The wild Hunt of Odin

Why it's great

Odin, the chief of the Norse gods, leads a ghostly army of riders across a stormy sky in the Wild Hunt. Peter Nicolai Arbo made several versions of this scene, based on Scandinavian folk tales. The flying horses, warriors and dogs are thrilling. It's the most famous painting of Norse myth.

🏛️ Part of history

The Viking Age (793–1066) — Arbo shows the Norse god Odin riding across the stormy sky with his ghostly hunters.

👀 Look closer!

Find the dogs running with Odin. Which one is the biggest?

Where to see it

📍 National Museum of Art, Architecture and DesignOslo, Norway

Open in Maps ↗ About this museum →

Hang it on your wall

⬇ Hi-res download 10,291 × 7,074 px · 72.8 megapixels · prints up to about 34 × 24 inches at 300 dpi Heads up: this is a huge scan, so the file can be hundreds of megabytes. Right-click and save it rather than opening it in a phone browser. File page & license ↗

Three places to look for a print of this painting, from budget to museum-grade:

💵 Budget Etsy ↗ Posters and simple prints from small sellers, usually the lowest prices. 🖼️ Mid-range Fine Art America ↗ Good printing on paper, canvas or metal, made to order, with framing options. 🏛️ High-end Meisterdrucke ↗ Museum-grade giclée prints on archival paper or canvas, the closest to the real thing.

These links open search results on each shop's own website; we don't sell anything or earn a commission, and print quality varies by seller. Ask a grown-up before you buy anything.

About the artist

Peter Nicolai Arbo

1831–1892 · born in Gulskogen · died in Christiania

Peter Nicolai Arbo was a Norwegian painter born in 1831 who studied in Düsseldorf and Munich. He painted Norse myth and Viking history, making them familiar to Norwegians. His 'Wild Hunt of Odin' is his most famous painting. He died in Christiania in 1892.