Loke and Sigyn

Loki bound, Sigyn faithful

In Norse myth, the trickster god Loki is punished by the other gods for the death of Balder. He is bound to rocks, and a serpent is placed above him so that its venom drips onto his face. His wife Sigyn stays beside him, holding a bowl to catch the poison.

The Swedish painter Mårten Eskil Winge painted the scene in 1863. It belongs to the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.

Sigyn raises the bowl

Sigyn stands above Loki, arms raised, holding a silver bowl under the serpent’s mouth. Venom drips into it in a thin line. Her face is set and calm, her veil falling behind her.

In the myth, when the bowl is full she must turn away to empty it, and the venom falls on Loki. His struggles were said to cause earthquakes.

A god in chains

Loki lies twisted across the rocks, his muscular body tense, his eyes turned up towards the serpent. His dark hair and beard frame a face full of fear and anger.

Heavy chains bind his wrists and ankles to the stone. Winge painted the body with academic precision, a skill he had developed through study in Düsseldorf, Paris and Rome.

Norse myth in Swedish art

In the nineteenth century, Scandinavian painters turned to the Old Norse sagas to build a national art. Winge was one of the leading Swedish painters of these subjects. Loke and Sigyn became one of his best-known works and helped make Norse mythology part of Swedish visual culture.

The story of Loki’s punishment

Loki was the trickster of the Norse gods, clever, mischievous and dangerous. He caused the death of Balder, the beloved son of Odin, by guiding the blind god Höd to throw a dart of mistletoe at him. For this crime, the gods captured Loki and bound him to three rocks with the entrails of his own son. A serpent was hung above him, dripping venom.

When Sigyn’s bowl is full and she turns away to empty it, the venom falls on Loki’s face, and his writhing causes earthquakes. He will remain bound until Ragnarök, the end of the world.

Sigyn’s loyalty

Sigyn is one of the most sympathetic figures in Norse myth. Although Loki has done terrible things, she remains with him, catching the venom in a bowl to spare him pain. Winge shows her calm and devoted, holding the bowl high. Her loyalty becomes the emotional centre of the painting, a contrast to Loki’s torment.

From the Edda

The story of Loki’s punishment is told in the Prose Edda, written by the Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson in the thirteenth century, and in the poetic Edda. These texts preserve much of what is known about Norse mythology. Nineteenth-century translations made them widely available, inspiring artists across Scandinavia.

Composition

Loki lies bound in the lower part of the canvas, his body twisted in pain. Sigyn stands above him, upright and serene. The serpent coils above. The vertical composition places the figures in a dark cave, with light falling on Sigyn and Loki’s body. The contrast between suffering and devotion gives the painting its power.

Where to see it

Loke and Sigyn hangs in the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. Our hand-painted oil reproduction follows this composition. You can also read about Winge’s Thor’s Fight with the Giants, or Heine’s Loki.

Questions about Loke and Sigyn

What story does it show?

Loki’s punishment in Norse myth, with his wife Sigyn catching the serpent’s venom in a bowl.

Where is the original?

Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.

When was it painted?

In 1863.

Who was Mårten Eskil Winge?

A Swedish painter (1825 to 1896) known for scenes from Norse mythology.

Why was Loki punished?

For causing the death of the god Balder.

How long will Loki stay bound?

Until Ragnarök, the end of the world in Norse myth.

Sources and image credit

• Wikimedia Commons: Loke and Sigyn, Nationalmuseum
• Nationalmuseum, Stockholm

Public-domain reproduction of Loke and Sigyn (1863), via Wikimedia Commons (Nationalmuseum). Detail images are crops of the same historical painting; no reconstruction or upscaling.