#The Complete and Original Norwegian Folktales of Asbjørnsen and Moe

[now-winter-comes-slowly]

Content warning: this is very much the Devil of folklore, and not an impish little red guy. These stories are not suitable for children.

These tales come from The Complete and Original Norwegian Folktales of Asbjørnsen and Moe, in new translations by Simon Roy Hughes and Juergen Hubert, read by Rory of Varietal Lit.

[kerflooey]

answer these and tag nine others!

last song: tolerate it, taylor swift currently reading: the complete and original norwegian folktales of asbjørnsen and moe - translated by tina nunnally, dubliners - james joyce, the hard life - flann o'brien,dark days - james baldwin currently watching: good omens and our flag means death on a loop currently craving: the sushi i bought for dinner later last movie: love leads the way (1984)

tagged by: @historiavn tagging: everyone who comes accross this just do it!

[lokasae]

hello,, hello !! so for the last year and a half i have been researching into witchcraft and norse paganism,, although i am struggling to find the right books to read. i was wondering if you could give me a few suggestions ?? about general history,, legends and myths ??

Oh yes, I have plenty! Maybe too much to be honest, so I’ll share a few of my top picks that could help you get started. Not sure how much you've looked into it, so I figured it would just be easier to start the list from square one:

Primary Sources

Prose Edda – Anthony Faulkes* trans. Jesse Byock is also an accessible version but leaves out the Hattatal

Poetic Edda – Carolyn Larrington* for staying true to the original meaning, Lee Hollander for focusing on the accuracy of the poetic form, and Jackson Crawford for ease of readability.

Retellings

The Norse Myths – Kevin Crossley-Holland*

D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths

Norse Mythology – Neil Gaiman

For a Deeper Dive (note that these are listed more for cultural context so... do with that as you will)

Saxo Grammaticus’ Gesta Danorum

Sagas of the Volsungs

Ibn Fadlan’s Accounts – Richard Frye trans.

Beowulf – Chick Chickering trans.

Kalevala: The Epic of the Finnish People - Friberg 2021 trans.

History

The Lost Beliefs of North Europe – HR Ellis Davidson

Behind "Heathendom": Archaeological Studies of Old Norse Religion – Andres Andreson

The Norns in Old Norse Mythology – Karen Bek-Pedersen (awesome for clarification on the parts of the soul)

Norse Revival: Transformations of Germanic Neopaganism – (Free on JSTOR)

Seidr and Magic

The Viking Way – Neil Price

Archaeology of Seidr – Neil Price

Shamanism in Norse Myth and Magic – Clive Tolley

Elves, Witches, and Gods – Cat Heath (Excellent for modern seidr with its basis in historical practices. Includes trancework, galdr, and fiber crafts. AND SOURCES! I’m long overdue for my review of this but I’m a huge fan of Cat Heath and she absolutely did not disappoint. Seriously, I would have paid double for this. ANYWAYS)

Death and Spirits

The Road to Hel – HR Ellis Davisdon

Women in the Viking Age: Death, Life After Death and Burial Customs - Christina Spacatean

The Tradition of Household Spirits – Claude LeCouteaux (he has a ton of works out there including an encyclopedia on Germanic Myth, Magic and Folklore)

Wights and Ancestors – Jenny Blaine (note that this is impossible to find… if this is something of interest let me know as I’ve managed to get my hand on a copy)

Elves, Wights, and Trolls – Kveldulf Gundarsson

Runes

Rudiments of Runelore - Stephen Pollington

Nordic Runes - Paul Rhys Mountfort

Queer and Gender Studies

Kyngervi Journal - Academic Journal with 2 Issues currently. An excellent issue to skim through

EXTRA: Norwegian Folk Tales

d’Aulaires Book of Norwegian Folktales

The Complete and Original Folktales of Asbjørnsen and Moe

[skaldish]

Today I received a copy of The Complete and Original Norwegian Folktales of Asbjørnsen & Moe, and this is the most delight I've felt for a book related to my practice in ages.

[notthesomefather]

Pasting Loksae's list:

Primary Sources

Prose Edda – Anthony Faulkes* trans. Jesse Byock is also an accessible version but leaves out the Hattatal

Poetic Edda – Carolyn Larrington* for staying true to the original meaning, Lee Hollander for focusing on the accuracy of the poetic form, and Jackson Crawford for ease of readability.

Retellings

The Norse Myths – Kevin Crossley-Holland*

D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths

Norse Mythology – Neil Gaiman

For a Deeper Dive (note that these are listed more for cultural context so… do with that as you will)

Saxo Grammaticus’ Gesta Danorum

Sagas of the Volsungs

Ibn Fadlan’s Accounts – Richard Frye trans.

Beowulf – Chick Chickering trans.

Kalevala: The Epic of the Finnish People - Friberg 2021 trans.

