Description: This scene is from the 1930 edition of Abbie F
Brown's In the Days of Giants.This illustration by
E. Boyd
Smith is from a Victorian era retelling of the
myth concerning The Death of Baldr. Baldr was thought to be
invincible because his mother, Frigg, asked every living thing
to swear not to harm him. Consequently, the gods amused
themselves by throwing weapons at Baldr and watching them bounce
off him. However, Loki discovers that Baldr is vulnerable to
mistletoe because Frigg had overlooked the plant thinking it was
harmless. In the version of the myth in Snorri´s Prose Edda,
Baldr´s brother, Höðr is blind and cannot participate in the
game. Loki gives Höðr a dart fashioned out of mistletoe and
guides his hand resulting in the death of Baldr. Abbie Farewell
Brown's In the Days of Giants was first published
in 1902, and this illustration was digitized from the reprint
published in 1930.
Source: In the Days of Giants
Folio or Page: 232
Medium: Not known
Date: 1930
Dimensions (mm): 80 x 135
Provenance:
This illustration is from In
the Days of Giants from the collection of P. A.
Baer.
Rights:
This illustration from In the Days of
Giants is in the public domain.
Research notes, early print reviews, etc.:
Early Print review of the first edition of In the Days
of Giants: "There are six illustrations by E. Boyd Smith, which are
delightful reproductions of the quaint conceits of these old legends." (The
Washington Post 7). Web. 20 November 2021.
Bibliography:
Primary Sources
Brown,
Abbie. In
the Days of Giants: A Book of Norse Tales.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
1930.
Secondary Sources
Review of In
the Days of Giants by Abbie Farwell Brown.
The Washington Post (1877-1922), 5 May
1902: 7. Web. 20 November
2021.
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.
Freyja (non.)
A fertility goddess and one of the Vanir. She is the daughter of
Njörðr and the twin sister of Freyr.
Freyr (non.)
A fertility god and one of the Vanir. He is the son of Njörðr and the
twin brother of Freyja.
Frigg (non.)
Frigg (en.)
The wife of Óðinn and the mother of Baldr.
Höðr (non.)
Hod (en.)
The god who killed his brother Baldr with a weapon made of mistletoe.
Depending on the source, the mistletoe projectile is a spear, an arrow,
or a dart. In the Prose Edda, Höðr is blind and
his aim is guided by Loki.
Óðinn (non.)
Odin (en.)
The chief god of the Æsir in The Prose Edda.
However, in Heimskringla he was a mortal who
tricks the King of Sweden into believing that he was a god.
Myths
Death of Baldr Myth
A myth concerning an accidental fratricide. It sometimes includes Loki
as an instigator who dupes Baldr's brother, Höðr, into the act and
actually guides his hand. In the Prose Edda,
Snorri says that Höðr was blind.
mistilteinn (non.)
mistletoe (en.)
Of all the plants, Frigg failed to ask mistletoe not to harm Baldr.
Loki found out and used mistletoe to make the weapon that Höðr threw at
Baldr.
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:
In the Days of Giants (en.)
Retelling of Norse Myth written by Abbie Farwell Brown and illustrated
by Elmer Boyd Smith.
Prose Edda (is.)
Snorri Sturluson's thirteenth-century prose work concerning Old Norse
mythology and poetics.
Source Persons
Brown, Abbie
Farwell (en.)
b. August 21, 1871
d. March 5, 1927
Nationality: American
Occupation: Author
Residence: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Abbie Farwell Brown was an American novelist, journalist, playwright,
lyricist, and children's author.
Smith,Elmer
Boyd (en.)
b. May 31, 1860
d. October 5, 1943
Nationality: Canadian/American
Occupation: Author/Illustrator
Residence: Wilton, Connecticut, USA
A Canadian-American writer and illustrator.
Snorri
Sturluson (is.)
b. 1179
d. 1241
Nationality: Icelandic
Snorri was an Icelandic statesman, scholar, and author who is credited
with writing Heimskringla, The
Prose Edda, and possibly Egil's
Saga.
