Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki

Gr 7 Up—A collection of tales of the Norse gods and goddesses through the eyes and ears of Gylfi—a king of Sweden who "knew a great deal more than most men and women because he listened to storytellers and because he was curious and had a good memory." Gylfi searches for more knowledge about the legends by journeying on foot across the rainbow bridge (Bifrost) to Asgard—home to the deities—disguised as a "stumbling, fumbling" tramp called Gangleri. A man juggling "seven glittering knives" leads the king/tramp into Valhalla, where three wise kings on three high seats gladly answer his questions about the 13 gods and 13 goddesses and Viking history. The tales in this volume are somewhat smoother retellings of those in the author's Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings. When Gylfi returns as an old man, the three kings prophesy the end of the Norse world in a great war between good and evil and the beginnings of a new civilization. This stunning volume, heavily illustrated with somewhat gruesome, predominantly black acrylic and ink paintings in block print and silhouette style, provides an excellent introduction to Norse mythology.