Talented Finnish artist Ulla Thynell has put together a gorgeous collection of illustrations to accompany 17 traditional tales of Nordic folklore in the new book Nordic Tales. The stories vary from the countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark. While transcribed and translated by talented folklorists, these stories are funny, but sometimes highly disturbing. Readers meet princes trapped as animals, terrifying trolls, and men and women who are just trying to do their best to survive. Each is accompanied with Thynell’s gorgeous and detailed artwork. The gift edition of this book has a ribbon marker, so when you’re sharing it with a child or just enjoying it as an adult, it feels a bit like you’re telling the story in an arm chair to warm the cold nights.
As someone who delights in folklore I haven’t heard before, it was a great delight to read Nordic Tales and to share them with family members. For those with Nordic roots, it can be extremely fun to see how strange some of our foundation stories can be.
Nordic Tales is available August 13, 2019 from Chronicle Books.
