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 Snorri's version of the The Death of Baldr myth. The
illustration depicts Baldr's blind brother, Höðr, immediately after Loki
tricked him into killing Baldr. Baldr's wife, Nana, is about to embrace her
husband's dead body. The caption reads "There broke forth a
wailing and a lamentation." [the text that is being illustrated
is on p. 134]
Source: Stories From the Eddas
Folio or Page: 137
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.
Gods and Goddesses
Baldr (non.)
Balder (en.)
The god who was killed by his brother Höðr.
Höðr (non.)
Hod (en.)
The god who killed his brother Baldr with a weapon made of mistletoe.
Depending on the source, the mistletoe projectile is a spear, an arrow,
or a dart. In the Prose Edda, Höðr is blind and
his aim is guided by Loki.
Nanna (non.)
The wife of Baldr and the mother of Forseti. According to Snorri,
Nanna dies of grief and is burned along with Baldr on his funeral
pyre.
Myths
Death of Baldr Myth
A myth concerning an accidental fratricide. It sometimes includes Loki
as an instigator who dupes Baldr's brother, Höðr, into the act and
actually guides his hand. In the Prose Edda,
Snorri says that Höðr was blind.
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).
Source Materials:
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.
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