Folk Art - European Heritage - Premium Quality Prints

The legend of a virtuous hero who slays an evil, ferocious dragon is a central and reoccurring theme in many ancient European belief systems: Be it Marduk of Babylon, Cadmus of Greek Mythology, Mithras of Roman, or Sigurd of the Germanic traditions (as depicted here) - All of these legendary heroes are - amongst others - variations of the dragon slayer motif. So vital is this mythos in the European soul that it has even found its way amongst the people of the sun - in spite of the dark ages of Christianity - in the form of the well-known medieval tale of "St. George and the Dragon". It is the triumph of the Noble will: Goodness over Evil, truth over lies, order subduing chaos...light overcoming the dark.

In this epic portrayal of the classic theme, Ulf powerfully captures the moment when our hero, the prince of the Völsunga clan, Sigurd (Sigurðr in old Norse) - whose name literally means "Fated for victory" - drives his sword deep into the heart of the dragon Fafnir and thereby wins for himself and his kin the golden treasure of the Gods. The slaying of Fafnir by Sigurd has been portrayed by beloved folk artists such as Arthur Rackham and Konrad Dielitz, but never has this scene been so skillfully portrayed as by Ulf in this exclusive Grotti Mill print.