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Icelandic Folk and Fairy Tales
English, Icelandic (translation)
123 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1852
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
May 29, 2017
A cherished souvenir of my time in Reykjavik!
Did you know, for example, that Icelandic Santas are not really Santas in the jolly, chubby, gift-giving sense? Oh no. In Iceland, the Santas are offshoots of trolls and they have the dispositions to match. Their wardrobes are more yikes! than Yule. They are sometimes mere pranksters, but sometimes they’re homicidal maniacs who eat children.
Merry Freakin’ Icelandic Christmas!!
Did you know, for example, that Icelandic Santas are not really Santas in the jolly, chubby, gift-giving sense? Oh no. In Iceland, the Santas are offshoots of trolls and they have the dispositions to match. Their wardrobes are more yikes! than Yule. They are sometimes mere pranksters, but sometimes they’re homicidal maniacs who eat children.
Merry Freakin’ Icelandic Christmas!!
May 15, 2013
Iceland has a rather unique take on several types of folktales. For one thing, there is a certain physicality to their ghosts, which figure in many of the old sagas, particularly Grettir's Saga and The Eyrbyggja Saga. Secondly, there is a lingering belief in elves and trolls, connected with strange basaltic rock formations that dot the island.
Jacqueline Simpson's Icelandic Folktales and Legends makes for some interesting light reading. Some 30-40% of the text consists of scholarly notes on the provenance of some of the tales. These in themselves are occasionally interesting, especially when some of the tales are current in widely scattered countries, but at other times they detract.
If you are an Iceland freak such as myself, you can't have enough of this stuff.
Jacqueline Simpson's Icelandic Folktales and Legends makes for some interesting light reading. Some 30-40% of the text consists of scholarly notes on the provenance of some of the tales. These in themselves are occasionally interesting, especially when some of the tales are current in widely scattered countries, but at other times they detract.
If you are an Iceland freak such as myself, you can't have enough of this stuff.
December 5, 2018
As the title suggests this is a compilation of old Icelandic folk and fairy tales. Many of these stories were passed down through word of mouth over the centuries until Jon Arnason and Magnus Grimsson began collecting and recording them on paper in the mid 1800s. The book is divided into four categories, those being " Elves & Trolls", "Ghosts & Sorcerers", "Sinners & Saints" and finally "Miscellaneous Tales". Some of the stories contain lessons in morality for the time they were written, others as explanations for certain phenomena or geographical areas of significance within Iceland itself. Most of the tales were dark in nature but also somewhat humorous as they often involve mythical creatures of Icelandic lore. Overall I found the tales interesting but thought they could have been written a little better. They seem like good stories you could read to your kids before bed.
August 18, 2014
Another book I picked up while researching an article I was writing about Iceland's huldufólk, or Hidden People. Dr. Simpson's introduction was another invaluable resource for me, with great details about mythological beings and their reception by the people who would have been telling/hearing these tales, as well as further information on the collection of the tales in the first place.
I very much enjoy Dr. Simpson's translations—they retain an oral quality, for one. Additionally, each story is followed by fantastic notes and context, often placing a tale or a strain of tales into a larger thematic family.
A really great reference, and fun reading, too.
I very much enjoy Dr. Simpson's translations—they retain an oral quality, for one. Additionally, each story is followed by fantastic notes and context, often placing a tale or a strain of tales into a larger thematic family.
A really great reference, and fun reading, too.
August 15, 2014
A folklore book is an almost perfect pleasure. The stories in them always have a lot of variety (heroic? humorous? horror? they got it all!) so you will never get bored. They are often very short, so you can just pick it up and read it anytime. They always have a lot of historical and cultural information in them so you are learning more about the world, too. What could be better?
A lot of Icelandic folklore can also be found in Scottish Folklore and even Nova Scotian Folklore, proving that European people kept their oral traditions around for a very long time regardless of time and place. I find that amazing. Stories of fairies, saints, and magic have been entertaining European-descendent people for generations!
One will find in these stories that many themes in folktales have become popular tropes. I noticed this more with the Icelandic folklore that I have read in this book than with any other book. Trolls (giant ugly creatures who eat cattle and humans who turn into stone upon contact with sunlight - guess where Tolkien got the idea?) and Black Magic.
The introduction gives you a lot of trust in the accuracy of the book that you are reading. The folktales are full of useful footnotes, references, etc which are a real joy to see in a book like this because I am always afraid that when people compile folklore for books they might "spice them up" by adding details that weren't in the originals that appeal to or make sense to modern people. But I didn't feel like there was anything like that in these stories.
The stories are set up into different sections: ghosts, saints and sinners, etc. This gives them even more variety. I felt like this book showcased just enough of each topic, unlike so many other folklore books that often get repetitive when they showcase stories with the same theme over and over and over again.
