#carl emile doepler

[themackenzieboydchronicles]

The procession of Corpus Christi by German artist Carl Emile Doepler 1824- 1905.

June 19th commemorates the Feast of Corpus Christy representing the real presence of Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ.

[lux-vitae]

Wotan by Carl Emil Doepler, illustration from Der Ring des Nibelungen von Richard Wagner: Figurinen Erfunden und Gezeichnet (The Ring of the Nibelung by Richard Wagner: Figurines Invented and Drawn) (1889)

[merovingian-marvels]

The origin of the horned Viking helmet

The Vikings are stereotypically imagined as brutal warriors with horned helmets. However no historic images exist of “Norsemen with horned helmets”. And we have found plenty of helmets from that era and none of them have horns. So where does the idea come from?

During German Romanticism, Wagner wrote his four opera’s making up Der Ring des Nibelungen. To perform the opera’s there needs to be stages, props, famous singers for the opening night and… costumes.

Carl Emil Doepler was a Polish born German artist who specialized in illustrations for books and newspapers but was also a costume designer. After having met Richard Wagner, he was asked to design the costumes for the opera’s.

Doepler didn’t conduct any research to Germanic dress, and consistent with the Romantic era, he choose designs that speak to one’s emotions, rather than a “set academic/artistic standard”.

The opera’s themselves were a huge hit with the Bayreuther crowd and Germany. Besides the praise for the opera’s stories, music and leitmotivs, Doepler was praised for his designs. He would make many illustrations of Nordic figures which all were held in high regard.

When people talked about Vikings, the only image that would come to mind -because it was pretty much the only one there was- were people in horned helmets, helmets with wings, big wooden shields and armor on. Because that was the reference point people had.

It’s kind of similar to thinking that the MCU’s rendition of Vikings and Germans is historically accurate, but it spoke to people’s minds. And it stuck.

Carl Emil Doepler, “Odin on Hildskjalf” 18th century, Germany.

(Aka the most famous drawing of Odin on the internet)

[tundra-leech]

Odin Questions Mimir by Carl Emil Doepler from Wilhelm Ranisch's Walhall: Die Götterwelt der Germanen.

source: germanicmythology.com

[nataliakoptseva]

Odin hanging on the World-Tree

Carl Emil Doepler 'The Younger'

[poeticnorth]

A little something I wrote as part of one of my ongoing projects.

[nu-omicron-alpha-eta]

Fate Grand Order Servant Comparisons

Cú Chulainn

Left - FGO

Right - illustration by J. C. Leyendecker in T. W. Rolleston's Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race, 1911

Left - FGO

Right - Carl Emil Doepler made in 1880.

Note: Caster Cu Chulainn is a Pseudo-Servant of Odin

[jeannepompadour]

"La soir" by Carl Emil Doepler (1855 - 1922)

[paganimagevault]

Heimdallr desires Iðunn's return from the underworld by Carl Emil Doepler 1882

"She ill brooked her descent, under the hoar tree's trunk confined. She would not happy be with Norvi's daughter, accustomed to a pleasanter abode at home." -Hrafnagaldr Óðins, Stanza 7

https://paganimagevault.blogspot.com/2019/11/heimdallr-desires-iunns-return-from.html

[gunnr-lp]

Waltraut, Der Ring des Nibelungen [1889]

Artist: Carl Emil Doepler

[solophent]

Wodan Heals Balder’s Horse - Emil Doepler

[derangedrhythms]

Carl Emil Doepler, ‘Odin on Hildskjalf’

[svenson777]

Carl Emil Doepler "Freya" (1882)

[tundra-leech]

Gylfi Beholding Asgard by Carl Emil Doepler from Asgard and the Gods.

source:germanicmythology.com

[audreydoeskaren]

Hello Audrey, hope you're well and you're having fun writing about fashion 😉

Regarding the relationship between guzhuang and Chinese opera, I wanted to mention that China is not at all alone in getting inspiration from opera or theater.

I was watching a video by the Welsh Viking, a YouTuber who's day job is archeology (particularly of the viking period).

He noticed that some of the viking fashion in Hollywood movies come directly from Victoria period era opera's costumes.

Like the brigandine with metal plates sewn on top has never existed in history, yet you can find it in almost every viking adaptation, and it comes from costumes in Wagner's opera. Same for the 'viking helmet'. It's very interesting. (the video is called 'l review over 60 years of questionable Hollywood viking costume' if anyone is interested).

Opera is meant to be seen from pretty far away, so of course it's very spectacular and ostentatious. And at the time these operas were running, they didn't have a lot of material to base their costumes on.

Just to say that weird costume choices from operas are apparently pretty common among cultures XD

Hi, thank you for this information!! Here is a link to the video for reference. Absolutely agree that the influence of opera on tv and film costuming was quite a universal thing, as opera and theater were the dominant forms of entertainment before film was invented, and many people from opera and theater worked on the earliest films as well. In early and mid 20th century Hollywood especially, a lot of period movies were made to look good and dramatic instead of accurately portray their characters or story. Even after high resolution film and realistic acting became common and audiences were totally capable of appreciating accurate costumes at close distance, a lot of movies probably continued using opera style costumes out of convention or budget restrictions instead of actually researching what was historically accurate and appropriate for their characters.

Though I'd say Western period dramas have gotten rid of opera and been doing the historical accuracy thing for much longer than Chinese ones (with varying degrees of success), as there were movies like Barry Lyndon and A Room with a View in the 1970s and 80s while China was stuck in opera guzhuang hell (neutral) until the mid 2010s. While there is a whole load of inaccurate or buck wild historical dramas in the West, like the stereotypical Viking interpretations, there are also really nice ones that rekindle my hope in humanity's intelligence, whereas most Chinese period dramas are just an endless pool of suffering...

Source

1876 costume designs for Wagner's Ring cycle by Carl Emil Doepler. I guess you could categorize these as Norse inspired guzhuang?

I kind of have a rough draft of the guzhuang series though I need to fact check many things and find more examples. If anyone has any recommendations for Chinese period dramas from 1980-2010 please let me know!! It would be very helpful.

[dry-valleys]

Carl Emil Doepler (1824-1905)