Many of the most famous images of the Norse gods we see today come from artist Jahn Bauer, composed in the first quarter of the 20th century.
Let’s take a look at the life of the man and some of his best-known works.
Who is John Bauer?
John Bauter was born in Germany in 1882 but moved to Sweden with his family at age 13.
He attended school in Sweden, where his artistic talent showed with incredible doodlings in the margins of his schoolbooks.
He wanted to attend art school after graduating but wasn’t initially admitted, so he spent two years in Stockholm working as an illustrator for a variety of publications.
He was eventually admitted to the Royal Academy of Liberal Arts.
While at art school, he met his future wife Ester Ellqvist, also a budding artist.
She gave up her artistic pursuits to marry John and have a family.
They married in 1906 and spent two years together in Italy.
She was the muse for many of his early works.
They lived together on remote Lake Rocksjon, which inspired Bauer’s art but the vivacious Ester soon found isolating.
They often spent time apart as she spent time with friends and family.
This means that plenty of correspondence survives between the couple revealing the challenges of their relationship.
Nevertheless, the pair welcomed a son called Putte in 1915.
Bauer died in tragic circumstances in 1918.
Trying to save his marriage, Bauer agreed to move to Stockholm with his wife and young son, and they packed all their belongings onto a transport ship.
But there was bad weather the night they set sail and the ship was overfilled.
The ship ended up tipping over and syncing, and all 24 passengers, including Bauer, his wife, and child, were killed.
Finding Swedish Folklore
From the 18th to the 20th centuries, Cultural Romanticism was flourishing in Europe and individual parts of the continent wanted to restore their local cultural identities.
This was in part to throw off French Supremacy which had flourished during the Enlightenment.
Developing as an artist within this climate, Bauer looked to the Swedish countryside and fairy tales for inspiration for his artwork.
He started with illustrations in the hope of making money to create oil paintings.
His illustration career became extremely successful.
There were several exhibitions of Bauer’s work while he was still alive before World War I, in Italy, Germany, England, Sweden, and the United States, and also several post-war exhibitions of his work, especially in Sweden.
His most famous illustrations were published in Among Gnomes and Trolls, a popular Swedish folklore annual published since 1907.
Norse Mythology Illustrations
But some of Bauer’s most beloved images are illustrations, and some oil paintings, of the Norse gods.
Some were composed for Die Gotterdage der Vater (Our Father’s Saga) published in 1911, and others were stand-alone works composed over the years.
Let’s take a look at some of the most famous.
Odin Rides Out to Test Sleipnir
This image of Odin riding his eight-legged steed Sleipnir was composed for Die Gotterdage der Vater and appears to show a giant on the ground far beneath.
Odin carries his famous spear Gleipnir and wears a non-historical winged helmet.
Stories suggest that Odin often rode his steed around the cosmos.
In one story, he was riding his horse when he encountered a giant called Hrungnir riding his horse Gullfaxi.
He challenged Odin to a race with Sleipnir and made a bet. Hrungnir lost the race and the bet but was invited to drink with the gods.
However, his behavior was so poor that Thor was called upon to kill him.
Loki Lures Idun from Asgard
This illustration, made for the same publication, shows Loki luring Idun out of Asgard.
Loki agreed to help the giant Thjazi kidnap Idun, the goddess who tends to the orchards of Asgard and cares for the fruit that gives the gods their eternal youth.
He lured her out of Asgard by telling her that he had encountered a tree that produced fruit even more wonderful than her apples.
This gave Thjazi the chance to snatch her.
When the gods began to age, they realized that Idun was missing, and Loki revealed what had happened to her (leaving out his role no doubt).
He borrowed Freyja’s feather cloak to become a falcon and fly to Jotunheim, where Idun was being kept.
He then turned her into a nut so that he could carry her back to Asgard.
Freya
This color oil sketch of Freyja was composed in 1905, before Bauer’s marriage to his wife, but may still have been inspired by the blonde Ester.
Freyja was the goddess of love and beauty, a fertility goddess, and a practitioner of Seidr magic.
Here she seems to be a mix of an idealized Swedish woman and a Greek goddess.
Try and Fenrir
This image of Tyr and the mighty wolf Fenrir captures an important moment in Norse mythology.
Fenrir was one of the children of Loki that the gods decided was too dangerous to be allowed to roam free.
But he was also too strong to be imprisoned against his will, so the gods had to trick him.
Several times, they asked the wolf to put on some chains and break them as a show of his immense strength. Each time he did so with ease.
This meant that the gods had to acquire enchanted chains from the dwarves, the master craftsmen of the Norse cosmos, that were as light as a ribbon but impossible to break.
This time, when Fenrir was presented with the chains, he was understandably suspicious.
He said that he would only rise to the challenge if one of the gods would put their hand in his mouth as a show of goodwill that they would release him if he could not free himself.
Naturally, none of the gods wanted to sacrifice their hand, knowing that it was a trap, but Try agreed.
When Fenrir realized that he had been tricked and could not free himself, he bit off Tyr’s arm.
Odin Talks to Mimir’s Head for the Last Time
This image shows Odin speaking to Mimir’s head for the last time.
Mimir was Odin’s trusted friend and advisor, and also probably his uncle.
At the end of the Aesir-Vanir War, he was sent to live among the Vanir gods, just as Freyr and Freyja were sent to live among the Aesir.
But the Vanir became suspicious of Mimir for being too intelligent.
They beheaded him and sent his head to Odin.
Not wanting to lose his friend and advisor, Odin magically reanimated the head of Mimir and installed it at the Well of Wisdom in Niflheim so that he could consult it whenever he wished.
According to the prophecy, the last time he will consult Mimir is when Ragnarök arrives.
Sadly, Bauer has not left us his visual interpretation of Ragnarök. Unlike so many other artists of Norse mythology, Bauer does not seem to have been inspired by this story of the end of days.
