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Header for "The Serpent and the Kettle"

Header for "The Serpent and the Kettle"
  • Creator: C.E.Brock February 5, 1870-February 28, 1938
  • Description: This illustration is from a retelling of Norse mythology in the 1930 edition of Annie Keary's The Heroes of Asgard (1857) illustrated by Charles E. Brock. The book is divided into nine stories beginning with the Creation Myth and ending with Ragnarök. The stories are further divided into parts which have illustrated headers and illustrated capital letters. This header illustration in Story II: "How Thor Went to Jötunheim" for Part II: “The Serpent and the Kettle“ depicts Ægir on his underwater throne, surrounded by his nine daughters, who are depicted as faces in the waves.
  • Source: The Heroes of Asgard
  • Folio or Page: 75
  • Medium: Not known
  • Date: 1930
  • Dimensions (mm): 97 x 60
  • Provenance:
    This illustration is from the 1979 facsimile edition of The Heroes of Asgard (1930) from the collection of P. A. Baer.
  • Rights:
    This illustration from The Heroes of Asgard is in the public domain.
  • Research notes, early print reviews, etc.:
    1. Charles Edmund Brock signed his work as C. E. Brock because he was often confused for a portrait painter of the same name. When it got to the point that they were paying each other's bills, the illustrator agreed to stop using his middle name and the portrait painter agreed to stop using his first name (Kelly 29).
    2. Early print review of the first edition of The Heroes of Asgard (1857): "The Scandinavian mythology converted into a tale told for the edification of children, after the manner of books that have taught the Greek and Roman mythology. But no genius can invest the gods of Asgard with the charms of the gods of Olympus. They have none of the grace or dignity. But the authoress has made the best of an unattractive theme." (The Critic 130). Web. 27 July 2021.
    3. Early print review of the first edition of The Heroes of Asgard (1857): "The fables of the Northern mythology are here reduced to a form adapted to the intelligence of children. They have been cleverly set to an accompaniment of occasional dialogue, lightening and relieving the narrative of giants' wars and of heroic prowess achieved by dwellers in the immortal city. The book is a good specimen of learning made easy by being made pleasant." (The Athenaeum 470). Web. 27 July 2021.
  • Bibliography:

    Primary Sources

    Keary, Annie, and Eliza Keary. The Heroes of Asgard: Tales from Scandinavian Mythology. London: Macmillan and Co. Limited, 1930.
    ―. The Heroes of Asgard: Tales from Scandinavian Mythology. London: Macmillan and Co. Limited, 1979.

    Secondary Sources

    Cleasby, Richard and Vigfússon Guðbrandur . An Icelandic-English Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1957.
    Kelly C. M. The Brocks: A Family of Cambridge Artists and Illustrators London: C. Skilton, 1975 Print.
    Review of The Heroes of Asgard, by Annie Keary and Eliza Keary. The Athenaeum, 11 Apr. 1857: 470. Web. 27 July 2021.
    Review of The Heroes of Asgard, by Annie Keary, and Eliza Keary. The Critic, 16 Mar. 1857: 130. Web July 27, 2021.
  • Identity Number: HrsAsg-1930-075-01-Hdr
  • Download size: 1 MB
  • Source code of this document: [XML]
Keary, Annie   Brock, Charles E.   Heroes of Asgard (1930 ed.)   Ægir, Aegir  

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Linked items

The MyNDIR Team

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

Giants and Giantesses

Ægir (non.) Aegir (en.) A giant who lived in the sea and was friendly to the Æsir.

Myths

Creation Myth A series of myths concerning the creation of the world, the origins of the gods, and the creation of humans.

Mythological Events

Ragnarök (non.) Ragnarok (en.) The final great battle between the gods and the giants.

Source Materials:

Heroes of Asgard (1930 ed.) (en.)The third illustrated edition of The Heroes of Asgard was published in 1930 and was illustrated by C. E. Brock.

Source Persons

Brock, Charles E. (en.) b. 5 February 1870
d. 28 February 1938
Nationality: English
Occupation: painter, line artist and book illustrator
Keary, Annie (en.) b. 3rd March 1825
d. 3rd March 1879
Nationality: English
Occupation: Novelist, poet, and childrens book writer.
Anna Maria Keary, known as Annie Keary, was an English novelist, poet, and children's writer. Her sister Eliza Keary collaborated with her in writing “The Heroes of Asgard” that was first published in 1857 and many times thereafter.