ASGARD STORIES - 14 Tales from Norse Mythology E-Book

Various Unknown

• Herausgeber: Abela Publishing
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

A GREAT READ FOR KIDS! In this volume you will find 14 of the most popular Norse Myths and Tales rewritten especially for children and Young Adults, retold by Mary Foster and Mabel Cummings - tales and stories like Odin’s Reward, Tyr and the Wolf, Freyja’s Necklace, The Hammer of Thor, A Gift from Frigga, The Stealing of Iduna, Skadi, Ægir’s Feast and more.This book will also help you better understand the mythology behind the characters in Marvel’s blockbuster movie THOR, with stories like:THE HAMMER OF THORTHOR’S WONDERFUL JOURNEYHOW THOR LOST HIS HAMMERTHE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI to name but a few.This volume is the outcome of several years’ experience of the telling of the classic Norse myths to classes of children. It was found that these were the most popular and quite often re-requested of the stories. There are graphic descriptions in these Norse tales of the hard struggle with rugged nature and the severe climate of Northern Europe. The tales and adventures are of equally rugged men and women full of bravery, heroes in a time when heroes were needed.But this is simply not a number of made up tales, many works were consulted in the preparation of this volume, and the compilers are especially indebted to the following: Thorpe’s translation of Sæmund’s “Edda”; “The Younger Edda,” in translations; Anderson’s “Norse Mythology”; Guerber’s “Myths of Northern Lands”; William and Mary Howitt’s “Literature and Romance of Northern Europe”; and Mallet’s “Northern Antiquities” – Now there’s a bit of extracurricular reading for you……

Leseprobe

BYMARY H. FOSTERANDMABEL H. CUMMINGS, A.B.

ILLUSTRATED

Originally Published By

Silver, Burdett and CompanyNEW YORK        BOSTON        CHICAGO

[1901]

Resurrected by

Abela Publishing, London

[2012]

Asgard Stories

Tales From Norse Mythology

Typographical arrangement of this edition

© Abela Publishing 2012

This book may not be reproduced in its current format in any manner in any media, or transmitted by any means whatsoever, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, or mechanical ( including photocopy, file or video recording, internet web sites, blogs, wikis, or any other information storage and retrieval system) except as permitted by law without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Abela Publishing,

London

United Kingdom

2012

ISBN-13: 978-1-909302068

email [email protected]

website: www.AbelaPublishing.com

ODIN, THE ALLFATHER

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Publisher acknowledges the work that

Mary Foster and Mabel Cummings

did in translating this unique collection of

Asgard Stories

Tales From Norse Mythology

in a time well before any electronic media was in use.

* * * * * * *

33% of the publisher’s profit

from the sale from this book

will be donated to charities.

DEDICATION

To all our Childrenwho have loved the hearing of these Asgard Stories

PREFACE

This little volume is the outcome of several years’ experience in telling to classes of children the classic myths, both southern and northern. The insight and interest displayed by the children encourage the authors to hope that other teachers and pupils may enjoy the myths here reproduced.

The interest shown at present in the teaching of myths to children seems to call for some such simple volume, giving the Norse myths in suitable form for use with pupils as well as for the children’s home reading. There are various collections of the Greek tales, but the books dealing with the Norse myths seem to be more or less cumbered with detail, and, therefore, not adapted to very young readers.

The experience of the authors satisfies them that the teaching of myths should begin with those of the North, and that the Greek tales should be given later, with comparisons and references to the Norse myths. The stories which were dear to our own northern forefathers stir our children more deeply and are more congenial to them than those which come down to us from the Greeks. This is perfectly reasonable. The graphic descriptions in the Norse tales of the hard struggle with rugged nature and the severe climate of the North naturally come home more closely to us than the less rigorous and sturdy conditions of the southern nations. Then, too, the moral tone of the Norse myths is higher, purer, and more steadfast than that of the Greek tales, and is more congenial to our Teutonic point of view.

Much depends, of course, upon the teacher’s careful study of the myths and insight into their significance. They should be presented in such manner as to awaken the interest of the children and lead them to make use of their own imagination.

The value of the Norse myths has been urged by Carlyle, Dasent, Anderson, and others. “To me there is in the Norse system something very genuine, very great, and manlike,” wrote Carlyle. “A broad simplicity, so very different from the light gracefulness of the old Greek paganism, distinguishes this Norse system. It is thought, the genuine thought of deep, rude, earnest minds, fairly opened to the things about them,—a face-to-face and heart-to-heart inspection of things,—the first characteristic of all good thought in all times.”

Anderson, the author of “Norse Mythology,” wrote: “In the Norse mythology the centralizing idea is its peculiar feature; in it lies its strength and beauty. The one myth and the one divinity is inextricably in communion with the other; and thus also the idea of unity, centralization, is a prominent feature and one of the chief characteristics of the Teutonic nations.

“While the Greek mythology foreshadowed the petty states of Greece and southern Europe, the Norse mythology foreshadowed the political and social destinies of United Scandinavia, United Great Britain, and the United States of North America....

“The poetic period of the child’s own race should be melted and moulded into poetry, touched by a spark of Christian refinement and love, and then poured, so to speak, into his soul. The child’s mind should feed upon the mythological stories and the primitive folklore of his race.”

While many works have been consulted in the preparation of this volume, the authors are especially indebted to the following: Thorpe’s translation of Sæmund’s “Edda”; “The Younger Edda,” in translations; Anderson’s “Norse Mythology”; Guerber’s “Myths of Northern Lands”; William and Mary Howitt’s “Literature and Romance of Northern Europe”; and Mallet’s “Northern Antiquities.”

Brookline, Mass.,September, 1901.

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

DEDICATION

PREFACE

Full-Page Illustrations

The Story of the Beginning

Odin’s Reward

Tyr and the Wolf

Freyja’s Necklace

The Hammer of Thor

Thor’s Wonderful Journey

How Thor lost his Hammer

A Gift from Frigga

The Stealing of Iduna

Skadi

Baldur

Ægir’s Feast

The Punishment of Loki

The Twilight of the Gods

Index of Names

Keys to Pronounciation