In ancient Iceland every midsummer there was a great meeting. Men from all over the country came and made laws. During the day there were rest times, when no business was going on. Then some skald would take his harp and walk to a large stone or a knoll and stand on it and begin a song of some brave deed of an old Norse hero. At the first sound of the harp and the voice, men would come running from all directions, crying out: "A skald! A skald! A saga!" There they would stand for hours listening and shouting applause. When the skald was tired, another would take his place. The best skalds were well travelled and visited many people. Their songs made them welcome everywhere. They were always honoured with good seats at a feast and were given many rich gifts. Even the King of Norway was known to sometimes send across the water to Iceland for a skald to attend his court. Initially these tales, or sagas, were not written for few men wrote or read in those days. When at last people began to read and wr

In ancient Iceland every midsummer there was a great meeting. Men from all over the country came and made laws. During the day there were rest times, when no business was going on. Then some skald would take his harp and walk to a large stone or a knoll and stand on it and begin a song of some brave deed of an old Norse hero. At the first sound of the harp and the voice, men would come running from all directions, crying out: "A skald! A skald! A saga!" There they would stand for hours listening and shouting applause. When the skald was tired, another would take his place. The best skalds were well travelled and visited many people. Their songs made them welcome everywhere. They were always honoured with good seats at a feast and were given many rich gifts. Even the King of Norway was known to sometimes send across the water to Iceland for a skald to attend his court. Initially these tales, or sagas, were not written for few men wrote or read in those days. When at last people began to read and wr

In ancient Iceland every midsummer there was a great meeting. Men from all over the country came and made laws. During the day there were rest times, when no business was going on. Then some skald would take his harp and walk to a large stone or a knoll and stand on it and begin a song of some brave deed of an old Norse hero. At the first sound of the harp and the voice, men would come running from all directions, crying out: "A skald! A skald! A saga!" There they would stand for hours listening and shouting applause. When the skald was tired, another would take his place. The best skalds were well travelled and visited many people. Their songs made them welcome everywhere. They were always honoured with good seats at a feast and were given many rich gifts. Even the King of Norway was known to sometimes send across the water to Iceland for a skald to attend his court. Initially these tales, or sagas, were not written for few men wrote or read in those days. When at last people began to read and wr

In ancient Iceland every midsummer there was a great meeting. Men from all over the country came and made laws. During the day there were rest times, when no business was going on. Then some skald would take his harp and walk to a large stone or a knoll and stand on it and begin a song of some brave deed of an old Norse hero. At the first sound of the harp and the voice, men would come running from all directions, crying out: "A skald! A skald! A saga!" There they would stand for hours listening and shouting applause. When the skald was tired, another would take his place. The best skalds were well travelled and visited many people. Their songs made them welcome everywhere. They were always honoured with good seats at a feast and were given many rich gifts. Even the King of Norway was known to sometimes send across the water to Iceland for a skald to attend his court. Initially these tales, or sagas, were not written for few men wrote or read in those days. When at last people began to read and wr

In ancient Iceland every midsummer there was a great meeting. Men from all over the country came and made laws. During the day there were rest times, when no business was going on. Then some skald would take his harp and walk to a large stone or a knoll and stand on it and begin a song of some brave deed of an old Norse hero. At the first sound of the harp and the voice, men would come running from all directions, crying out: "A skald! A skald! A saga!" There they would stand for hours listening and shouting applause. When the skald was tired, another would take his place. The best skalds were well travelled and visited many people. Their songs made them welcome everywhere. They were always honoured with good seats at a feast and were given many rich gifts. Even the King of Norway was known to sometimes send across the water to Iceland for a skald to attend his court. Initially these tales, or sagas, were not written for few men wrote or read in those days. When at last people began to read and wr

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 Tiivistelm. 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 desce

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 Tiivistelm. 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 desce

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 Tiivistelm. 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 desce

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 Tiivistelm. 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 desce

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 Tiivistelm. 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 desce

