ASGARD: A Norse Collection - Benjamin Williams

This marble statue portrays the Norse god of Thunder, Thor, resting with Mjölnir, his hammer from the Norse mythos. This piece, portrays Thor with a Roman style rather than a Greek style. The face of Thor in this piece does not fit the idyllic image of the god from other pieces, and makes him seem more grounded.

In contrast to the previous piece, this portrayal of Thor, spelled Tor, gives the god a much younger face, and focuses not only on the Thor himself, but on the giants he is battling and the goats that pull his chariot. This piece also uses motion to enhance the visual experience and give the piece a sense of action.

This piece, made from plaster, portrays the Norse god of mischief, Loki, brother to Thor. Visually, the piece portrays Loki as hunched over and sneaking, as if to imply his cunning and mischief, and the detailing on his facial expression further adds to this. This piece was created by the same artist who carved the marble Thor statue shown earlier in the gallery, and the same facial style is displayed here, with the highly detailed and not traditionally attractive face.

This painting, oil on canvas, uses muted colors and a use of lighting and shadows to create a solemn environment. Despite the subject of the painting being a happy one, with the god Heimdall reuniting the goddess Freyja with her necklace Brisingamen, there is likely a reference to a darker, more mysterious subject within the painting.

This painting, another oil on canvas by the same artist in a similar style portrays the Norse goddess Idun and the god Brage, often spelled Bragi. While the muted tones and harsh lighting are still present, the lighter color palette implies a more light-hearted overall theme, with more detail on the faces, hair and musculature of the subjects.

This gold arm-ring, dating back to the 10th century is believed to be of Viking origin, using traditional Viking wrapping and materials. These pieces were worn by Viking warriors. These can be seen in Viking portrayals of Norse gods, as these original portrayals often depicted the gods to have the same form and characteristics of the Viking men and Nordic women.

This piece is a genuine Viking sword, crafted in the late 8th to the early 9th century, using traditional Nordic craftsmanship, with extensive detail and telltale intricate pleating on the hilt. This style of sword can be seen used in Norse mythology as the standard sword used in battle, and ties the Vikings to their deities.

This 9th century gold bracelet, like the sword and arm-ring shown previously, exhibit the traditional Viking pleating that was very common of the time period. This bracelet design was not uncommon in the time period, and can be seen represented in many depictions of the Norse deities, further enforcing the idea of the Nordic people creating their gods in their image.

While this piece, a bell crafted of iron, did not necessarily originate from Scandinavia like the rest of the pieces in this gallery thus far, it was later encrusted with gold using traditional Nordic stylings. The bell itself is said to have belonged to the Irish saint Conall Cael, and was then enshrined with the elaborate gold covering by the Vikings.

This coin, like the bell before it, was also not originally created in Scandinavia. It was actually crafted in England, and was made as a gift for the Viking ruler of the time period. The detailing marries the stylings of both Viking and Anglo culture, using an imitation pleating pattern around the edges, and a printed cross in the center.