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"Thor's Attack on the Giant Skrymir"

"Thor's Attack on the Giant Skrymir"
  • Creator: Charles Altamont Doyle March 25, 1832 - October 19, 1893
  • Description: This illustration is from a retelling of Norse mythology in the first edition of Annie Keary's The Heroes of Asgard and the Giants of Jotunheim: Or, the Week and Its Story (1857) illustrated by Charles Altamont Dolye. This scene is from the myth concerning Þórr´s Journey to the Court of Útgarða-Loki. Doyle depicts the giant Skrymir confronting Þórr and his traveling companions, i.e., Loki, Röskva, and Þjalfi.
  • Source: The Heroes of Asgard and the Giants of Jötunheim, Or, The Week and Its Story
  • Folio or Page: 74
  • Medium: not known
  • Date: 1857
  • Dimensions (mm): 80 x 127
  • Provenance:
    This illustration is from The Heroes of Asgard in the collection of the National and University Library of Iceland. Catalogue record: The heroes of Asgard and the giants of Jötunheim : Or, The week and its story Keary, Amie, 1825-1879 höfundur ; Keary, Eliza. London : David Bogue, 1857Í hillu Lbs-Hbs Íslandssafn Almenn rit (Í 823 Kea) Lánstími: Lestrarsalslán
  • Rights:
    This illustration from The Heroes of Asgard and the Giants of Jötunheim, Or, The Week and Its Story is in the public domain.
  • Research notes, early print reviews, etc.:
    1. The title page for the The Heroes of Asgard and the Giants of Jötunheim, Or, The Week and Its Story does not name an illustrator nor do the Contents pages indicate that the book contains illustrations. Ken Baitsholts notes that the illustrator is credited as Charles Altamont Doyle in the for 1857, i.e., David Bogue. P. A. Baer notes that David Bogue's Annual Catalogue is included in the The Heroes of Asgard's back matter and that the entry for The Heroes of Asgard and the Giants of Jotunheim cites C. Doyle as the book's illustrator in the listings for "Juvenille Works" (24).
    2. 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 Oympus. They have none of the grace or dignity. But the authoress has made the best of an unattractive theme." Web. 27 July 2021. (The Critic 130) Full text of the review (ProQuest subscription required).
    3. 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. Web. 27 July 2021. (470) Full text of the Review (ProQuest subscription required).
  • Bibliography:

    Editions

    Keary, Annie, and Eliza Keary. The Heroes of Asgard and the Giants of Jotunheim: Or, the Week and Its Story. London: Fleet Street: David Bogue, 1857. Print.
    ―. The Heroes of Asgard: Tales from Scandinavian Mythology. London: Macmillan and Co. Limited, 1908.

    Secondary Sources

    Cleasby, Richard and Vigfússon Guðbrandur . An Icelandic-English Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1957.
    Doyle, Charles Altamont. The Doyle Diary: The Last Great Conan Doyle Mystery : with a Holmesian Investigation into the Strange and Curious Case of Charles Altamont Doyle. New York: Paddington Press, 1978. 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.
  • Identity Number: HrsAsg-1857-074-01
  • Download size: 5.74 MB
  • Source code of this document: [XML]
Keary, Annie   Doyle, Charles Altamont   Heroes of Asgard (1857 ed.)   Victorian   Þórr´s Journey to the Court of Útgarða-Loki, Thor's Journey to the Court of Utgarda-Loki   Þórr, Thor, Donner   Þjálfi, Thjalfi   Röskva, Roskva   Loki, Loge   Skrýmir, Skrymir   Þórr´s Journey to the Court of Útgarða-Loki, Thor's Journey to the Court of Utgarda-Loki  

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Linked items

Anomalies

Loki (non.) Loge (ger.)
In Norse mythology, Loki is counted among the gods but he is a giant by birth.
InThe Ring of the Nibelung, Richard Wagner created Loge by combining the figure of Loki, who is counted to be among the gods in the Prose Edda, with the giant Logi,who is the presonification of fire in the myth concerning Þórr´s Journey to the Court of Útgarða-Loki.

Giants and Giantesses

Skrýmir (non.) Skrymir (en.) The giant who rules the castle called Útgarðr in Jötunheimr. He is also known as Útgarðaloki. In the Prose Edda, Snorri calls him Skrýmir when relating the myth concerning Þórr's journey to Útgarðr. He is also called Skrýmir in the poem Lokasenna but is called Fjallir in Hárbarðljóð.

Gods and Goddesses

Þórr (non.) Thor (en.) Donner (ger.)
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

Þórr´s Journey to the Court of Útgarða-Loki Thor's Journey to the Court of Utgarda-Loki This myth relates the story of Þórr's Trip to the Court of Útgarða-Loki and the tricks that giants play on him and his companions Loki and Þjálfi.

Mythological Persons

Röskva (non.) Roskva (en.) In the Prose Edda, Röskva and her brother Þjálfi are the children of a farmer that Þórr stays with on one of his journeys. Þjálfi is responsible for the laming of one of Þórr´ goats and as a result the two siblings become Þórr´s servants in order to appease his anger.
Þjálfi (non.) Thjalfi (en.) In the Prose Edda, Þjálfi and his sister Röskva are the children of a farmer that Þórr stays with on one of his journeys. Þjálfi is responsible for the laming of one of Þórr´s goats and as a result the two siblings become Þórr´s servants in order to appease his anger.

Nouns

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 (1857 ed.) (en.)The first edition of The Heroes of Asgard was published in 1857 and was illustrated by Charles Altamont Doyle.

Source Persons

Doyle, Charles Altamont (en.) b. March 25, 1832
d. October 19, 1893
Nationality: English
Occupation: civil servant, illustrator and water colourist
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.