Books with author Íeda Herman

Íeda Jónasdóttir grew up in Iceland,in a country where Viking philosophy, trolls, hidden folk and the elusive monster worm, the Serpent of Lagarfljót, were all accepted as existing without question. It was a life of daily hardship, but also of freedom to live as children should. Amidst the eerie landscapes, erupting volcanoes, gushing geysers and swirling fog, Íeda was allowed to grow up and learn the lessons of life without outside interference. But with a distant war, came visitors and new opportunities. A chance meeting, a proposal of marriage and a long journey by ship found Ieda landing at the Ellis Island of 1945.Now, she retells the story of her childhood growing up in the Iceland of 1935, when summer adventures were all that mattered, through immigration to the United States and a new life that was fully lived and filled with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.Growing Up Viking is a beautifully crafted memoir which looks back at Idea's life in a simpler time and of the folklore, enchanting legends and Viking myths that shaped Iceland and helped to form her young mind. With interesting footnoteson the effects of the war and of the Dalvik earthquake of 1934, it is a story of a woman who lived for 65 years of her life in a vastly different culture, but who always remained a Viking at heart.

Viking Children Don't Cry.In Iceland 1935, Didda and her two sisters, Sissi and Lilla, have a childhood of adventure but learn difficult life lessons. Like their Viking ancestors, their life is full of trolls and Hidden People and the daily chores around the farm. Didda loves climbing the cliffs to collect bird's eggs but would rather face a troll than Grandpa's nasty-tempered cow named Old Red. When chores are done, the adventure begins. She and her friends ride Icelandic horses across the fjord, risk the wrath of the trolls attempting to fly from the cowshed room and come face-to-face with a trapped polar bear.The Icelandic frontier real-life hardships she faces teaches her to value every day. Grandpa always said Viking children never cried; they howled, screamed, bellowed - but did not cry! Didda learns to overcome her fear of a terrible storm at sea that threatens to sink their ship and must come to terms with the loss of a close friend. She comes to understand joy, fear, loss and life while never crying even once.This unique story parallels the memoir, Growing Up Viking: Fond Memories of Iceland, also available from Hekla Publishing. The author’s description of Iceland provide the reader with such realistic detail the landscape comes alive.