No Preface
The book has a frame narrative in which a group of children are told stories – over the week before Christmas – about Nordic heroes by their uncles and aunts. These stories are explicitly presented as a complement to the heroic narratives of classical antiquity, with which young readers were more familiar.
Contents
Chapter IIntroductory Conversation 1
Chapter II
Wednesday (Odin’s Day) 5
The Æsir
Part I. – A Giant– a Cow – and a Hero 19
II. – Air Throne, the Dwarfs, and the Light Elves 29
III. – Niflheim 37
IV. – The Children of Loki 45
V. – Bifröst, Urda, and the Norns 50
Chapter III
Thursday (Thor’s-Day) 64
How Thor Went to Jötunheim
Part I. – From Asgard to Utgard 67
II.-The Serpent and the Kettle 89
Chapter IV
Friday (Frey’s-Day) 107
Summer
Part I. – On Tiptoe in Air Throne 111
II. – The Gift 116
III. – Fairest Gerd 121
IV. – The Wood Barri 128
The Wanderings of Freyja
Part I. – The Necklace Brisingamen 139
II. – Loki – The Iron Wood – A Boundless Waste 147
III. – The King of the Sea and His Daughters 155
Chapter V
Saturday 161
Idūna’s Apples
Part I. – Reflections in the Water 165
II. – The Winged-Giant 172
III. – Hela 186
IV. – Through Flood and Fire 192
Chapter VI
Monday 205
Baldur
Part I. – The Dream 209
II. – The Peacestead 218
III. – Baldur Dead 225
IV. – Helheim 229
V. – Weeping 235
Chapter VII
Tuesday (Tyr’s-Day) 250
The Binding of Fenrir
Part I. – The Might of Asgard 257
II. – The Secret of Svartheim 266
III. – Honour 273
The Punishment of Loki 279
Chapter VIII
Christmas Eve 289
Ragnarök,
Or, The Twilight of the Gods 293
Index of Names, with Meanings 313