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The perfect companion to Viking Folktales and Norse Myths.Icelandic folktales are the close cousins of Viking fairy stories, although perhaps a little darker in their tone, but they share many of the same themes of innocence and trickery, triumph of good sense over pride, and all with a strong moral message. One particular characteristic though is that often the prince is rescued by the princess who has suffered much hardship in the journey to rescue the foolish male from the clutches of an ogre or a wicked crone. Stories include: The Story of the Three Princes, Hildur, Queen of Elves, The Giantess and the Granite Boat, The Magic Scythe.
FLAME TREE 451. The bestselling paperback series on myths, legends, warriors, leaders and epic literature. Although Norse, Greek and Celtic mythology dominate the popular imagination in Western countries, there are so many other tradition around the world that contribute to the rich exploration of our collective past and create new perspectives on events of the past, and the lessons of the future.
About the author
Rósa Þorsteinsdóttir is an associated research professor in folkloristics at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies. She works both as an archivist and a researcher, while teaching courses on folkloristics at the University of Iceland. She has conducted research on the history of the collection of folklore in Iceland and has an interest in ethnomusicology.
Jake Jackson has written, edited and contributed to over 20 books on mythology and folklore. Related works include studies of Babylonian creation myths, the philosophy of time and William Blake's use of mythology in his visionary literature.
Summary
Icelandic folktales are strong moral fables, and the close cousins of other Scandinavian origin fairy stories. They are a little darker in their tone, but share many of the same themes of innocence and trickery, triumph of good sense over pride, and the resilience of the strong heroine in the rescue of a feeble prince. A delightful collection.
