Religious, Genre, Occultism, Wotan

Wotanszug – Antique German Wood Engraving, c. 1900

“Wotanszug” is an original antique German wood engraving dating to approximately 1900, depicting a scene associated with Wotan (Wōdan), the chief god of the Germanic pantheon and the deity known as Odin in Norse mythology.

The name Wotan is the Old High German/West Germanic form of the name associated with Odin, the powerful god of war, wisdom, magic, poetry, and the dead. Wotan became an important subject in 19th-century German art and culture, particularly during the period's renewed interest in Germanic mythology, medieval legends, and pre-Christian traditions.

The subject also has an important connection to Richard Wagner's operas. Wagner used the name Wotan for his version of Odin in Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), a monumental cycle of four operas first performed in its complete form in 1876. By the late 19th century, Wotan had therefore become recognizable not only as a figure from ancient Germanic mythology but also as a prominent character in German cultural and artistic life.

This original antique print is a wood engraving made after a photograph of a painting by E. Herger, published circa 1900. Its subject reflects the period's fascination with Germanic mythology, pagan traditions, folklore, and the occult.

Original antique print
Wood engraving after a photograph of a painting by E. Herger, circa 1900
Image: 30.5 × 15.5 cm (12 × 6.1 in.)

$40.00 — 40% OFF → $24.00