Favorite Norse Myths - Hardcover

Osborne, Mary Pope

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0590480464 ISBN 13: 9780590480468

Publisher: Scholastic, 1996

Synopsis

A third collaboration by the team of Favorite Greek Myths portrays the giants, dwarves, elves, monsters, gods, and goddesses who once dwelt in the frozen ancient land of Norway.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

In this stunning volume, Osborne and Howell return from Favorite Greek Myths and Mermaid Tales from Around the World to uncover a cache of tales from another dynamic tradition. Originating from the pre-Christian culture of the Vikings, these 14 legends taken from the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda largely revolve around the incessant squabbling among the energetic Norse gods and goddesses and the ominous frost-giants. Dwarves, dark elves and magical animals also play key roles, while plots feature clever disguises, spells and crafty ploys, many masterminded by this collection's liveliest character, the trickster god Loki. An abundance of well-pitched dialogue makes these potentially dense tales admirably accessible to the target audience. Howell's majestic art, rendered on rag board in acrylics with oil washes, conveys an impressive range of moods as it echoes the stories' key themes, among them the sometimes nebulous nature of good and evil, the effects of the gods' actions on the natural world and the rebirth of life after an apocalyptic confrontation between the deities and their foes marks the end of "time's morning." Subtle line drawings, re-creations of primitive Viking art, scratched onto the surface of each commanding, double-page painting enrich the historical patina. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Gr. 4^-6. Beginning with a quotation from Edith Hamilton's Mythology ("The only light in the darkness is heroism" ), this handsome volume introduces the framework and some of the tales of Norse mythology. Particularly at the beginning and the end of the book, the author summarizes the material, but in between are many dramatic tales, retold with clarity and grace. The unusual artwork combines acrylic paintings with line drawings reminiscent of Norse carvings in their simplicity and vigor. Each drawing appears once on its own and again (much larger) lightly superimposed on the surface of a dramatic painting. Howell not only achieves his stated aim that each full-color painting become a "runic drawing come-to-life," but also hints at how the symbolism of mythology underlies life. The book also shows how little we grasp of another culture from looking at its symbolic art, glancing at the bones without any notion of the flesh. The informative appendixes include glossaries of the gods, goddesses, giants, giantesses, dwarves, worlds, events, places, and things as well as discussions of symbols and runes. There is also a note on the art and a bibliography. A fine addition to mythology collections. Carolyn Phelan

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0590480464
• ISBN 13: 9780590480468
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 87
• Illustrator: Howell Troy