The Yule Boys

The Yule Boys PDF Author: Gay Strandemo
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781532383694
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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The Yule Boys

The Yule Boys PDF Author: Gay Strandemo
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781532383694
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


The Legend of the Icelandic Yule Lads

The Legend of the Icelandic Yule Lads PDF Author: Heidi Herman
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781478743309
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
The Legend of the Yule Lads is well-known among Icelanders and has been passed down from generation to generation for over 1,500 years. The country's rich history of legends and folktales featuring a host of mystical creatures is reflected in this unique Christmas tale about trolls. However, like many of Iceland's legends, the story of the Yule Lads is virtually unknown outside of the country. This particular story can be traced back to 13th Century and the Snorri Sturlson's Edda. The Edda refers to the recognized mother of the Yule Lad's, a horrible ogress named Gryla. In that time, Gryla and her many troll offspring were said to terrorize children, hauling badly behaved children off in great burlap bags to be later eaten. The tales of Gryla and the Yule Lads became so gruesome and disturbing that in 1746 a public decree was issued to forbid parents from using these stories to terrify children. In the years since, the Yule Lads' character has been softened from horrible trolls to mischievous tricksters. As the legend goes, the Yule Lads come down from the mountain, one each day starting 13 days before Christmas. They stay through Christmas Day, then leave, one each day, in the order they arrived. In 1932, a popular poem was written about the Jolasveinarnir [Yule Lads] by Johannes from Kotlum and it first appeared in the book Jolin Koma [Christmas is coming]. As presented in Johannes poem, each of the Yule Lad's name reflects their particular brand of mischief. Stekkjastaur (Sheep Cote Clod) starts things off on December 12th and is best known for stealing sheep's milk. Giljagaur (Gulley-Gawk) arrives the next day and is preoccupied with sneaking into the barn to steal cow's milk. Stufur (Shorty) steals bits of food left on frying pans while Thvorusleikir (Spoon-licker) steals spoons from the kitchen to lick and Pottasleikir (Pot-licker) steals pots and pans for the leftovers. Askasleikir (Bowl-licker) arrives next and sneak awa

The Book of the Settlement of Iceland

The Book of the Settlement of Iceland PDF Author: Ari THORGILSSON
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Iceland
Languages : en
Pages : 302

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King Harald's Saga

King Harald's Saga PDF Author: Snorri Sturluson
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141915072
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 247

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Book Description
This compelling Icelandic history describes the life of King Harald Hardradi, from his battles across Europe and Russia to his final assault on England in 1066, less than three weeks before the invasion of William the Conqueror. It was a battle that led to his death and marked the end of an era in which Europe had been dominated by the threat of Scandinavian forces. Despite England's triumph, it also played a crucial part in fatally weakening the English army immediately prior to the Norman Conquest, changing the course of history. Taken from the Heimskringla - Snorri Sturluson's complete account of Norway from prehistoric times to 1177 - this is a brilliantly human depiction of the turbulent life and savage death of the last great Norse warrior-king.

The Fish Can Sing

The Fish Can Sing PDF Author: Halldor Laxness
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307386058
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
One of the most beloved novels from the Nobel Prize winner—"a beacon in twentieth-century literature" (Alice Munro, Nobel Prize-winning author of Dear Life). A poignant coming-of-age tale marked with the peculiar Icelandic blend of light irony and dark humor. • With an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres. The orphan Alfgrimur has spent an idyllic childhood sheltered in the simple turf cottage of a generous and eccentric elderly couple. Alfgrimur dreams only of becoming a fisherman like his adoptive grandfather, until he meets Iceland's biggest celebrity. The opera singer Gardar Holm’s international fame is a source of tremendous pride to tiny, insecure Iceland, though no one there has ever heard him sing. A mysterious man who mostly avoids his homeland and repeatedly fails to perform for his adoring countrymen, Gardar takes a particular interest in Alfgrimur’s budding musical talent and urges him to seek out the world beyond the one he knows and loves. But as Alfgrimur discovers that Gardar is not what he seems, he begins to confront the challenge of finding his own path without turning his back on where he came from.

