Scandinavian Ghost Stories and Other Tales of the Supernatural

Collected from historic sources, such as the volumes of Norse folk legends by Peter Christian Asbornsen and Jogen Moe, these centuries-old stories of sorcery, monsters and demons come from the imaginations of the Scandinavian people. Nineteen stories reflect the fear of evil that haunts and fascinates the human soul. From Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Finland, these ancient tales can be read on many levels: as only stories of magic and mayhem; as legends to warn children to be careful of hidden dangers of the world; or as self relection on the eternal struggle of good versus evil and the quest for untimate power. Sorcery, witchcraft, magic charms, and incantations; graveyards and nocturnal journeys; ghosts, monsters, and demons of the night are common elements in these tales of the supernatural. For generations, the Scandinavian peasants huddled around their fires interweaving fantasy and belief based on superstition, religion, social customs and taboos, life styles and morals. The supernatural beings raised in these settings represent the evil perceived in the heart of mankind and the harsh world beyond the hearth. The telling of undesirable human traits or emotions through witches, goblins, trolls, and other monstrous beings gave rise to the hope that being mindful and alert to these dangers would hold them at bay. In this book, travel a frightening world of curses and maleficence, power, and good tempered by a revelation of the will to overcome. Illustrations of such artists as H. J. Ford are throughout the book.