






































OCR Document


 

BOOK REVIEWS 

The introductions suggest that this book is a product of its time, 
arising out of efforts to reclaim Ukrainian culture and heritage as a 
distinctive tradition following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The 
emphasis on the tales as "a portrait of the country's soul" (xxv) that 
contribute to a persistent sense of national identity despite centuries of 
oppression by successive dominating forces reflects the nation's political 
history but is also indicative of the romantic nationalist attitude that 
underlies this work. Still, the political and historical details provide a 
useful context for the tales. The stories themselves are wonderful - 
humorous, robust, some simple and some complex. Some are Ukrainian 
variants of widely distributed stories -comfortably familiar although 
perhaps with a surprising twist; others are new to me and I am glad to 
learn of them. Suwyn's charming black-and-white marginal drawings add 
to the book's visual appeal. The short section of color illustrations are 
used as an educational supplement to expose readers to the Ukrainian 
folk arts of pysanky (elaborately decorated Easter eggs) and rushnyky 
(ceremonial embroidered cloths). Illustrations of folktales by Ukrainian 
artists are also included. Suwyn is a good storyteller, despite a few 
disconcerting slips. In "The Frog Princess," one of my favorite stories, 
the frogs are supposed to say "ribbet, ribbet, " -a startling Americanism 
accompanied by a footnote explaining that Ukrainian frogs actually say 
"kvak, kvak." But on the whole, the stories are well told quickly moving 
narratives, accessible yet culturally specific. Relatively little Ukrainian 
folk material is available for the general public, especially children. 
Altogether, this is an appealing collection that will be welcome to 
schools and libraries. 

VICKY DWORKIN 
Ph. D. candidate in American Studies, 
student of storytelling, University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Mabie, Hamilton Wright. Norse Stories. New York: Hippoerene 
Books, 1999. 250pp. $14.95 hc 

Growing up as a child in Scandinavia you were automatically in-
troduced to the heathen religion of your forefathers by virtually daily 
references to some pagan God or other. If there was a thunderstorm, it 
was said that Thor was out riding in the sky, if the harvest failed 

109 



 

BOOK REVIEWS 

Frey was seen as ill-tempered. Now, children and adults alike have the 
change to get acquainted or re-acquainted with this mythical world. 
Norse Stories, first published in 1901, has been brought back into print. 
On 250 pages, each with a handsome border depicting various mythical 
creatures, the author brings to life the adventures of the Gods and 
Goddesses, giants, dwarfs, serpents and other creatures and animals 
inhabiting this world. He tells how our forefathers thought the world was 
created, how Odin was the ruler of this world, how Thor got his hammer, 
how Frey fell in love with the beautiful Gerd, how Idun's apples kept 
them young, how Loke always tried to ruin everything and finally 
succeeded by having Balder slain, an occurrence that ultimately 
introduced evil into the world and finally led to Ragnarok, or the end of 
the world. 

Balder was the best of the Gods, the fairest and the kindest. Prior to 
being slain he had a dream about his own death and the Goddess Frigg, 
his mother, extracted an oath from everybody and everything not to hurt 
Balder. Thinking that the mistletoe was too tiny and insignificant, she 
neglected to extract an oath from it. Loke soon found out, went looking 
for the mistletoe and brought it to Hoder, Balder's blind brother, and 
asked him to throw it at Balder. Since Balder was thought to be 
invincible, the gods had been using him for target practice by throwing 
darts, spears, and other weapons at him, all of which fell harmless at his 
feet. Hoder throws the mistletoe twig at Balder, it pierces his heart and 
he falls dead to the ground. Since he did not die in battle, he is not 
allowed to go to Valhalla but ends up in Hel. Frigg sends his other 
brother, Hermod, to retrieve him in Hel. However, this can only be 
accomplished if everybody weeps for him. Again, Loke, disguised as an 
old woman, refuses to weep for Balder who therefore must remain in 
Hel. 

The tale of Balder's death can be seen as representative for all the 
other tales in that it describes the everyday life of the Gods with them 
playing or waging battles against the Giants during the day and feasting 
at night, but it also shows the dichotomy between good and evil, here 
symbolized by Balder and Loke, and the ongoing battle between these 
forces. 

These stories are based on The Prose Edda by Snorre Sturieson, 
which was written in the 13th century. By this time Scandinavia had 
already been converted to Christianity and Snorre himself was a Chris-
tian. The stories had been handed down from generation to genera 

110 



 

BOOK REVIEWS 

tion and it can be assumed that they had changed in the process and that 
Snorre's version is more the result of a brilliant storyteller bringing these 
tales to He than an accurate rendition. However, even today, the Edda is 
considered the most important source of Norse mythology. 

These tales again have been transformed, this time into individual 
fairytales with titles such as "The Making of the World," "Odin's Search 
for Wisdom," "Thor Goes Fishing," "The Binding of the Wolf' and so on. 
The tales in the Edda are intertwined and are told by one or several 
narrators. Dividing the tales into separate chapters obviously makes them 
more accessible and easier to follow, especially for a youthful audience. 
Whereas the narrators in Snorre's Edda repeatedly point out that "there is 
no need to make a long story of it," this is exactly what this author has 
done. The language is highly embellished and filled with descriptive 
adjectives, creating a distinct mood or impression, but sometimes 
unnecessarily slowing down the flow of events. Passages such as "Words 
could hardly describe the beautiful country through which Odin took his 
way-its deep, quiet green valleys, with the sparkling cold streams 
rushing through them; its steep mountains, crowned with fir and pine; its 
great crags standing out into the sea; and its fjords breaking the coast 
into numberless bays," gives a marvelous description of the landscape 
but might, however, make a young reader reach for his "Asterix." In 
addition, the author/narrator often comments on an event or personage. 
Observations such as "like all other people of little nature, they were 
envious or cruel" or "but when one has nothing to do, it's easy to do 
wrong." Are strewn throughout the stories. In comparison, Snorre 
generally abstained from such philosophical or moral judgments. 

In spite of the above comments, Norse Stories, make for enter-
taining reading about Gods and heroes and their heroic or not so heroic 
deeds, their longings and their fears. Norse Stories can be enjoyed at any 
age, however, with the presentation of the stories as fairy tales, the most 
likely target audience would be 10-14 year olds. With black and white 
instead of the colorful illustrations in the original edition, younger 
children might not appreciate it and adults might prefer reading the 
original text in The Prose Edda. 

ANITA BURNS, Hawaii 

111 




