The soul behind Valhalla's Roots
Before the roots, there was the call. A journey between the ancient, the occult, and the unknown, which eventually took form through my hands.
This is the story behind Valhalla's Roots.
Beyond the objects
Valhalla's Roots will always be more than what is on display in the shop.
I also want to share research, writing, study, and personal experience, slowly making a space where these subjects can be explored in depth.
Some of it rests on historical sources and academic research. Some will come from traditions and devotional practice. Some will belong to contemporary spirituality. And some will be born of my own experience.
I believe all of these perspectives can coexist, as long as we are honest about where they come from. That is the space I want to build.
Not a place that tells you what to believe. A place that gives you something to explore.
The hands behind the pieces
A large part of my work at Valhalla's Roots is done directly by me.
I take part in shaping the ideas, developing the products, choosing the materials, researching the symbols, selecting the pieces, and in the presentation, the packaging, and the whole visual identity of the brand.
Some pieces begin as nothing more than an idea and take form through experiment and handwork. Others are found among artisans, makers, and suppliers whose work I consider to belong in the world of Valhalla's Roots.
I do not choose something only because it is in fashion, or because it looks as if it might sell. I look for character. I look for materials, forms, textures, symbols, and objects that have something to say, even if that message is simply the feeling they wake in the person who finds them.
Each piece has to make sense within what I am building. That is why the process is not always quick. I would rather wait for the right piece than fill a collection only to have more products available.
Nature, myth, and mystery
Nature holds an important place in who I am and in what I make.
Forests, stones, plants, the turning of the seasons, clouds, darkness, and the quiet places far from daily life constantly feed my imagination.
It was through that curiosity that my interest in mythology grew. Norse traditions, Greek deities, runes, folklore, witchcraft, ancient symbols, and the many ways human beings have related to nature open countless doors to explore.
I do not see these traditions as something that must have a single interpretation. They can be studied historically. They can be explored through spirituality. They can inspire art and making. They can wake curiosity. And they can simply lead us to ask questions about what we thought we knew.
That is the freedom I want to keep at Valhalla's Roots.
Darkness is not the end
The word darkness is often tied to fear, to danger, or to what should be avoided. For me, it can mean something else.
It can stand for the unknown. For what we do not yet understand. For the parts of ourselves we are still learning to face. The silence of a forest at night. The space between one phase of life and the next. The moment of standing at a crossroads without knowing which path to choose.
That is also why I am particularly drawn to the symbolism of thresholds, borders, and crossroads.
Figures such as Hecate interest me not only for their association with magic, or with what is called shadowed, but for what they represent: transition, passage, boundary, guidance, and change.
That perspective has deeply shaped the atmosphere of Valhalla's Roots.
Making with intention
I believe objects made by hand, or chosen with care, should keep some individuality. Absolute perfection and uniformity have never been what interests me most.
Small differences in texture, form, finish, or appearance can be part of what makes a piece human.
When I make something, I want a link between the first idea and the object that finally reaches someone's hands. When I choose a piece made by someone else, I want to know why it belongs here.
And when someone comes to me as a customer, I want to keep that same honesty. I do not believe there is a single piece, a single crystal, a single ritual, or a single spiritual path that is right for every person.
Each person brings their own story, their own views, and their own experience. It is not for me to decide what someone's path should be. My part is to make, to study, and to share what may help each person discover their own.
Why Valhalla's Roots exists
At heart, Valhalla's Roots is a collection of things that deserve to be looked at more closely.
A place for objects with meaning. For craft. For old stories and contemporary readings. For curiosity. For those drawn to the mysterious without needing everything explained. And for those who understand that spirituality does not always need to be obvious or grand.
Sometimes it is found in a quiet ritual. In the lighting of a candle. In studying the meaning of an ancient symbol. On a walk through the forest. In an object we give a personal meaning. Or simply in the freedom to ask questions we may never have been taught to ask.
Who is Marta Carmine?
The woman behind Valhalla's Roots
My name is Marta Carmine. I am the founder and maker of Valhalla's Roots, but before the brand existed there was already in me a strong bond with nature, with making, and with everything that has always stirred my imagination: mythology, symbolism, spirituality, ancient traditions, plants, stones, runes, and the more mysterious side of human history.
I have always been closely tied to the natural world. I like being in nature, watching the seasons change, exploring forests and mountains, finding plants and mushrooms, and noticing beauty in things that often go unseen. Autumn, the cold, the dark, and the more shadowed places have a particular hold on me, and they shape how I see and how I make.
Over the years I have grown more and more interested in mythology, witchcraft, symbolism, and spirituality. Hecate, Lilith, and more recently Lucifer each open a different reflection on shadow, transformation, freedom, knowledge, and the line between what is called sacred and what is called profane.
Norse traditions, the runes, and different ancestral practices are part of my study and of my personal exploration. I do not like to accept something simply because someone says it is so. I like to research, compare, learn, and form my own understanding.
Above all, I am a creative person. I like to make with my hands, to try materials, to transform objects, and to give form to the ideas in my head. Often a piece begins as nothing more than an image or a feeling, and from there the whole process of making begins.
It is that mix of study, making, and personal experience that eventually gave rise to Valhalla's Roots.
I do not see myself as someone who only sells products. I am the one who seeks, chooses, researches, makes, and develops much of what reaches the brand. Each piece passes under my eye before it finds its place here. I look for materials, objects, and symbols with character, that make sense inside the world I am building.
I also believe we do not have to choose between tradition and individuality. We can study what came before us, respect its origins, and at the same time develop a personal relationship with that knowledge. That is the freedom I want to bring to Valhalla's Roots.
I do not want to tell anyone what they should believe, or what their path should be. I want to share what I study, what I make, and what I discover, and leave room for each person to find their own relationship with those things.
Valhalla's Roots was born from me, but it is not meant to be only about me. It is a place where what I learn, what I make, and what inspires me can reach other people, and perhaps wake in them the same wish to search, to discover, and to look at the world differently.