Norwegian Folktales: Volume I

Folktales embody one of the most fascinating glimpses into the evolving society of the Norse or Northmen. The cosmological tales of their pre-Christian pantheon, the pagan religion that we identify most strongly with those referred to colloquially as Vikings, had passed beyond the pagan and hybridization periods. In these folktales, we see the redefinition of Norse gods and goddesses into demons and devils, though they were revered and worshipped not so very long ago. In this collection, the lover of tales is gifted with an array of stories, some familiar and others wholly unique. One cannot read these tales and not see the many parallels and roots extending backwards through time and into the cosmology of the old pagan gods. One similarly cannot help but see the familiar ties of stories already known, especially those recorded by the Brothers Grimm. From variations of the old gods to reincarnated tales of Slavic and German origins, the folktale traditions of the North deserve to be counted among that artistic canon of writings meant to be respected and remembered by those of us in the modern day.