The first Hall

The first hall is the opening architectural space in Gerhard Munthe's series of paintings depicting the underground kingdom from the Åsmund folk tale cycle. Munthe conceived this cycle as a unified visual narrative rather than isolated illustrations, and the sequence of halls functions as a journey through an increasingly wondrous subterranean realm. His stylised treatment of architectural interiors drew on his research into Old Norse and medieval Scandinavian decorative arts, creating spaces that feel simultaneously ancient and invented — appropriately fairy-tale in their unreality.

The first hall composition establishes Munthe's visual language for the series: flattened perspective, bold ornamental detail, strong silhouetted figures, and a colour palette drawn from the warm earthy tones of Norse decorative tradition. The scene sets up visual expectations that the subsequent halls develop.