Description: This scene is from the 1907 edition of The Land of
Enchantment, a collection of Arthur Rackham's illustrations
that originally appeared in the Victorian era periodical "
Little Folks " between 1896 and 1902. This illustration, from
the chapter Stories from the Eddas,
depicts a Victorian era retelling of the making of The Treasures of the Gods. The
myth begins when Loki cuts
off Sif’s golden hair
while she is sleeping. Sif’s husband, Þórr, threatens to break every
one of Loki’s bones, but Loki swears that he will replace her
hair with golden hair made by the dwarves. The dwarves known as
the Sons of Ivaldi
make the golden hair along with the spear Gungnir and the ship "Skíðblaðnir. Loki wagers his
head that the dwarves, Brokkr and Sindri cannot make three treasures as good the
ones made by the Sons of
Ivaldi. Loki changes into a fly and tries to
sabotage the making of Þórr´s hammer by harassing Brokkr at the
bellows which is the reason why Þórr´s hammer has a short
handle. Brokkr and Sindri produce the boar Gullinbursti, the ring Draupnir, and Þórr’s hammer Mjöllnir. The gods judge Mjöllnir
to be the greatest of the six treasures. Loki loses the bet, but
figures out a way to keep his head. The caption reads, "Once
again the buzzing fly came in at the window." [the text that is
being illustrated is on p. 119]
Source: Stories From the Eddas
Folio or Page: 121
Medium: pen and ink
Date: 1907
Dimensions (mm): 135 x 190
Provenance:
This illustration is from The
Land of Enchantment.
Rights:
This illustration from The Land of
Enchantment is in the public domain.
Buchheim, E.
S.
Stories from the Eddas. The Land
of Enchantment. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. [Reprinted from
“Little Folks.”]. Cassells, 1907,
pp.11-144.
Loki is counted among the gods but is a giant by birth.
Artifacts
Draupnir (non.)
Odin's gold ring which has the power to multiply itself.
Gungnir (non.)
Óðinn's spear whose name means "swaying one."
Mjöllnir (non.)
Mjollnir (en.)
Þórr's hammer that returns to his hand after he throws it.
Skíðblaðnir (non.)
A boat belonging to Freyr or Odin, depending on the myth.
Creatures: animals, birds, monsters etc.
Gullinbursti (non.)
Sliðrugtanni (non.)
This great boar was one of the three magical items made by the dwarves
Brokk and Eitri, the sons of Ívaldi, at the request of Loki when he
needed to appease the gods after he cut off Sif's hair. Loki gave
Gullinbursti to Freyr to pull his chariot and it could run over the
earth and through the air. Its golden bristles shone so that it could
find its way day or night. Gullinbursti was also known as
Sliðrugtanni.
Dwarves and Elves
Brokkr (non.)
One of the Sons of Ivaldi and brother of the dwarf Eitri. Brokkr is
also known as Sindri. Loki made a bet with these brothers that they
could not make three treasures as good as the three treasures that the
Sons of Ivaldi made for the gods.
Eitri (non.)
The brother of the dwarf Brokkr. Eitri is also known as Sindri. Loki
made a bet with these brothers that they could not make three treasures
as good as the three treasures that the Sons of Ivaldi made for the
gods.
Sindri (non.)
One of the Sons of Ivaldi and brother of the dwarf Brokkr. Sindri is
also known as Eitri. Loki made a bet with these brothers that they could
not make three treasures as good as the three treasures that the Sons of
Ivaldi made for the gods.
Sons of Ivaldi (non.)
Brokkr and Eitri, the sons of the dwarf Ivaldi, who are called upon to
recreate Sif's hair and created other as well that are known as the
Treasures of the Gods.other treasures for the Gods.
Gods and Goddesses
Sif (non.)
The wife of Thor. She is known to have beautiful, long, golden hair,
which Loki cuts off.
Þórr (non.)
Thor (en.)
In the Prose Edda, Þórr is the son of Óðinn
and the giantess Jörð. However, in Heimskringla, he is a mortal.
Myths
The Treasures of the Gods
The six treasures of the gods were made by two groups of dwarves at
the request of Loki after he cut off Sif's hair while she was sleeping.
Loki asks the dwarves to make the treasures in order to appease Sif’s
husband, Þórr. The Sons of Ivaldi make golden hair to replace Sif's hair
and also make the spear Gungnir and the ship "Skíðblaðnir. Loki bets the
dwarves Brokkr and Eitri that they can not produce treasures equal to
the ones made by the Sons of Ivaldi. Brokkr and Eitri create the boar
Gullinbursti, the ring Draupnir, and Þórr’s hammer Mjöllnir. The gods
judge Mjöllnir to be the greatest of the treasures. Loki loses the bet
and almost loses his head but keeps it because the bet did not involve
harming his neck.
Nouns
Edwardian (en.)The
Edwardian era began with the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910
(January 22, 1901 - 28 July, 1914). However, the era's end date is
sometimes extended to the beginning of World War 1 (28 July
1914).
The Land of Enchantment (en.)
A collection of Arthur Rackham's illustrations that originally
appeared in the Victorian era periodical " Little Folks " between 1896
and 1902.
Source Persons
Buchheim, Emma
Sophia (en.)
Nationality: English
b. 1860
d. 1951
Nationality: Bristish
Occupation: British academic; lecturer on German, King's College
London
The author of Stories From the Eddas,
illustrated by Arthur Rackham, published in Little
Folks.
Rackham,
Arthur (no.)
b. 1867
d. 1939
Nationality: English
Occupation: illustrator
Residence: London
One of the most prominent illustrators during the Golden Age of
British Book Illustration (c. 1880 - 19300). His illustrations of Norse
mythology frequently appeared in "Little Folks" which were collected and
published in the Land of Enchantment. Rackham
also created 64 coloured plates for the English translation of Richard
Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, The Ring of the Niblung. The Rhinegold and the Valkyrie
bound with Siegfried and the Twilight of the Gods.
/Stories_from_the_Edda#/media/File:Land_of_Enchantment-1907-127.jpg){kind=link}