onas Lie is sufficiently famous to need but a very few words of introduction. Ever since 1870, when he made his reputation by his first novel, "Den Fremsynte," he has been a prime favourite with the Scandinavian public, and of late years his principal romances have gone the round of Europe. He has written novels of all kinds, but he excels when he describes the wild seas of Northern Norway, and the stern and hardy race of sail-ors and fishers who seek their fortunes, and so often find their graves, on those dangerous waters. Such tales, for instance, as "Tremasteren Fremtid," "Lodsen og hans Hustru," "Gaa Paa!" and "Den Fremsynte" are unique of their kind, and give far truer pictures of Norwegian life and character in the rough than anything that can be found elsewhere in the literature. Indeed, Lie's skippers and mates are as superior to Kjelland's, for instance, as the peasants of Jens Tvedt (a writer, by the way, still unknown beyond his native land) are superior to the much-vaunted peasants of Björnstjerne Björnson. But it is when Lie tells us some of the wild legends of his native province, Nordland, some of the grim tales on which he himself was brought up, so to speak, that he is perhaps most vivid and enthralling. The folk-lore of those lonely sub-arctic tracts is in keeping with the savagery of nature. We rarely, if ever, hear of friendly elves or companionable gnomes there. The supernatural beings that haunt those shores and seas are, for the most part, malignant and malefic. They seem to hate man. They love to mock his toils, and sport with his despair. In his very first romance, "Den Fremsynte," Lie relates two of these weird tales (Nos. 1 and 3 of the present selection). Another tale, in which many of the superstitious beliefs and wild imaginings of the Nordland fishermen are skilfully grouped together to form the background of a charming love-story, entitled "Finn Blood," I have borrowed from the volume of "Fortællinger og Skildringer," published in 1872. The re-maining eight stories are selected from the book "Trold," which was the event of the Christmas publishing season at Christiania in 1891. Last Christmas a second series of "Trold" came out, but it is distinctly inferior to the former one. TALES: THE FISHERMAN AND THE DRAUG JACK OF SJOHOLM AND THE GAN-FINN TUG OF WAR "THE EARTH DRAWS" THE CORMORANTS OF ANDVAER ISAAC AND THE PARSON OF BRONO THE WIND-GNOME THE HULDREFISH FINN BLOOD THE HOMESTEAD WESTWARD IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS "IT'S ME"

The Vikings and Norsemen have always had a rich tradition of storytelling. How else would they pass the long, northern, winter nights? Herein are 11 strange and wonderfully illustrated tales from Northern Seas. Tales of strange Finns, lusty women, mariner ghosts, and sea demons haunt the coastal lands of Norway, the setting for this popular collection from 1893. Be transported to a strange, salty world of maelstroms and maleficent spirits, boat builders and dream-wreckers. These tales come from northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle. The tales in this volume are: The Fisherman And The Draug Jack Of Sjöholm And The Gan-Finn Tug Of War The Earth Draws The Cormorants Of Andvær Isaac And The Parson Of Brönö The Wind-Gnome The Huldrefish Finn Blood The Homestead Westward In The Blue Mountains It's Me So, we invite you to download and read these weird tales from the northern latitudes. Tales which will entertain you for hours. 10% of the net income from the sale of this book will be donated to charities. ========== KEYWORDS/TAGS: Viking, norsemen, Fisherman, Draug, Jack, Sjöholm, Gan-Finn, Tug Of War, Earth Draws, Cormorants, Andvær, Isaac, Parson, Brönö, Wind Gnome, Huldrefish, Blood, Homestead, Westward, Blue Mountains, Its Me, boat, sea, longship, Finn, Elias, Eilert, girl, sail, general, water, laughter, fishing, Toad, black, Gan-Finn, Bardun, summer, parson, Bernt, Christmas, mountain, father, sail, ashore, Draug, gold, Femboring, bottom, kitchen, autumn, jacket, wench, Isaac, daughter, church, island, Seimke, perceiv, reindeer, iron, boathouse, mistress, skerries, yellow, swain, mountains, headland, master, planks, rudder, Kjel, Eve, children

Quinquennial supplements,1950/1954-1979/1983, compiled by Estelle A. Fidell, and others, published 1956-1984.

In the early years of the thirteenth century the Danish writer Saxo Grammaticus provided his people with a History of the Danes, an account of their glorious past from the legendary kings and heroes of Denmark to the historical present. It isone of the major sources for the heroic and mythological traditions of northern Europe, though the complex Latin style and the wide range of material brought together from different sources have limited its use. Here Hilda Ellis Davidson, a specialist in Scandinavian mythology, together with the translator Peter Fisher, provides a full English edition; each of the first nine books is preceded by an introductory summary, and a detailed commentary follows on the folklore and life and customs of twelfth-century Denmark - including the sources of Hamlet, of which Saxo gives the earliest known account. HILDA ELLIS DAVIDSON's other books include The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England; PETER FISHER is also the translator of Olaus Magnus: A Description of the Northern Peoples. Both are available from Boydell & Brewer. `In the early years of the 13th century the Danish writer Saxo Grammaticus provided his people with a dignified and ambitious Latin account of their glorious past from the mythical past to the historical present -(He) collected the legends of Scandinavian gods and heroes, and arranged their exploits in a series of `biographies' which ostensibly formed an unbroken sequence. He took his tales from a variety of sources, and readers will find his collection of myths, folklore and fabulous history fascinating - An accurate and readable translation of the nine mythological books based on the best scholarly edition'. RUTH MORSE, BRITISH BOOK NEWS.