Description: This scene is from the 1902 edition of Hamilton
Wright
Mabie's retelling of the eddic
poem Þrymskviða in Norse Stories:
Retold from the Eddas (1882). George
Hand
Wright's illustration depicts
Þórr, disguised as
Freyja, who has been
forced to marry the giant Þrymr in order to get stolen his hammer
back.
Source: Norse Stories: Retold from the Eddas
Folio or Page: 138
Medium: colour halftone reproduction
Date: 1902
Dimensions (mm): 95 x 150
Provenance:
This illustration is from Norse
Stories: Retold from the Eddas from the collection of
P.A. Baer.
Rights:
This illustration from Norse Stories: Retold
from the Eddas is in the public domain.
Research notes, early print reviews, etc.:
Early print review: "Norse Stories has for years past been considered
the best collection of Norse myths for school use. The events in the life of the
gods are all told, but one misses the glorious fierce movement, the simple
dramatic action of these human gods" (Thorne-Thomsen 330).Full text of the review.
Bibliography:
Primary Sources
Mabie, Hamilton
Wright. Norse Stories, Retold from the Eddas.
London: Grant Richards,
1902.
Secondary Sources
Thorne-Thomsen,
Gudrun
. Review of Norse Stories Retold from the
Eddas, by Hamilton
Wright
Mabie. The Elementary
School Teacher, vol. 3, no. 5, 1
Jan. 1903: 330. Web. August 2,
2021.
In the Prose Edda, Þórr is the son of
Óðinn and the giantess Jörð. However, in Heimskringla, he is a mortal.
Richard Wagner
based Donner in The Ring Cycle on
Þórr.
Myths
Theft of Þórr's
Hammer
This myth concerns the theft of Þórr´s hammer, Mjöllnir, by the giant
Þrymir. The gods send Loki to talk to Þrymir and giant says that he will
only return the hammer in exchange for marrying Freyja. Heimdallr
suggests that Þórr should impersonate Freyja, and the gods persuade Þórr
to go to Þrymir dressed as a bride. Þórr seizes Mjöllnir when it is
brought to the wedding feast to consecrate the marriage and then kills
Þrymir along with the rest of the giants.
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).
Mabie, Hamilton
Wright (en.)
b. 13th December 1846
d. 31st December 1916
Nationality: American
Occupation: author
Mabie was an author, essayist, critic, editor and lecturer.
Wright, George
Hand (en.)
b. 6th August 1872
d. 14th March 1951
Nationality: American
Occupation: illustrator, printmaker and painter
