| Thor Battering the Midgard Serpent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Henry Fuseli |
| Year | 1790 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 133 cm× 94.6 cm(52 in× 37.2 in) |
| Location | Royal Academy of Arts Collections, London |
Thor Battering the Midgard Serpent is an oil on canvas painting by the Swiss artist Henry Fuseli, from 1790. It is held at the Royal Academy of Arts Collections, in London.
The nude and muscular Thor stands in Hymir's boat with the Jörmungandr on his fish hook. In the top left corner, the god Odin appears as an old man. [1] It depicts one of the most popular myths in Germanic mythology, Thor's fishing trip, which was known to Fuseli through P. H. Mallet's 1755 book Introduction à l'histoire du Dannemarc, translated to English by Thomas Percy in 1770 as Northern Antiquities. The Zurich artist had also traveled to the Italian peninsula, where he was able to admire the art of ancient masters, such as Michelangelo Buonarroti, whose sculptural nudes where a great source of inspiration for this canvas. [2] The painting was Fuseli's diploma work for his election to the British Royal Academy of Arts in 1790.
This mythological-themed painting represents the Norse god Thor standing on the prow of a boat with Hymir at the helm, as he is about to strike a sword blow against the sea serpent of Midgard, the Jörmungandr (or Miðgarðsormr), which he holds tight with a chain stuck in his mouth probably with a harpoon. In the background there is an old man observing the scene: he is Thor's father, the god Odin. Except for his helmet and cape, the hero is shown naked like the neoclassical heroes and his body is muscular, further highlighted by the fact that he emerges from the dark background. He is depicted from bottom to top and with a pronounced inclination, which gives the painting a slightly darker atmosphere. The Jörmungandr can recall in a literal sense the serpentine line that was present in Italian mannerist art, which had been studied by the Swiss painter. Finally, the scene is set among the high waves of a stormy sea, in the middle of the night, making the work a nocturne in which naturalness is lost in favor of monstrosity and fantasy.
The subject has been interpreted in relation to Fuseli's support for the French Revolution, where the serpent could represent the Ancien Régime about to be defeated by the French people, personified by the god of thunder. [1]
In Nordic mythology, Asgard is a location associated with the gods. It appears in several Old Norse sagas and mythological texts, including the Eddas, however it has also been suggested to be referred to indirectly in some of these sources. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir gods and is often associated with gold imagery and contains many other locations known in Nordic mythology such as Valhöll, Iðavöllr and Hlidskjálf.
In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a foretold series of impending events, including a great battle in which numerous great Norse mythological figures will perish ; it will entail a catastrophic series of natural disasters, including the burning of the world, and culminate in the submersion of the world underwater. After these events, the world will rise again, cleansed and fertile, the surviving and returning gods will meet, and the world will be repopulated by two human survivors, Líf and Lífþrasir. Ragnarök is an important event in Norse mythology and has been the subject of scholarly discourse and theory in the history of Germanic studies.
In Norse mythology, Vígríðr or Óskópnir is a large field foretold to host a battle between the forces of the gods and the forces of Surtr as part of the events of Ragnarök. The field is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional material, and in the Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century. The Poetic Edda briefly mentions the field as where the two forces will battle, whereas the Prose Edda features a fuller account, foretelling that it is the location of the future death of several deities before the world is engulfed in flames and reborn.
Hymir is a jötunn in Norse mythology, and the owner of a brewing-cauldron fetched by the thunder god Thor for Ægir, who wants to hold a feast for the Æsir (gods). In Hymiskviða, Hymir is portrayed as the father of Týr, but in Skáldskaparmál, Odin is Týr's father.
In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr, also known as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent, is an unfathomably large sea serpent or worm who dwells in the world sea, encircling the Earth (Midgard) and biting his own tail, an example of an ouroboros. As a result of it surrounding Midgard it is referred to as the World Serpent. Jörmungandr releasing its tail is one of the signs of the beginning of Ragnarök.
Henry Fuseli was a Swiss painter, draughtsman, and writer on art who spent much of his life in Britain. Many of his works depict supernatural experiences, such as The Nightmare. He painted works for John Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery and created his own "Milton Gallery". He held the posts of Professor of Painting and Keeper at the Royal Academy. His style had a considerable influence on many younger British artists, including William Blake.
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