I am in illustrator working on a Norse Mythology project, trying to create a historically sensitive portrayal of Thor, Odin, the Valkyries, Fenrir, Jormungandr, Loki, and others. I am trying to create something historically accurate for these figures. Any insight or links would be appreciated.
Thank you.
I realize these are not real characters, but I am trying to create something historically accurate for these myths.
A brief note, this is something of an unnecessary (and potentially insulting to certain groups) sentence.
As to the question at hand, it depends. Forgive me if I'm misunderstanding, but I assume you're hoping for actual historical depictions? Contemporary depictions of the gods (and anything else) tended to be highly stylized and some of the better examples are in the form of idols or runestone inscriptions.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Freyr_statue_R%C3%A4llinge_crop.jpg
That's a (generally accepted) statuette of Freyr, as an example. A sort of poor picture, but note the heavily emphasized phallus. This sort of stylization was typical of the time. For two-dimensional depictions, it's easiest to refer to runestones. The Gotland runestone G 181 depicts figures commonly understood as Thor, Odin and Freyr. The Ledberg stone (Ög 181) is also useful for its depiction of Odin and Fenrir.
