Author(s): Sir George Webbe Dasent
Format: Paperback
No. of Pages: 618
Publisher: Abela Publishing
Language: English
Date Published: 2010-03-23
Dimensions: 128 x 204 x 42mm
Publication City/Country: Sandhurst, United Kingdom
Edition:
Illustrations: black & white illustrations

This is George Dasent's classic collection of Scandinavian folklore. This is not about Norse mythology per se; so if you are looking for tales of Odin, Loki, and Freya etc., we would refer you to a volume entitled Tiivistelma. Rather, this is a volume that is more fairy and less Viking, or Saga, in nature. This is an anthology of folk tales, similar to the Grimm Brothers, or Campbell's Popular Tales of the West Highlands (also published by Abela Publishing). All of the usual suspects are in place, including giants, trolls, witches, evil step-siblings, magical boons and tasks, and anthropomorphic animals and beings. The introduction is exceptionally well written, and places various magical and other themes from the tales into the context of ancient Norse Pagan beliefs. It is a Victorian scholarly treatise however (with the requisite multipage footnotes and rhetorical flourishes), which will no doubt be appreciated by readers with an academic persuasion. Once past the introduction however, the prose descends to the young adult level, and the delightful stories can be appreciated by readers of all ages. But be warned, despite these tales being magical in character, these are tales from an era when political correctness did not exist. In the words of the translator, "the person who, in such a work, wilfully changes or softens, is as guilty as they "who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." So join with us again and venture back in time to an age when the world still had a connection to the ethereal. A time when magic was still believed to exist. 33% of the net profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities for educational purposes.