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
C.
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 with illustrated headers and
initial drop capital letters.This plate depicts Þórr fishing for
his eternal enemy, Miðgarðsormr, whom he lured using an ox's head as
bait. Hymir is
frightened and cuts the line before the serpent can tip the
boat.
Source: The Heroes of Asgard
Folio or Page: [81]
Medium: colour halftone reproduction
Date: 1930
Dimensions (mm): 110 x 150
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.:
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).
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.
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.
Dunn-Krahn,
Sage (en.)
b. 13th July 1999
Occupation: Research Assistant
Creatures: animals, birds, monsters etc.
Jörmungandr (non.)
Jormungand (en.)
A monstrous serpent who is the progeny of Loki and the giantess
Angrboða. This serpent is also known as Miðgarðsormr and, in English,
the Midgard Serpent.
Giants and Giantesses
Hymir (non.)
Hymir is the giant who went fishing with Þórr for Miðgarðsormr and cut
the line when Þórr caught the serpent.
Gods and Goddesses
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
Creation Myth
A series of myths concerning the creation of the world, the origins of
the gods, and the creation of humans.
Þórr's Fishing Trip
This myth relates the story of Þórr's almost successful attempt to
catch Miðgarðsormr on a fishing line. The giant Hymir does not cut
Þórr's fishing line in the poem Hymiskiða. Hymir only cuts the line in
Snorri's Edda.
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.
