Bøger udgivet af Northern Displayers, Skadi Press

The wonderful and varied tales that make up the Norse myths continue to inspire many aspects of modern popular culture. Most of what we know and read comes from Icelandic writings, but the Danish writer Saxo Grammaticus also included a lot of mythological material in his great work Gesta Danorum. Stories from Saxo offers a selection of Saxo's takes on Norse myths and legends, retold in a vivid and accessible way.Here you can read about the long feud between Hother and Balder over the love of Nanna. You can read about Odin's vengeance for the death of Balder, and the consequences of his actions. There are tales of giants and dragonslayers, and of visits to the underworld. And there are stories of heroes such as Amleth, who inspired Shakespeare, and Ragnar Lodbrok, who inspired more modern dramatic works.Saxo's work is undoubtedly important, and with these clear and gripping retellings, Ian Cumpstey brings some of these extraordinary myths and legends to the modern reader.

These ballads convey a fantastic vision of the world as it was imagined in medieval Scandinavia, with monsters and magic intermingled with very human concerns of heroism, tragedy, love, and revenge. The great hero Sigurd is joined in this collection by troll-battling warriors including Holger Dane, Orm the Strong, and others. There are dramatic scenes of romance, betrayal, and loss. Some of the ballads translated here are attested by paintings or maps that date from earlier than when the first full ballad texts were first written down in the 1500s. An adventure ballad relevant to the history of an Eddic poem is also included. The ballads are storytelling songs that were passed down as part of an oral folk music tradition in Scandinavia. This collection brings many new ballads to the English-speaking reader. The readable verse translations succeed in conveying the rhythm, spirit, and imagery of the originals. The translations are mainly based on Swedish and Norwegian ballads, with some from Danish tradition. For each ballad, there is also a short introduction with commentary and background information. The ballads included are: Åsmund Frægdegjeva; Steinfinn Fefinnson; Esbjörn Proud and Orm the Strong; Sunfair and the Dragon King; Bendik and Årolilja; Sigurd Sven; Sivard Snare Sven; Little Lisa; Sven Norman and Miss Gullborg; Peter Pallebosson; Sir Svedendal; King Speleman; Holger Dane and Burman; Sven Felding; St Olaf's Sailing Race.

The Saga of Didrik of Bern tells the epic story of the legendary King Didrik and his warriors. Early in the saga, we hear about how the young Didrik assembles a formidable group of warriors, and about their journey to challenge a powerful king. These warriors include Wideke, whose father, Weland the smith, forged his unbeatable sword Mymming, and Heym, who was raised on a stud farm with magnificent black and grey horses. The saga then tells of Didrik's feud with his father's brother Ermentrik, and his long exile at the court of Attilia, King of the Huns.The saga is driven by human drama, but giants, dwarfs, dragons, and other mythical and magical creatures all appear. Tales of other legendary figures and heroes from northern Europe are interwoven with the story of Didrik: The saga tells about Weland, and the many ways he used his smithing skills, and also tells a version of the story of Sigurd the dragon slayer and the Nyfflings.The saga was probably compiled in Norway based on German poems about Didrik (also known as Dietrich, Thidrek, or Theoderic), and a Swedish version was produced later. Presented here is a translation of the medieval Swedish version of the saga. Also included in this edition is a prose translation of the medieval Danish poem The Dwarf King Laurin, which tells one more story about Didrik of Bern.