žemyna, Cel, Maaemä, Mat Zemlya, Papatūānuku, Terra, Danu, Jörð, or finally, Gaia.
Gaia, primordial goddess of the earth. She was one of the earliest elemental deities, having been created at the beginning of time. It was thought that all creation is descended from Gaia, the great mother of all things. According to Greek mythology, she was the creator of the universe and was responsible for the birth of both humanity and the first race of gods, the Titans.
But why would I talk about Greek mythology when everyone knows my interest is in Nordic and British Celtic (Jörð and Danu)? Well, primarily it's because of the winner of the Chelsea Flower Show this year.
Sarah Eberle won the top honour at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for her Show Garden, "On the Edge," created for the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). The design celebrated the wilder, often-overlooked countryside on the fringes of towns and cities that connects urban areas to nature—rather than traditional, manicured gardens. A colossal, dramatic wooden sculpture of Gaia appears to rise directly out of the earth among silver birch trees and grasses.
The big takeaway from all this is that the statue and a recreated garden are to receive a permanent home right here in Sheffield. In fact, the statue has already arrived and is in the green space in front of the Park Hill flats, which will soon be her new home. This week, I went along to visit her.
I can't wait to see the finished garden. I'll be back to check on progress and look forward to seeing the completed creation. It’s an incredible asset for the city to land, and having a massive, ancient elemental figure sitting right in front of the iconic, concrete brutalism of Park Hill is going to look absolutely stunning.
The spirit of the Urban Viking—and the occasional absurdity of navigating the modern world—lives on in my webcomic, Northman. 
You can read the latest chapter here:
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𝖂𝖊𝖑𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊, 𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖗.
ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ, ꜱʜᴀʀᴇ ᴀ ᴛᴀʟᴇ, ᴏʀ ᴊᴏɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪꜱᴄᴜꜱꜱɪᴏɴ. ʟɪᴠᴇʟʏ ʙᴜᴛ ʀᴇꜱᴘᴇᴄᴛꜰᴜʟ ᴅᴇʙᴀᴛᴇ ɪꜱ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʜᴀʟʟ — ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴅꜱ ᴛʜᴇᴍꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ꜱʜᴀʀᴘ ᴍɪɴᴅ.
ʙᴜᴛ ᴍɪɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴀɴɴᴇʀꜱ: ᴀʙᴜꜱᴇ, ʀᴜᴅᴇɴᴇꜱꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴘᴀᴍ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ꜱᴡɪꜰᴛʟʏ ᴄᴀꜱᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴅ, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴀᴠᴇɴꜱ ᴡɪʟʟ ɪɢɴᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ.
ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴡɪꜱʜ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛ, ᴀ ꜱɪᴍᴘʟᴇ ᴇᴍᴏᴊɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴅᴏ — ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴀ ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴛ ɴᴏᴅ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇɴᴄʜᴇꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇᴅ.
ɴᴏᴡ, ᴡᴀʀᴍ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟꜰ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪꜱʜ.