User:Bloodofox

This user is a participant in WikiProject Ancient Germanic studies. This user is a participant in WikiProject Norse history and culture. This user is a member of the Runic studies work group. This user is a WikiProject Folklore member This user received the Editor of the Week award. This user has been on Wikipedia for 19 years, 5 months and 7 days.

and ƿelcome to my corner of Ƿikipedia.

I have a general interest in all things folklore and folklore studies, language and linguistics, and essentially anything to do with history. I am among a far too small group of editors on Wikipedia who specialize in and frequently edit on topics relating to Germanic paganism and Germanic-speaking peoples.

I can also be found active on articles on Slavic, Classical, and general Indo-European topics, and I am a rare editor (or masochist) known to endure WP:FRINGE topics and new religious movement matters.

I have been editing Wikipedia for around two decades now. I've witnessed hundreds of editors come and go. I've seen poor editors evolve into experts and great editors devolve into crackpots. Wikipedia was openly mocked when I first started editing the project but I've witnessed it grow, for better or worse, to become the world's premiere source for every topic under the sun. Today Wikipedia plays a vital role in contemporary societies across the world.

Anyone who spends time here knows that Wikipedia is imperfect. The process of editing Wikipedia is too often messy and difficult, almost as if it were designed to encourage disputes. The site can have a strong political bias that seems to vary by topic area. This site's interface has become increasingly archaic. Organized groups regularly attempt to hijack the site for any number of purposes. Sometimes they succeed but usually they don't. Some areas of the site see a lot of activity, most often pop culture or other issue-of-the-day topics, while others are left to decay. (Despite some progress, the latter still sadly includes most of the site's folklore topic articles.)

Yes, Wikipedia has many problems but the project is more important and influential than ever. Ultimately, the solution to the project is you. If you are an expert in a particular topic area, I implore you to consider editing the site despite it all: you can still make a positive difference here.

I ended my spree of producing Good Article-status articles many years ago. This is mainly because I don't have time for the review process. Nonetheless, I continue to edit with these principles in mind and I produce new articles as time permits.

Here are some articles I've contributed to heavily, or had a large hand in developing, that have reached (and remain at) Good Article status:

Freshly grown articles currently waiting to be inspected at Wikipedia:Good_article_nominations:

None at this time

While I've authored/rewritten numerous articles on Wikipedia, here are some articles that I'm attempting to grow into something of quality enough for GA-examination:

High-priority articles that need to be rewritten:

• Germanic mythology
• Dís
• Norn

A selection of my photographs that I've contributed to Wikipedia:

• 
  The Sønder Kirkby runestone features a prayer to Thor.
• 
  The Vimose Comb features the current earliest known runic inscription.
• 
  A bracteate likely depicting Odin, with a raven, his horse, and an ornate Suebian knot with the heathen Alu formula.
• 
  Detail of the Elder Futhark runic inscription on a copy of one of the two mysterious Golden Horns of Gallehus.
• 
  The Snaptun Stone, widely held to depict a stitched-mouth Loki.
• 
  Both silver, a female figure touches her hair while facing forward (left) and a figure sits atop a horse, facing another figure with a shield (right).
• 
  Easily the most exciting thing in Kolind, Denmark.
• 
  The mysterious Snoldelev stone featuring a swastika and the triple-horn symbol similar to the valknut.

More...

A collection of people being nice to me:

	The Tireless Contributor Barnstar
	For your decade’s worth of contributions regarding Germanic mythology. Karaeng Matoaya (talk) 16:48, 26 June 2020 (UTC)

		The Barnstar of Diligence
		We have had many disagreements over the years, but I wanted you to know that I respect you for what you do. You have high standards for content and you try to hold articles on Wikipedia to those standards. Over the course of your time here, you have made many excellent contributions to articles on Norse mythology and folklore. More recently, you have done excellent work in trying to combat the POV-pushing of supporters of the pseudoscience of cryptozoology. I think your contributions warrant some appreciation, so I am giving you this barnstar. —Katolophyromai (talk) 01:38, 29 August 2019 (UTC)

You... you are a wonder. Not only knowledgeable, but dedicated, a trait far less common, yet far more valuable. You are the reason Wikipedia is free from those who would wish to destroy it for their own enjoyment. You are the reason people can come to Wikipedia for reliable and factual information. You are a person that, despite the misinformation and clutter of the world, can be trusted to give clarity and understanding on a subject that has touched the imaginations of many. For your work on culture on the medieval peoples of northern Europe, thank you. Floatsam (talk) 04:30, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

		The Good Article Barnstar
		I award you this barnstar for your incredible efforts of bringing 30 articles on Norse and Germanic topics to Good Article status. Keep it up, but don't make your dwarven minions work too hard! –Holt T•C 17:51, 5 February 2009 (UTC)

		The Good Article Medal of Merit
		I award you this barnstar for you endless stream of Nordic mythology-related articles that pass themselves through the GA process. No other editor delivers such comprehensive quality in their nominations, making your articles a dream to review. Thanks for making Wikipedia a better encyclopedia. Arsenikk (talk) 11:54, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

		The Original Barnstar
		In spite of our less than auspicious interactions in the past, I would like to recognize your valuable contributions to our coverage of Germanic topics. You have done some good work on Wikipedia. dab (𒁳) 20:39, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

		The Editor's Barnstar
		I award User:Bloodofox the Editor's Barnstar for his valiant efforts to keep irrelevant, unsourced and subtrivial material out of our articles. Haukur 14:13, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

		The Special Barnstar
		For this excellent edit to Danish People's Party, I hereby award you The Special Barntar. Law Lord (talk) 22:18, 15 September 2009 (UTC)

User:Bloodofox has been identified as an Awesome Wikipedian, and therefore, I've officially declared today as Bloodofox's day! You have made remarkable contributions to the project, and the editors and readers of those pages are and always will be grateful to you for them. We all look forward to seeing you return and continue in such development. Thank you again for your outstanding efforts at article development. Peace, Casliber (talk · contribs) 07:15, 24 December 2009 (UTC) A record of your Day will always be kept here. Sorry, a bit late this one.

Notes to myself (or you?) for eventual future work:

Alu (runic)

Beowa

Corn dolly, needs plenty of attention.

Fjörgyn and Fjörgynn

Godwulf

Hel (location),needs expansion

Merseburg Incantations

Neorxnawang

Nine Herbs Charm

Rune poems, needs expansion, particularly Scandinavian rune poems.

Runic alphabet, needs major work, including overhaul and standardization of individual rune articles.

Valravn

Zisa (goddess)

Æcerbot

Articles I intend to create (or I encourage someone to start):

Boar helmet

Menglöð

Suti in Norse mythology

Ongoing article projects that are not yet ready to be brought into their articles for various reasons:

• Haukurth's Germanic Mythology Art Project: An ongoing project to collect and upload all of the (now public domain) illustrations of Germanic mythology to Wikipedia. Many of these illustrations have not seen the light of day since the 19th century, and few realize they exist. That is, until now.

• Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Norse mythology)