Tors Fiske: A Lively Fountain in Stockholm's Mariatorget

Tors fiske, a sculpture group and fountain in bronze by Anders Wissler, was completed and installed on October 3, 1903, on Mariatorget on Södermalm in Stockholm. The sculpture won a competition and immediately became popular with the general public, considered one of Wissler's main works. Tors fiske shows the moment when Thor (Tor) defends the world by catching and destroying the Midgard serpent. The central figure of Tors fiske depicts the dramatic moment when Tor has caught the Midgard serpent and is raising his hammer Mjolner to destroy the serpent. To either side, there are two water-sprouting ancient oculi that resemble the eyes of Odin.

Beyond the Story: Wissler made study trips to places like Versailles and had his own views on fountain sculptures. He believed that they should be less stiff and more lively, different from Molin's fountain in Kungstradgarden. Tors fiske is a perfect embodiment of that belief. The sculpture required a long work process with complicated casting, and Wissler's fountain sculpture is, unlike Molin's fountain in Kungsträdgården, a very lively, not stiff fountain statue. Tors fiske also harmonizes with the surroundings due to Wissler's design approach, and the marble basin's swirls follow the entire Jugend style.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons