''Thor, Shut Out From Valhalla''

Illustration by Sidney H Sime

This glorious illustration from Sidney H Sime was published in the 1920 Christmas Edition of The London Illustrated News.

It shows the moment where Thor, the God of Thunder finds himself unable to cross the bridge Bifröst - unlike the

Valkyries - lest he set it aflame.

The introduction to the Norse legend and Sime's illustration provided in The London Illustrated News provides a lovely

overview (particularly in the context of the Christmas season), thus:

Christmas customs embody many elements of Norse mythology, including the use of mistletoe.

In Myths of the Norsemen from the Eddas and Sagas, by H A Guerber, we read:

"One month of every year, the Yule month, or Thor's month, was considered

sacred to Frey as well as Thor, and began on the longest night of the year,

which bore the name of Mother Night. This month was a time of feasting and

rejoicing, for it heralded the return of the sun. The festival was called Yule

(wheel) because the sun was supposed to resemble a wheel rapidly revolving

across the sky ... The first Christian missionaries, perceiving the extreme

popularity of this feast, thought it best to encourage drinking to the health of

the Lord and his twelve apostles when they began to convert the Northern

heathens ... Another Yuletide custom was the burning of a huge log. King Olaf

transferred most of its observances to Christmas Day, thereby doing much to

reconcile the ignorant people to their change of religion ... As he was God of

Thunder, Thor alone was never allowed to pass over the wonderful bridge

Bifröst, lest he should set it aflame by the heat of his presence".

In the lower part of Mr Sime's fine drawing, Thor is seen brooding over this grievance, while

above the nine Valkyries, Odin's battle-maidens, are riding across the bride to Valhalla.

Complete image	Single Greeting Card (with matching Envelope) Code: SHS TSOV SGC Price: US$5.00	Detail (for reference)
	Reproduction on 8x12" sheet Code: SHS TSOV 8x12 Price: US$30.00
	Reproduction on 12x18" sheet Code: SHS TSOV 12x18 Price: US$60.00

When presented on Greeting Cards, these images are prepared as tipped-on plates - in hommage to the hand-crafted

approach typical of prestige illustrated publications produced in the early decades of the 20th Century.

Hand-finishing is used to replicate the visual appearance of a tipped-on plate and the images are presented on

White card stock with an accompanying envelope. We have left the cards blank so that you may write your own

personal message.

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