Description: This scene is from a retelling of Norse mythology in the 1908
edition of Annie
Keary's The Heroes of Asgard (1857). Louis
Huard's illustration depicts
Iðunn
giving one of the apples of immortality to a god holding a
spiked club who is likely Þórr.
Source: The Heroes of Asgard
Folio or Page: 195
Medium: Not known
Date: 1908
Dimensions (mm): 1932 x 2961
Provenance:
This illustration is from The
Heroes of Asgard 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.:
Early print review of the first edition of The Heroes of Asgard: "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.Full text of the review (ProQuest subscription required).
Early print review of the first edition of The Heroes of Asgard: "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.Full text of the Review (ProQuest subscription required).
P. A. Baer notes that the figure holding a spiked club
in this illustration can tentatively be identified as Þórr based on Saxo
Grammaticus's description of Þórr fighting with such a weapon in Book Three of
Gesta Danorum. Louis Moe illustrated
the scene in Frederik Winkel Horn's edition Danmarks Kronike which was published in 1898 (70). See:
mnd:DnKrn-1898-UVic-03-070-01.
According to Saxo, “Thor shattered all their shield-defenses with the
terrific swings of his club ... there was no armour which could stand up to
his strokes, nor anyone who could survive them” (Danmarks Kronike Bk. III
70). There is no mention of Þórr’s club in The Prose
Edda, although Snorri relates how Þórr came to have the hammer.
Of course, myths do not adhere to chronological paradigms or logic. However,
there presumably was a period when Þórr used a different weapon prior to
acquiring his hammer. The club does not appear in the corresponding
illustration in SÁM 66 4to f. 78, where the Þórr figure is holding a curved
sword and is therefore totally anonymous.” (Baer An Old Norse Image Hoard)
Bibliography:
Editions
Keary,
Annie, and
Eliza
Keary. The
Heroes of Asgard: Tales from Scandinavian Mythology.
London: Macmillan and Co.
Limited, 1908.
Secondary Sources
Baer,
Patricia
Ann. An Old
Norse Image Hoard: From the Analog Past to the Digital Present.
Diss.
U. of Victoria, 2013.
Web.
Cleasby, Richard
and
Vigfússon
Guðbrandur
. An Icelandic-English Dictionary.
Oxford: Clarendon Press,
1957.
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.
Iðunn (non.)
Idunn (en.)
The goddess who was married to Bragi and guarded the apples of
immortality that kept the gods young.
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
Abduction of Iðunn Myth
The myth concerning the abduction of Iðunn and the apples of
immortality by the giant Thjazi with the help of Loki. In the end, the
god's compel Loki to rescue Iðunn and regain the apples.
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).
Victorian (en.)The
Victorian era began with the reign of Queen Victoria and ended with her
death (June 20, 1837 – January 22, 1901).
Source Materials:
Heroes of
Asgard (1870 ed.) (en.)The second illustrated edition of The Heroes of Asgard was published in 1870 and
illustrated by Louis Huard. These images are from the 1908
reprint.
Source Persons
Huard,
Louis (fr.)
b. 1st January 1814
d. 9th September 1874
Nationality: French
Occupation: Illustrator and painter
Huard was born in France but moved to England as an adult and died in
London. He illustrated the second edition of “The Heroes of Asgard”
(1870).
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.
