Here are some of the stories told by the Norsemen who lived in Scandinavia from about two thousand to a thousand years ago— the Vikings.
The people of the northlands were a nation of bold warriors and courageous women who admired above all things strength in battle and bravery against great odds, and considered themselves disgraced for ever if they let a wrong to themselves or to their families go unavenged.
In the first part of the book are the stories of their gods: mighty Odin, Thor the god of thunder, the gentle Freya, Loki the mischief-maker and many others: gods who were even such as every Norseman longed to be, eternally striving against the hated giants who were the pitiless northern snows and the grim northern mountains.
In the second part are tales of the Norse heroes, tales told in the long winter evenings of the northern lands.
These are fine stories, finely retold by a distinguished storyteller; and Barbara Leonie Picard has the illustrations of Joan Kiddell-Monroe to point the force and splendour of her subject.
“I love reading different types of mythology, especially Norse mythology. Wagner’s Ring Cycle, some of my favorite operas, were based on Norse myth, so I’m particularly interesting in it. I really loved this retelling of the Norse myths, which was for children. Leonie Picard’s writing style was straightforward, and most of the Norse stories were included, such as the creation of the world, the golden apples, Loki’s children, and stories of Thor. Also, the building of the citadel and the Valkyries.
I really enjoyed reading the Norse myths again, and I liked the format of this book. Each tale is told separately, and the text of the book is nicely printed on the page. I also loved the descriptions of each god and goddess, from the major ones (trickster Loki, wise and powerful Odin, brave Thor, Freyia, the goddess of love and beauty, Frigg, etc.) to the more minor ones (Balder, the sun god, Bragi, the god of poetry, and Skadi, the goddess of the mountains.) Another thing that I liked was the interpretation/style that Leonie Picard used to write about the end of the gods. I’d never heard the story told quite in the way that she did.” The Literary Flaneur
