Yuletide’s once again upon us and what better way to celebrate the season than by admiring Þorgerðr Hǫlgabrúðr’s rain of death and destruction upon the Jomsvikings in an epic medieval sea battle as is shown in the image below?
Or how about this one, in which King Hrolf Kraki spreads gold upon the fields of Fyrisvellir to distract and escape the dastardly Swedes in Uppsala?
These scenes of pivotal moments from the Norse sagas were drawn by Jenny Nyström, who interestingly, was also responsible for popularizing the prevailing imagery of the Jultomte, the notorious gnome of Scandinavian folklore who demanded to be appeased with a bowl of porridge during the month of December or else he would start conducting some serious mischief, like tying cows’ tails together or knocking shit over.
Jenny Nyström was very prolific with her work, supporting not only herself, but also her invalid husband and their son. She was born in Kalmar, Sweden, where there is now an exhibit at the county museum dedicated to her honor. She passed away 70 years ago, but thankfully left behind many runes to her own memory.
And on a side note, since we’re heading into the darkest depths of winter, here’s a little something to help set the mood: