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Auckland Domain; Fountain of the Valkyries
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DescriptionThis image by James Walter Chapman-Taylor shows the Fountain of the Valkyries in Auckland Domain. This sculpture by English sculptor Gilbert Bayes was donated by Richard Sydney Hellaby (the artist son of butchery chain founder Richard Hellaby) in 1929.
Valkyries were minor female deities who served Odin. Their main purpose was to choose the most heroic of those who had died in battle and to carry them off to Valhalla.
The sculpture is quite small; the three parts seen here add up to about a metre high.
The horse and rider stand on a partial sphere; the inscription in the stone surrounding it reads "When the best of the Earth are gathered to know the chooser's mind".
The sides of the rectangular stone block have figures of Valkyries riding their horses; one at each end, two per side. Below the stone section, an animal head at each end spouts water; there are clawed paws below.
The whole thing stands on a stepped square plinth maybe 1.5 metres high, and is surrounded by a pool.
Geotag[1] The fountain, in the Domain.
Valkyries were minor female deities who served Odin. Their main purpose was to choose the most heroic of those who had died in battle and to carry them off to Valhalla.
The sculpture is quite small; the three parts seen here add up to about a metre high.
The horse and rider stand on a partial sphere; the inscription in the stone surrounding it reads "When the best of the Earth are gathered to know the chooser's mind".
The sides of the rectangular stone block have figures of Valkyries riding their horses; one at each end, two per side. Below the stone section, an animal head at each end spouts water; there are clawed paws below.
The whole thing stands on a stepped square plinth maybe 1.5 metres high, and is surrounded by a pool.
Geotag[1] The fountain, in the Domain.Part of
About the original
ReferenceP49-3-2-41FormatSepia print, mounted in albumSize204 x 154
FormatSepia print, mounted in albumSize204 x 154Click on the image to add
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Auckland Domain; Fountain of the Valkyries. Upper Hutt Libraries, accessed 11/05/2026, https://uhcl.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/17049