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In this book are some of the stories told
by the Norsemen who lived in Scandinavia from about 2,000 to 1,000 years
ago. We know them better, perhaps, as the Vikings, who sailed their
ships along the coasts of Europe, plundering and laying waste, and,
finally, settling and making their homes in France, in the Nether-
lands, in England, Ireland, and the Orkneys, and in bleak little
Iceland. Even as far as Greenland they sailed, and to America, long
before Columbus.
The people of the northlands were a nation of bold warriors and line
courageous women, who admired above all things strength in battle and
bravery against great odds, and considered themselves disgraced for ever
if they let a wrong to themselves or to their families go unavenged.
They were a simple people, too, who enjoyed the simple things; good food
and plenty of I it, good ale to drink, and a crafty trick that could
make them laugh.
ln the first part of the book are the stories of their gods; gods who
were even such as every Norseman longed to be, brave, dauntless warriors
or cunning tricksters, with their lovely, loyal wives; for ever striving
against the hated giants who were the pitiless northern snows and
frosts, and the grim northern mountains.
In the second part are tales of some of the Norse heroes, tales such
as the Norsemen loved to tell and listen to on the long winter evenings
of the northern lands. Svipdag and Menglod may be considered as a fairy
story. It has all that a good fairy story needs: the brave young prince,
the enchanted princess, and the wicked stepmother. And even if Svipdag’s
difficulties do solve themselves a little easily in the end, it is none
the less a good tale for all that.
The story of Volund was carried by the Vikings into many lands. In
England we know him as Wayland Smith who had his forge in a cave close
to the White Horse in Berkshire.
Siegfried is the great hero of the German people. Many hundreds of
years ago they were already telling how he fought with the dragon and
owned a magic sword. The tale of his exploits travelled northwards into
Scandinavia, where some details were lost and others added; and as
Sigurd, Siegfried became the best-loved hero of the northlands, whose
deeds were told and sung wherever men enjoyed a good tale or a fine
song.
Ragnar Lodbrok really lived and was a Viking. Though little enough is
known about his life, many stories grew up around his name, though most
of them were no more than legends. Two of these legends are told here:
his slaying of the dragon, and his marriage with Sigurd’s daughter.
The last story in the book, The Tale of Nornagest, although itself a
legend, touches history; for one of the characters in the story is King
Olaf Tryggvason, who lived from about 969 to 1000 and converted Norway
to the Christian faith. He is supposed to have been baptized by a hermit
in the Scilly Isles while he was plundering along the English coast.
Some of the Norse names in the stories may seem a little difficult,
both to spell and to pronounce; but at the end of the book there is a
note on the pronunciation - it would be wise to read it before the
stories - and also an alphabetical list of all names mentioned in the
tales, with a note about each one. With the help of these, the
difficulties should be much less. |