The Old Magic of Christmas

The Old Magic of Christmas PDF Author: Linda Raedisch
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN: 0738733342
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
'Tis the Season for Witches, Elves, and a Legion of Ghosts Not so very long ago, Yuletide was as much a chilling season of ghosts and witches as it was a festival of goodwill. In The Old Magic of Christmas, you'll rub elbows with veiled spirits, learn the true perils of elves, and discover a bestiary of enchanted creatures. Rife with the more frightful characters from folklore and the season's most petulant ghosts, this book takes you on a spooky sleigh ride from the silvered firs of a winter forest to the mirrored halls of the Snow Queen. Along the way, you'll discover how to bring the festivities into your home with cookie recipes and craft instructions, as well as tips for delving more deeply into your relationship with the unseen. Praise: "Steeped in history and adorned with a bit of enchantment, The Old Magic of Christmas is the perfect book to read by a winter's fire with a mug of mulled cider in hand."--Deborah Blake, author of The Witch's Broom "...[A] fascinating journey into the stories behind the tinsel and bows."--Doreen Shababy, author of The Wild & Weedy Apothecary "...[A]n intriguing little tome that explores the darker side of the Yuletide holiday."--Ellen Dugan, author of The Enchanted Cat

The Story of Burnt Njal

The Story of Burnt Njal PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 394

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Last Rituals

Last Rituals PDF Author: Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061844810
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 503

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Book Description
An Icelandic lawyer investigates the murder of a witchcraft-obsessed student in this “suspenseful, compelling and unique” thriller (Kirkus). When a wealthy German student is found murdered at a university in Reykjavík, the police waste no time making an arrest. But the young man’s body was disturbingly mutilated—the eyes cut out and strange symbols carved into his chest. Was this really the work of a local drug dealer? Believing the real killer to still be at large, the victim’s family hires local lawyer Thóra Gudmundsdóttir to investigate. It isn't long before Thóra and her associate, Matthew Reich, uncover the deceased student's obsession with Iceland's grisly history of torture, execution, and witch hunts. But there are contemporary horrors hidden in the shadows of these dark traditions. And for two suddenly endangered investigators, nothing is quite what it seems . . . and no one can be trusted.

Tallgrass

Tallgrass PDF Author: Sandra Dallas
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1429917172
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
An essential American novel from Sandra Dallas, an unparalleled writer of our history, and our deepest emotions... During World War II, a family finds life turned upside down when the government opens a Japanese internment camp in their small Colorado town. After a young girl is murdered, all eyes (and suspicions) turn to the newcomers, the interlopers, the strangers. This is Tallgrass as Rennie Stroud has never seen it before. She has just turned thirteen and, until this time, life has pretty much been what her father told her it should be: predictable and fair. But now the winds of change are coming and, with them, a shift in her perspective. And Rennie will discover secrets that can destroy even the most sacred things. Part thriller, part historical novel, Tallgrass is a riveting exploration of the darkest--and best--parts of the human heart.

The Shadow District

The Shadow District PDF Author: Arnaldur Indridason
Publisher: Vintage Books
ISBN: 9781784704421
Category : Detective and mystery stories
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
OLD CRIMES, NEW CONSEQUENCES THE PAST In wartime Reykjavik, a young woman is found strangled behind the National Theatre, a rough and dangerous area of the city known as 'the shadow district'. An Icelandic detective and a member of the American military police are on the trail of a brutal killer. THE PRESENT A 90-year-old man is discovered dead on his bed, smothered with his own pillow. Konrad, a former detective now bored with retirement, finds newspaper cuttings in the dead man's home reporting the shadow district murder that date back to the second world war. It's a crime that Konrad remembers, having grown up in the same neighbourhood. A MISSING LINK Why, after all this time, would an old crime resurface? Did the police arrest the wrong man? How are these cases linked across the decades? Will Konrad's link to the past help him solve the case and finally lay the ghosts of wartime Reykjavik to rest? THE SHADOW DISTRICT IS THE FIRST IN A MAJOR NEW SERIES OF NOVELS FROM THE WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER ARNALDUR INDRIDASON