In ancient Iceland every midsummer there was a great meeting. Men from all over the country came and made laws. During the day there were rest times, when no business was going on. Then some skald would take his harp and walk to a large stone or a knoll and stand on it and begin a song of some brave deed of an old Norse hero. At the first sound of the harp and the voice, men would come running from all directions, crying out:
"A skald! A skald! A saga!"
There they would stand for hours listening and shouting applause. When the skald was tired, another would take his place. The best skalds were well travelled and visited many people. Their songs made them welcome everywhere. They were always honoured with good seats at a feast and were given many rich gifts. Even the King of Norway was known to sometimes send across the water to Iceland for a skald to attend his court.
Initially these tales, or sagas, were not written for few men wrote or read in those days. When at last people began to read and write, they first recorded the sagas on sheepskin, or vellum. Many of these old vellum books have been saved for hundreds of years and are now in museums in Norway. Some leaves have been lost, some are torn and all are yellow and crumpled. But they are precious. They tell us all that we know about that olden time. There are the very words that the men of Iceland wrote so long ago stories of kings and of battles and of ship-sailing. Some of those old stories have been told in this book.

In ancient Iceland every midsummer there was a great meeting. Men from all over the country came and made laws. During the day there were rest times, when no business was going on. Then some skald would take his harp and walk to a large stone or a knoll and stand on it and begin a song of some brave deed of an old Norse hero. At the first sound of the harp and the voice, men would come running from all directions, crying out:
"A skald! A skald! A saga!"
There they would stand for hours listening and shouting applause. When the skald was tired, another would take his place. The best skalds were well travelled and visited many people. Their songs made them welcome everywhere. They were always honoured with good seats at a feast and were given many rich gifts. Even the King of Norway was known to sometimes send across the water to Iceland for a skald to attend his court.
Initially these tales, or sagas, were not written for few men wrote or read in those days. When at last people began to read and write, they first recorded the sagas on sheepskin, or vellum. Many of these old vellum books have been saved for hundreds of years and are now in museums in Norway. Some leaves have been lost, some are torn and all are yellow and crumpled. But they are precious. They tell us all that we know about that olden time. There are the very words that the men of Iceland wrote so long ago stories of kings and of battles and of ship-sailing. Some of those old stories have been told in this book.

In ancient Iceland every midsummer there was a great meeting. Men from all over the country came and made laws. During the day there were rest times, when no business was going on. Then some skald would take his harp and walk to a large stone or a knoll and stand on it and begin a song of some brave deed of an old Norse hero. At the first sound of the harp and the voice, men would come running from all directions, crying out:
"A skald! A skald! A saga!"
There they would stand for hours listening and shouting applause. When the skald was tired, another would take his place. The best skalds were well travelled and visited many people. Their songs made them welcome everywhere. They were always honoured with good seats at a feast and were given many rich gifts. Even the King of Norway was known to sometimes send across the water to Iceland for a skald to attend his court.
Initially these tales, or sagas, were not written for few men wrote or read in those days. When at last people began to read and write, they first recorded the sagas on sheepskin, or vellum. Many of these old vellum books have been saved for hundreds of years and are now in museums in Norway. Some leaves have been lost, some are torn and all are yellow and crumpled. But they are precious. They tell us all that we know about that olden time. There are the very words that the men of Iceland wrote so long ago stories of kings and of battles and of ship-sailing. Some of those old stories have been told in this book.

In ancient Iceland every midsummer there was a great meeting. Men from all over the country came and made laws. During the day there were rest times, when no business was going on. Then some skald would take his harp and walk to a large stone or a knoll and stand on it and begin a song of some brave deed of an old Norse hero. At the first sound of the harp and the voice, men would come running from all directions, crying out:
"A skald! A skald! A saga!"
There they would stand for hours listening and shouting applause. When the skald was tired, another would take his place. The best skalds were well travelled and visited many people. Their songs made them welcome everywhere. They were always honoured with good seats at a feast and were given many rich gifts. Even the King of Norway was known to sometimes send across the water to Iceland for a skald to attend his court.
Initially these tales, or sagas, were not written for few men wrote or read in those days. When at last people began to read and write, they first recorded the sagas on sheepskin, or vellum. Many of these old vellum books have been saved for hundreds of years and are now in museums in Norway. Some leaves have been lost, some are torn and all are yellow and crumpled. But they are precious. They tell us all that we know about that olden time. There are the very words that the men of Iceland wrote so long ago stories of kings and of battles and of ship-sailing. Some of those old stories have been told in this book.

