Art, Symbol & Imagination
Thel Returns to the Vales of Har
A long serpent crosses a blue band at the foot of the page, carrying small figures along its curving body. The concluding verses tell of Thel’s encounter with a voice from her own grave and her return to the vales of Har. The ending and its enigmatic design remain visible together.
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Citation
William Blake. "Thel Returns to the Vales of Har" [editorial title]. In The Book of Thel, William Blake. Eight-plate digital facsimile assembled from individually catalogued Yale Center for British Art photographs; historical title dated 1789. Google Art Project images via Wikimedia Commons., undated edition, William Blake (historical plates). Source scan leaf 8. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/thel-return
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Historical source image. Editorial titles and interpretations are identified as such; paper tone and historical marks retained.
Sources
From the book
The Book of ThelWilliam BlakeUndated editionMore from this book
The Book of Thel: Lettering and Entwined Figures
Thel’s Lament beneath the Branching Title
Thel and the Lilly beneath the WillowRelated illustrations
Explore in the Codex
Entries that reference this illustration.
- The Land Unknown in ThelThe sorrowful realm of graves that Thel briefly enters through the eternal gates.
- The Vales of HarThe flower-filled home from which Thel questions passing life and to which she returns after her descent.
- ThelThe questioning figure who fears passing away, listens to small forms of life and briefly enters the land unknown.
Cite this illustration
William Blake. Thel Returns to the Vales of Har. The Book of Thel. Scan leaf 8. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/thel-return