Other editions of book Viking Tales: Large Print

CONTENTSWhat the Sagas WerePART IThe BabyThe Tooth ThrallOlaf's FarmOlaf's Fight With HavardFoes'-fearHarald is KingHarald's BattleGyda's Saucy MessageThe Sea FightKing Harald's WeddingKing Harald Goes West-Over-SeasPART IIHomes in IcelandEric the RedLeif and His New LandWineland the GoodDescriptive NotesSuggestions to teachersA Reading ListA Pronouncing index

Nights were long in Iceland winters of long ago. A whole family sat for hours around the fire in the middle of the room. That fire gave the only light. Shadows flitted in the dark corners. Smoke curled along the high beams of the ceiling. The children sat on the dirt floor close by the fire. The grown people were on a long narrow bench that they had pulled up to the light and warmth. Everybody's hands were busy with wool. As the family worked in the red fire-light, the father told of the kings of Norway, of long voyages to strange lands, of good fights. And in farmhouses all through Iceland these old tales were told over and over until everybody knew them and loved them. Men who could sing and play the harp were called "skalds," and they called their songs "sagas." Eventually these stories were written down on sheepskin or vellum so that we can enjoy them today. We follow the fortunes of Harald from the time he is acknowledged by his father as a baby and given his own thrall at the cutting of his first tooth, through his exploits as a viking adventurer, to his crowning as King of Norway. It is when Harald is King of Norway that population pressures at home and eagerness for adventure and booty from other lands combine to drive some of the bolder Vikings to set forth from their native land. Sailing ever westward across the Atlantic, they hop along the chain of islands that loosely connects Norway with America-Orkneys and Shetlands, Faeroes, Iceland, and Greenland. It is from link to link of this chain that the characters in our story sail in search of home and adventure. Discoveries are made by accident. Ships are driven by the wind into unknown ports, resulting in landings and settlements in Iceland, Greenland, and America. The crude courage of these men and strangeness of their adventures appeal strongly to children, while their love of truth, hardy endurance, and faithfulness to the promised word make them characters to emulate. Suitable for children ages 9 and up to read to themselves and for children as young as 6 as a read-aloud.

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WHEN Harald was seven months old he cut his first tooth. Then his father said:"All the young of my herds, lambs and calves and colts, that have been born since this baby was born I this day give to him. I also give to him this thrall, Olaf. These are my tooth-gifts to my son."The boy grew fast, for as soon as he could walk about he was out of doors most of the time. He ran in the woods and climbed the hills and waded in the creek. He was much with his tooth thrall, for the king had said to Olaf:"Be ever at his call."Now this Olaf was full of stories, and Harald liked to hear them."Come out to Aegir's Rock, Olaf, and tell me stories," he said almost every day.So they started off across the hills. The man wore a long, loose coat of white wool, belted at the waist with a strap. He had on coarse shoes and leather leggings. Around his neck was an iron collar welded together so that it could not come off. On it were strange marks, called runes, that said:"Olaf, thrall of Halfdan."

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

ABOUT THE BOOK:- Beautiful short tales, simple enough for children but for adult too. These tales are about Viking adventures exploring the world. They went as far as the U.S. Imagine them braving the Atlantic Ocean on their magnificent Viking ships. Their forays out of mother land Norway resulted in settlements in Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, France. An extremely well written book. The short sentences yet contiguous with the next have simplicity and straightforwardness as its style. Very refreshing indeed. This is a good introduction to Viking lore. There is a nice glossary describing the types of houses Viking lived in, the weapons they used, and some of the gods they worshiped. Thus, this is a charming little book narrating the tales of two of the greatest Viking leaders in History. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:- Jennie Hall (1875-1921) is most noted for her fascinating travel memoirs of the late eighteenth century. She produced vibrant narratives and brilliantly vivid descriptions that have made her popular among readers who wish to be transported into another area of time period. Her "Viking Tales" is an excellent example of that. A teacher in Chicago, she wrote a number of engaging history books for children. In addition to Viking Tales, she authored Buried Cities; Four Old Greece; The Story of Chicago; and Our Ancesors in Europe; An Introduction to American History. The Title 'Viking Tales written/authored/edited by Jennie Hall', published in the year 2017. The ISBN 9789351285588 is assigned to the Paperback version of this title. This book has total of pp. 207 (Pages). The publisher of this title is Kalpaz Publications. This Book is in English. The subject of this book is Literature & Fiction / Contemporary Fiction. .POD

Viking Tales...This is a charming little book narrating the tales of two of the greatest Viking leaders in History. The journey starts in Norway with the birth of Harald Finehair, son of Halfdan the Black. Harald was the one who united the lesser kingdoms of Norway and formed a united, powerful nation. The rejection of his marriage proposal by princess Gyda unless he became a great king and the vow that he would not cut or comb his hair until he had defeated all his enemies are the most well-known parts of his legend.

Viking Tales...This is a charming little book narrating the tales of two of the greatest Viking leaders in History. The journey starts in Norway with the birth of Harald Finehair, son of Halfdan the Black. Harald was the one who united the lesser kingdoms of Norway and formed a united, powerful nation. The rejection of his marriage proposal by princess Gyda unless he became a great king and the vow that he would not cut or comb his hair until he had defeated all his enemies are the most well-known parts of his legend.

Viking Tales is one of the greatest works by the Jennie Hall. For those wanting an interesting peek into the lifestyle of the vikings and an insight into their mindset, this will be a worthwhile read. Find out how slaves (or thralls) were used and treated by the privileged of society. Get a glimpse into the clothing worn and foods eaten. Most importantly, this text will help explain the worldview of these mysterious people. They worshiped strange gods, and felt their life after death would be humiliating if they didn't die courageously in battle. To die any other way would've been shameful. The sense of extreme entitlement struck me strongly as I read, seeing these men take what they wanted, whenever they felt the need, killing persons standing in their way. You'll gain insight into some more famous men and vikings from history and lore: Harald, King of Norway, as well as Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky. Stories are told in a straight-forward manner with little building of tension or drama. Includes vintage illustration