In ancient Iceland every midsummer there was a great meeting. Men from all over the country came and made laws. During the day there were rest times, when no business was going on. Then some skald would take his harp and walk to a large stone or a knoll and stand on it and begin a song of some brave deed of an old Norse hero. At the first sound of the harp and the voice, men would come running from all directions, crying out:
"A skald! A skald! A saga!"
There they would stand for hours listening and shouting applause. When the skald was tired, another would take his place. The best skalds were well travelled and visited many people. Their songs made them welcome everywhere. They were always honoured with good seats at a feast and were given many rich gifts. Even the King of Norway was known to sometimes send across the water to Iceland for a skald to attend his court.
Initially these tales, or sagas, were not written for few men wrote or read in those days. When at last people began to read and write, they first recorded the sagas on sheepskin, or vellum. Many of these old vellum books have been saved for hundreds of years and are now in museums in Norway. Some leaves have been lost, some are torn and all are yellow and crumpled. But they are precious. They tell us all that we know about that olden time. There are the very words that the men of Iceland wrote so long ago stories of kings and of battles and of ship-sailing. Some of those old stories have been told in this book.

For centuries the songs of Homer, the blind poet of Greece, recounting the heroic deeds of the great Hector and lion-hearted Achilles, have delighted the children, young and old, of many lands. But part of our own heritage, and nearer to us in race and time, are these stories of Beowulf and Frithiof (Fridtjhof). The records of lives nobly lived are an inspiration to noble living. With the hope that the courage, truth, endurance, reverence, and patriotism shown by these heroes of the Northland will arouse interest and emulation. This little book is offered to our young adults and children. "The Story of Frithiof" is based upon Holcomb's translation of Bishop Tegnr's poem, "The Saga of Frithiof" which charts Frithiof's and Ingeborg's undying love for each other and the lengths Frithiof had to go to, to eventually win her hand. If ever a story was to teach the young about perseverance and endurance, this is it. The epic Beowulf was written in England, but is set in Scandinavia. It has variously bee

For centuries the songs of Homer, the blind poet of Greece, recounting the heroic deeds of the great Hector and lion-hearted Achilles, have delighted the children, young and old, of many lands. But part of our own heritage, and nearer to us in race and time, are these stories of Beowulf and Frithiof (Fridtjhof). The records of lives nobly lived are an inspiration to noble living. With the hope that the courage, truth, endurance, reverence, and patriotism shown by these heroes of the Northland will arouse interest and emulation. This little book is offered to our young adults and children. "The Story of Frithiof" is based upon Holcomb's translation of Bishop Tegnr's poem, "The Saga of Frithiof" which charts Frithiof's and Ingeborg's undying love for each other and the lengths Frithiof had to go to, to eventually win her hand. If ever a story was to teach the young about perseverance and endurance, this is it. The epic Beowulf was written in England, but is set in Scandinavia. It has variously bee

For centuries the songs of Homer, the blind poet of Greece, recounting the heroic deeds of the great Hector and lion-hearted Achilles, have delighted the children, young and old, of many lands. But part of our own heritage, and nearer to us in race and time, are these stories of Beowulf and Frithiof (Fridtjhof). The records of lives nobly lived are an inspiration to noble living. With the hope that the courage, truth, endurance, reverence, and patriotism shown by these heroes of the Northland will arouse interest and emulation. This little book is offered to our young adults and children. "The Story of Frithiof" is based upon Holcomb's translation of Bishop Tegnr's poem, "The Saga of Frithiof" which charts Frithiof's and Ingeborg's undying love for each other and the lengths Frithiof had to go to, to eventually win her hand. If ever a story was to teach the young about perseverance and endurance, this is it. The epic Beowulf was written in England, but is set in Scandinavia. It has variously bee

For centuries the songs of Homer, the blind poet of Greece, recounting the heroic deeds of the great Hector and lion-hearted Achilles, have delighted the children, young and old, of many lands. But part of our own heritage, and nearer to us in race and time, are these stories of Beowulf and Frithiof (Fridtjhof). The records of lives nobly lived are an inspiration to noble living. With the hope that the courage, truth, endurance, reverence, and patriotism shown by these heroes of the Northland will arouse interest and emulation. This little book is offered to our young adults and children. "The Story of Frithiof" is based upon Holcomb's translation of Bishop Tegnr's poem, "The Saga of Frithiof" which charts Frithiof's and Ingeborg's undying love for each other and the lengths Frithiof had to go to, to eventually win her hand. If ever a story was to teach the young about perseverance and endurance, this is it. The epic Beowulf was written in England, but is set in Scandinavia. It has variously bee

