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The Ancestry of Óttarr

The Ancestry of Óttarr
  • Creator: W. G. Collingwood August 6, 1854 - 1932
  • Description: This illustration by W.G. Collingwood is from Olive Bray's translation of the Poetic Edda that was published in a dual language edition in 1908 as The Elder or Poetic Edda: Commonly Known As Sæmund's Edda. This scene is from the poem Hyndluljóð in the Viking Society's reprint of Olive Bray's dual language edition of The Elder Edda (1908). W. G. Collingwood's illustration depicts Óttarr and his kin, along with Hyndla´s words from the last line of verse 29, "allt´s þat ætt þín, Óttarr heimski!" (All this race is thine, Ottarr the Simple!"
  • Source: The Elder or Poetic Edda: Commonly Known As Sæmund's Edda
  • Folio or Page: 225
  • Medium: Wood Engraving
  • Date: 1908
  • Dimensions (mm): 125 x 95
  • Provenance:
    This illustration is from The Elder or Poetic Edda: Commonly Known As Sæmund's Edda from the collection of P. A. Baer.
  • Rights:
    This illustration from The Elder or Poetic Edda: Commonly Known As Sæmund's Edda is in the public domain.
  • Research notes, early print reviews, etc.:
    1. Excerpt from an early print book review (1908): "Each poem is prefaced by two designs by Professor Collingwood. These at their best leave little to be desired. Several of them e.g. Graybeard and Thor, are altogether admirable. Others are valuable both from the artistic and the antiquarian standpoint, as the artist has woven into them motives from Pre-Norman crosses or hogbacks illustrating Eddaic subjects...." pg. 494. Full text of the review. Folklore Vol. 19, No. 4 (Dec. 30, 1908), pp. 493-496.
    2. Excerpt from an early print book review (1909): "The text is accompanied by thirty-three excellent illustrations, which have the comparatively rare merit of really helping the reader to vizualize [sic]the action and of suggesting the atmosphere of the poems." pg 97. Full text of the review. The Journal of American Folklore Vol. 22, No. 83 (Jan. - Mar., 1909), pp. 96-98.
  • Bibliography:

    Editions

    Elder or Poetic Edda: Commonly Known As Sæmund's Edda. Translated by Olive Bray . London: Viking Club, 1908.

    Secondary Sources

    Major, Albany F. Review of The Elder or Poetic Edda: Commonly Known As Sæmund's Edda, translated by Olive Bray. Folklore, vol. 19, no. 4, 30 Dec. 1908: 493-496. Web. August 2,2021.
    Rankin, J. W.. Review of Elder or Poetic Edda: Commonly Known As Sæmund's Edda, translated by Olive Bray. The Journal of American Folklore, vol. 22, no. 83, Jan. - Mar. 1909: 96-98. Web. 26 July 2021.
  • Identity Number: EldEdd-1908-225-01
  • Download size: 4.3 MB
  • Source code of this document: [XML]
Bray, Olive   Collingwood, W. G.   Elder or Poetic Edda   Edwardian   Hyndluljóð, Song of Hyndla   Hyndla   Óttarr (Hyndluljóð), Ottar (The Song of Hyndla)  

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The MyNDIR Team

Dunn-Krahn, Sage (en.) b. 13th July 1999
Occupation: Research Assistant

Giants and Giantesses

Hyndla (non.) Hyndla is the giantess who Freyja consults in Hyndluljóð in order to find out about Óttarr´s genealogy.

Mythological Persons

Óttarr (Hyndluljóð) (non.) Ottar (The Song of Hyndla) (en.) The young man in the poem Hyndluljóð who askes Freyja to help him acquire knowledge about his ancestors. Freyja changes him into a boar named Hildissvini to disguise him when they consult the giantess Hyndla.

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:

Elder or Poetic Edda (en.)A dual language editon of the Poetic Edda with illustrations by W. G. Collingwood.
Hyndluljóð (non.) Song of Hyndla (en.) This Eddaic poem is not part of the Codex Regius manuscript and is found only in the late 14th century Flateyjarbók manuscript.

Source Persons

Bray, Olive (en.) b. June 17, 1878
d. November 15, 1909
Nationality: English
Occupation: scholar, translator and editior
Residence: 17 The Boltons Kensington, London, England
Bray was one of the daughters of the high court judge Sir Reginald More Bray (1842-1923) and the novelist Emily Octavia Bray, of Shere Manor near Guildford. Little is known about Olive. She joined the Viking Society for Northern Research in 1902 and was a Vice-President in 1909. At the time of her death, she was living in the family home at 17 The Boltons Kensington. Her grave is in the Shere churchyard.
Collingwood, W. G. (en.) b. 6th August 1854
d. 1st October 1932
Nationality: English
Collingwood was an author, artist, and a professor at University College Reading.