Scandinavian Ghost Stories

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Summary: Tales of the Supernatural!
Review: From authentic sources, including the Norse folk legends collected by Peter Christian Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, these centuries-old stories of sorcery, monsters and demons come from the imaginations of the Scandinavian people. Nineteen stories reflect the fear of evil that haunts and fascinates the human soul.

These ancient tales from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Finland can be read on many levels: as entertaining stories of magic and mayhem; as fables to warn children to be careful of the hidden dangers of the world; or as symbolic reflections on the eternal struggle of good versus evil and the quest for ultimate power.

Sorcery, witchcraft, magic charms and incantations; graveyards and nocturnal journeys; ghosts, monsters, and demons of the night are common elements in these tales of the supernatural. For generations, the Scandinavian peasants huddled around their fires interweaving fantasy and belief based on superstition, religion, social customs and taboos, life styles and morals. The supernatural beings raised in these sittings represent the evil perceived in the heart of mankind and the harsh world beyond the hearth. The telling of undesirable human traits or emotions through witches, goblins, trolls, and other monstrous beings gave rise to the hope that being mindful and alert to these dangers would hold them at bay.

In this book, travel a frightening world of curses and maleficence, power and greed tempered by a revelation of the will to overcome. Illustrations by artists including H.J. Ford are throughout the book.