History

The Lost Beliefs of North Europe – HR Ellis Davidson

Behind “Heathendom”: Archaeological Studies of Old Norse Religion – Andres Andreson

The Norns in Old Norse Mythology – Karen Bek-Pedersen (awesome for clarification on the parts of the soul)

Norse Revival: Transformations of Germanic Neopaganism – (Free on JSTOR)

Seidr and Magic

The Viking Way – Neil Price

Archaeology of Seidr – Neil Price

Shamanism in Norse Myth and Magic – Clive Tolley

Elves, Witches, and Gods – Cat Heath (Excellent for modern seidr with its basis in historical practices. Includes trancework, galdr, and fiber crafts. AND SOURCES! I’m long overdue for my review of this but I’m a huge fan of Cat Heath and she absolutely did not disappoint. Seriously, I would have paid double for this. ANYWAYS)

Death and Spirits

The Road to Hel – HR Ellis Davisdon

Women in the Viking Age: Death, Life After Death and Burial Customs - Christina Spacatean

The Tradition of Household Spirits – Claude LeCouteaux (he has a ton of works out there including an encyclopedia on Germanic Myth, Magic and Folklore)

Wights and Ancestors – Jenny Blaine (note that this is impossible to find… if this is something of interest let me know as I’ve managed to get my hand on a copy)

Elves, Wights, and Trolls – Kveldulf Gundarsson

Runes

Rudiments of Runelore - Stephen Pollington

Nordic Runes - Paul Rhys Mountfort

Queer and Gender Studies

Kyngervi Journal - Academic Journal with 2 Issues currently. An excellent issue to skim through

EXTRA: Norwegian Folk Tales

d’Aulaires Book of Norwegian Folktales

The Complete and Original Folktales of Asbjørnsen and Moe

Baby Pagan Here

hey folks!

so ive been studying and researching witchcraft on and off for about 3 years. Over the past few months through talks with my family ive found out i am of viking ancestry, and was wanting to know more about Norse Heathenry and specifically the vanir. Any resources you know of that could point me in the right direction would be so, so helpful.

I purchased the Poetic Edda, and have been reading that along with Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. Are there any other books or other resources you can think of that would help please let me know!!

-Matt

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The Complete and Original Norwegian Folktales of Asbjørnsen and Moe

by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Moe

Translated by Tiina Nunnally

Having loved Fairy Tales and Folk Tales for all of my life and having read them from many countries I was delighted to find this book up for review and now want to add it to my collection. In this book there is history about the original authors and how they collected the tales, the fact that the authors were influenced by Grimm and more.

As I read I saw tales that I remember reading as a child and others that reminded me, in part, of other fairy tales. The illustrations are marvelous. I believe this book is not only historical but relevant and educational and would allow for discussion in classes or between parents and children.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I buy? Yes, to add to my collection

Would I buy it to give as a gift? I think my granddaughters “might” enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and University of Minnesota Press for the ARC  - This is my honest review.

5 Stars

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44803703-the-complete-and-original-norwegian-folktales-of-asbj-rnsen-and-moe

Description                                                            

A new, definitive English translation of the celebrated story collection regarded as a landmark of Norwegian literature and culture

The extraordinary folktales collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe began appearing in Norway in 1841. Over the next two decades the publication of subsequent editions under the title Norske folkeeventyr made the names Asbjørnsen and Moe synonymous with Norwegian storytelling traditions. Tiina Nunnally’s vivid translation of their monumental collection is the first new English translation in more than 150 years—and the first ever to include all sixty original tales.

Magic and myth inhabit these pages in figures both familiar and strange. Giant trolls and talking animals are everywhere. The winds take human form. A one-eyed old woman might seem reminiscent of the Norse god Odin. We meet sly aunts, resourceful princesses, and devious robbers. The clever and fearless boy Ash Lad often takes center stage as he ingeniously breaks spells and defeats enemies to win half the kingdom. These stories, set in Norway’s majestic landscape of towering mountains and dense forests, are filled with humor, mischief, and sometimes surprisingly cruel twists of fate. All are rendered in the deceptively simple narrative style perfected by Asbjørnsen and Moe—now translated into an English that is as finely tuned to the modern ear as it is true to the original Norwegian.

Included here—for the very first time in English—are Asbjørnsen and Moe’s Forewords and Introductions to the early Norwegian editions of the tales. Asbjørnsen gives us an intriguing glimpse into the actual collection process and describes how the stories were initially received, both in Norway and abroad. Equally fascinating are Moe’s views on how central characters might be interpreted and his notes on the regions where each story was originally collected. Nunnally’s informative Translator’s Note places the tales in a biographical, historical, and literary context for the twenty-first century.

The Norwegian folktales of Asbjørnsen and Moe are timeless stories that will entertain, startle, and enthrall readers of all ages.