For centuries the songs of Homer, the blind poet of Greece, recounting the heroic deeds of the great Hector and lion-hearted Achilles, have delighted the children, young and old, of many lands. But part of our own heritage, and nearer to us in race and time, are these stories of Beowulf and Frithiof (Fridtjhof). The records of lives nobly lived are an inspiration to noble living. With the hope that the courage, truth, endurance, reverence, and patriotism shown by these heroes of the Northland will arouse interest and emulation. This little book is offered to our young adults and children. "The Story of Frithiof" is based upon Holcomb's translation of Bishop Tegnr's poem, "The Saga of Frithiof" which charts Frithiof's and Ingeborg's undying love for each other and the lengths Frithiof had to go to, to eventually win her hand. If ever a story was to teach the young about perseverance and endurance, this is it. The epic Beowulf was written in England, but is set in Scandinavia. It has variously bee

THE EVENTS described in the saga of Gisli the Soursop reach from about the year AD930 to AD980. In a time when the law of Iceland had not yet been established, when men were ruled by their conscience, Gisli, a champion of Iceland, was outlawed for murder by the Chieftain Bork at the Thorsness Thing (council). But besides his sentence he was doomed, even before his birth. He and his kin were under a curse, for they had kept the broken bits of "Graysteel", the thrall's good sword, which came with a withering spaedom. So under sentence and under a curse Gisli went on the run. For fourteen years with the help of family, friends and those who really knew the truth, he managed to evade Bork's men and bounty hunters alike. As with many champions through the ages, Gisli was also a true poet and his verses have genuine thought and feeling lying underneath, as you will frequently find in this volume. To the end Gisli fought hard, taking with him eight of the fourteen who eventually cornered him one snowy n

THE EVENTS described in the saga of Gisli the Soursop reach from about the year AD930 to AD980. In a time when the law of Iceland had not yet been established, when men were ruled by their conscience, Gisli, a champion of Iceland, was outlawed for murder by the Chieftain Bork at the Thorsness Thing (council). But besides his sentence he was doomed, even before his birth. He and his kin were under a curse, for they had kept the broken bits of "Graysteel", the thrall's good sword, which came with a withering spaedom. So under sentence and under a curse Gisli went on the run. For fourteen years with the help of family, friends and those who really knew the truth, he managed to evade Bork's men and bounty hunters alike. As with many champions through the ages, Gisli was also a true poet and his verses have genuine thought and feeling lying underneath, as you will frequently find in this volume. To the end Gisli fought hard, taking with him eight of the fourteen who eventually cornered him one snowy n

THE EVENTS described in the saga of Gisli the Soursop reach from about the year AD930 to AD980. In a time when the law of Iceland had not yet been established, when men were ruled by their conscience, Gisli, a champion of Iceland, was outlawed for murder by the Chieftain Bork at the Thorsness Thing (council). But besides his sentence he was doomed, even before his birth. He and his kin were under a curse, for they had kept the broken bits of "Graysteel", the thrall's good sword, which came with a withering spaedom. So under sentence and under a curse Gisli went on the run. For fourteen years with the help of family, friends and those who really knew the truth, he managed to evade Bork's men and bounty hunters alike. As with many champions through the ages, Gisli was also a true poet and his verses have genuine thought and feeling lying underneath, as you will frequently find in this volume. To the end Gisli fought hard, taking with him eight of the fourteen who eventually cornered him one snowy n

THE EVENTS described in the saga of Gisli the Soursop reach from about the year AD930 to AD980. In a time when the law of Iceland had not yet been established, when men were ruled by their conscience, Gisli, a champion of Iceland, was outlawed for murder by the Chieftain Bork at the Thorsness Thing (council). But besides his sentence he was doomed, even before his birth. He and his kin were under a curse, for they had kept the broken bits of "Graysteel", the thrall's good sword, which came with a withering spaedom. So under sentence and under a curse Gisli went on the run. For fourteen years with the help of family, friends and those who really knew the truth, he managed to evade Bork's men and bounty hunters alike. As with many champions through the ages, Gisli was also a true poet and his verses have genuine thought and feeling lying underneath, as you will frequently find in this volume. To the end Gisli fought hard, taking with him eight of the fourteen who eventually cornered him one snowy n