dIck mARTin Creative Artist
dIck mARTin Creative Artist
Ceramic Sculpture
Nordic Mythology
The
ancient
Greek
Gods
were
of
the
warm
south,
but
in
the
north
of
Europe
the
Norse
Gods
reigned
in
equally
ancient
lands
of
ice
and
fire.
The
Norse
deities
and
heroes
seem
to
me
to
be
carved
from
the
landscape,
craggy,
more
primitive
and
megalithic
than
the
sun-bathed,
elegant
Greeks.
While
my
initial
inspiration
comes
from
my
love
of
Wagner’s
take
on
aspects
of
the
Nordic
myths
in
his
Ring
Cycle
-
gods,
goddesses
and
those
magnificent
Valkyries
-
further
research
illuminates
an
entire
worldview
of
sagas
from
Iceland
and
Scaninavia,
a
true
inspiration for sculpture.
Click to enlarge
Frigg
Herja
Waltraute,
Siegrune
and
Helmwige
were
three
of
Brünnhilde’s
sister
Valkyries
in
Wagner’s
Ring
Cycle,
Odin’s
daughters
by
the
Earth
Goddess
Erda.
They
chose
which
heroes
would
die
in
battle
and
be
taken
to
Valhalla,
Odin’s hall.
NORSE MYTHOLOGY FIGURES SOLD
Fafner
Fasolt
Finn McCool
Helmwige
Siegrune
Waltraute
Benandonner
Rhitta Gawr
Gogmagog
Odin
Frigg
46cm
£325
Freyja
Frigg
(Fricka
in
Wagner’s
Ring
Cycle),
was
the
goddess
of
marriage.
Odin
gave
up
an
eye
in order to win her.
Gogmagog
was
the
last
legendary
giant
of
Albion
who
had
such
great
strength
that
with
one
shake
he
could
pull
up
an
oak
tree.
He
was
challenged
to
a
wrestling
match
by
Corineus,
a
Trojan
invader,
who
threw
him
off a cliff.
Gogmagog
248cm
£325
Odin
46cm
£325
Odin
(Wotan
in
Wagner’s
Ring
Cycle),
was
the
chief
god,
unfaithful
husband
to
Frigg
and
father of the Valkyries.
Brünnhilde
Waltraute
44cm
£325
Siegrune
45cm
£325
Fafner
45cm
£325
Fasolt 45cm
£325
Fafner and Fasolt pair
45cm
£575
Fasolt
and
his
brother
Fafner,
from
Wagner‘s
Ring
of
the
Nibelung,
were
the
giants
hired
by
Wotan
(Odin)
to
build
Valhalla the home of the Gods. Their payment was to be Freia (Freyja), the goddess of love…
Freyja
43cm
£325
Freyja
(Freia
in
Wagner’s
Ring
Cycle),
was
the
goddess
of
love,
youth
and
beauty,
Frigg’s
sister.
Brünnhilde
46cm
£325
Brünnhilde was Wotan’s
favourite daughter by earth
mother Erda in the Ring Cycle.
Benandonner
47cm
£325
Huge
Scottish
giant
Benandonner
challenged
smaller
Irish
giant
Finn
McCool
to
a
duel,
but
was
tricked
by
him
into
thinking
Finn
was
bigger,
so
he
destroyed
the
Giant’s
Causeway
that
Finn
had
built
to
prevent
him
from
reaching Scotland.
Rhitta Gawr
46cm
£325
Welsh
giant
Rhitta
Gawr
killed
a
number
of
kings
and
wore
their
beards
as
a
trophy.
He
was
killed
by
King
Arthur,
who
commanded
his
men
to
place
stones
over
the
giant's
body,
thus
forming
Gwyddfa
Rhita
("Rhita's
Cairn,"
an
archaic
Welsh term for Snowdon).
Gefjon
46cm
£325
Gefjon
was
a
Norse
goddess
associated
with
ploughing,
the
Danish
island
of
Zealand,
the
legendary
Swedish
king
Gylfi,
the
legendary
Danish
king
Skjöldr,
foreknowledge,
her
oxen
children,
and
virginity.
Helmwige
48cm
£325
