COLLECTION NAME:
Graduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
A Norse Tale, Unveiled: Christianity's Usurpation and Conversion of the Scandinavian Tomte to Swedish Santa
Creator:
Wheeler, Caryn
Subject:
Thesis (M.F.A.) -- Illustration
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Illustration
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
"The encroachment of the Christian religion on Old Norse Custom extended to their cultural
folktales and had an immense effect on the Scandinavian people. Through the evolution of one
artist’s illustrations the appropriation of a pagan character of Norse folklore occurs, resulting in a
visual progression of the Tomte’s journey devolution into a Christian figurehead. This thesis
introduces and explains the pre-Christian Norse with emphasis on the people’s way of life. The
focus to illuminate daily life and their ethnic religion serves to inform about the Norse identity
thus allowing for better understanding of Scandinavian folklore. The second portion of this
research focuses on how the artwork of Swedish artist, Jenny Nystrom illustrates Christianity’s
slow conversion of the Scandinavian Tomte into Christmas’s Swedish Santa. The visual
component of this thesis is a collection of fourteen fully rendered full-page illustrations and two
spot illustrations. The thesis also includes a book pitch that contains sample book spreads for a
collection of original retellings of Scandinavian folklore accompanied by original artwork to
market to publishers."
folktales and had an immense effect on the Scandinavian people. Through the evolution of one
artist’s illustrations the appropriation of a pagan character of Norse folklore occurs, resulting in a
visual progression of the Tomte’s journey devolution into a Christian figurehead. This thesis
introduces and explains the pre-Christian Norse with emphasis on the people’s way of life. The
focus to illuminate daily life and their ethnic religion serves to inform about the Norse identity
thus allowing for better understanding of Scandinavian folklore. The second portion of this
research focuses on how the artwork of Swedish artist, Jenny Nystrom illustrates Christianity’s
slow conversion of the Scandinavian Tomte into Christmas’s Swedish Santa. The visual
component of this thesis is a collection of fourteen fully rendered full-page illustrations and two
spot illustrations. The thesis also includes a book pitch that contains sample book spreads for a
collection of original retellings of Scandinavian folklore accompanied by original artwork to
market to publishers."
Abstract:
*Keywords: Norse, Scandinavia, Tomte, folklore, Swedish Santa, religious encroachment,
illustration, Jenny Nyström, culture, publishing
illustration, Jenny Nyström, culture, publishing
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia : Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2019-11
Format:
PDF : 71 pages, color illustrations