Sir George Webbe Dasent's lively collection of Norse folk tales opens with a substantial introduction that treats popular stories as serious cultural evidence, not children's trifles. Drawing on comparative philology and the work of Jacob Grimm, Dasent argues that language and folklore preserve the oldest traces of human history, revealing a shared Indo-European inheritance beneath later national differences. He traces these traditions from ancient Central Asia through the Aryan branches into Europe and India, contrasting the active, historically mobile western peoples with the more inward, philosophic Indian branch. From there, the book turns to the tales themselves: comic tricksters, princesses, trolls, giants, animals, and clever peasant heroes, all rendered with faithfulness to the originals rather than softened for polite taste. Dasent defends their roughness as morally sound in spirit and insists that genuine folklore must retain its force. The stories range from broad mythic patterns found across many nations to vivid Norse adventures of magic swords, enchanted belts, lions, betrayal, blindness, restoration, and hard-won justice, all inviting readers into an enchanted garden of old Northern tradition. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.

À propos de l'auteur

Asbjørnsen, Peter Christen

Peter Christen Asbjørnsen was a Norwegian writer, folklorist, and naturalist whose life bridged scholarship, storytelling, and a deep love of the Norwegian landscape. Born in 1812 in Christiania, he grew up with a curiosity for both the natural world and the oral traditions of ordinary people, and these interests shaped his lifelong work. He traveled widely through Norway, collecting folktales, legends, and local sayings from farmers, woodsmen, and fishermen, then helped preserve and refine them for a wider audience. In partnership with Jørgen Moe, he became one of the great figures of nineteenth-century Nordic folklore, and his efforts did much to establish a distinct Norwegian literary identity at a time when the country was searching for its cultural voice. His most important achievement was transforming oral tradition into enduring literature without losing its freshness, humor, or sense of wonder. The stories he gathered are filled with cleverness, resilience, magic, and a close connection to nature, themes that still resonate today in a world still fascinated by identity, heritage, and the power of shared narrative. Asbjørnsen’s legacy lives on in the way readers and scholars value folk tradition not as something quaint or obsolete, but as a vital record of how communities imagine themselves and make meaning. He remains especially rewarding for readers who enjoy folklore, fairy tales, Scandinavian culture, and stories that feel both timeless and deeply rooted in place.