Description: This illustration is from a retelling of Norse mythology in
the 1930 edition of Annie
Keary'sThe 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 plate depicts Loki in exile after
playing a part in the killing of Baldr. Loki is tied
to a rock, with the entrails of his son Njarfi, and a snake
drips venom into his face. Loki's wife, Sigyn, holds a bowl
catching the venom.
Source: The Heroes of Asgard
Folio or Page: [192]
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.
Simek,
Rudolf.
Angela
Hall
. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. W
Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer,
2007.
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.
Njarfi (non.)
Njarfi is the son of Sigyn and Loki. As a part of Loki's punishment
for killing Baldr, Njarfi is disemboweled by his own brother. His
entrails are then used to bind Loki.
Sigyn (non.)
Loki's wife. According to Snorri, she was one of the Æsir. She used a
bowl to catch the drops of venom dripping from the snake that Skaði
fastened above Loki when he was bound.
Myths
Creation Myth
A series of myths concerning the creation of the world, the origins of
the gods, and the creation of humans.
The Punishment of
LokiSnorri says in Gylfaginning
that the Æsir pursued Loki after the death of Baldr. Loki tried to evade
capture by shapeshifting into a salmon and hiding in a stream. The gods
noticed the ashes of a net, that Loki had invented and then burned, so
they made a net and used it to capture him. The gods used the guts of
one of Loki's sons to him to a rock with a snake dripping venom on his
head. Loki's wife Sigyn stayed with him and held a bowl to catch the
venom but had to leave Loki occasionally to empty the
bowl.
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.