The only thing I didn't like in these stories are the illustrations. The illustrations are apparently done by a great Icelandic artist, but I didn't like them. I feel like illustrations in a book like this should acquaint you with the traditions of visual artistry in these regions which, when paired up with the folktales, should help you become absorbed in the culture. But the illustrations in this book were often confusing, and looked like something out of a Frank Miller graphic novel (seriously, they were WEIRD). They often took me OUT of the stories, when they should be having the opposite effect. I looked at some traditional icelandic art online to see what it was like, and it was quite different from the illustrations in the book. Often the illustrations would be nothing at all like how I imagined the scene. Seriously, if the illustrations weren't in this book I would give it a higher rating.
The illustrations in "Great Folk Tales of Old Ireland" are a great example of what illustrations should be in a book like this. They look "archaic", they stimulate the imagination, they create atmosphere. This book deserves illustrations like the ones in that book.
Overall, a great book that I recommend to anyone interested in learning about foreign cultures or who loves European folklore (like me!).
A lot of Icelandic folklore can also be found in Scottish Folklore and even Nova Scotian Folklore, proving that European people kept their oral traditions around for a very long time regardless of time and place. I find that amazing. Stories of fairies, saints, and magic have been entertaining European-descendent people for generations!
One will find in these stories that many themes in folktales have become popular tropes. I noticed this more with the Icelandic folklore that I have read in this book than with any other book. Trolls (giant ugly creatures who eat cattle and humans who turn into stone upon contact with sunlight - guess where Tolkien got the idea?) and Black Magic.
The introduction gives you a lot of trust in the accuracy of the book that you are reading. The folktales are full of useful footnotes, references, etc which are a real joy to see in a book like this because I am always afraid that when people compile folklore for books they might "spice them up" by adding details that weren't in the originals that appeal to or make sense to modern people. But I didn't feel like there was anything like that in these stories.
The stories are set up into different sections: ghosts, saints and sinners, etc. This gives them even more variety. I felt like this book showcased just enough of each topic, unlike so many other folklore books that often get repetitive when they showcase stories with the same theme over and over and over again.
The only thing I didn't like in these stories are the illustrations. The illustrations are apparently done by a great Icelandic artist, but I didn't like them. I feel like illustrations in a book like this should acquaint you with the traditions of visual artistry in these regions which, when paired up with the folktales, should help you become absorbed in the culture. But the illustrations in this book were often confusing, and looked like something out of a Frank Miller graphic novel (seriously, they were WEIRD). They often took me OUT of the stories, when they should be having the opposite effect. I looked at some traditional icelandic art online to see what it was like, and it was quite different from the illustrations in the book. Often the illustrations would be nothing at all like how I imagined the scene. Seriously, if the illustrations weren't in this book I would give it a higher rating.
The illustrations in "Great Folk Tales of Old Ireland" are a great example of what illustrations should be in a book like this. They look "archaic", they stimulate the imagination, they create atmosphere. This book deserves illustrations like the ones in that book.
Overall, a great book that I recommend to anyone interested in learning about foreign cultures or who loves European folklore (like me!).
January 4, 2008
The Icelandic have a few interesting twists on some of the traditional fairy tale tropes. My favorites involve the hidden people, which are sort of like Iceland's unique version of faeries, or nature spirits. They live in a world parallel to ours, or sort of contained within ours, but that we cannot see or access. I can attest that when I was in Iceland, I really did see doors painted on rocks and things both around houses (I'm assuming the impetus there was merely for decoration) but also on random slabs of basalt sticking out of the ground in the middle of the countryside.
Icelandic fairy tales are quirky and if you're interested in myth and legend this slim volume is something worth reading.
Icelandic fairy tales are quirky and if you're interested in myth and legend this slim volume is something worth reading.
June 3, 2021
Zaujímavá zbierka, ale ocenila by som viac informácií ku kontextu poviedok a rozprávok!
July 17, 2024
A friend of mine is going to Iceland this summer so I decided to read the book my mom got me when she went to Iceland a few years back: Icelandic Folk and Fairy Tales, which is, as titled, a collection of Icelandic folk and fairy tales. Most of them are very short, some only a few paragraphs long. Most of them are funny. There are many ways in which they remind me of the Irish folk and fairy tale collections I’ve read, although this one has fewer fairies and more trolls and, surprisingly, wizards. This is a short book but ended up taking me almost a week to get through because I couldn’t read for more than about 5 pages at once in the heat, but it was in that case nice to have real short things to read and also to think about cold places like Iceland.
Originally posted at Iceland is very green and Greenland is full of ice.
Originally posted at Iceland is very green and Greenland is full of ice.
February 1, 2021
I love Iceland folklore! I think the north europe story is so interesting and different from what i'm used to. Absolutly recomended if you want to know something about the story of almost everything you will see in Iceland
May 22, 2025
What an outstanding collection of stories. I don't read much non-fiction anymore, but this book kept my interests piqued throughout. It not only contains 85 stories referring to various supernatural beliefs, but it also includes an explanatory introduction and notes that link each story intimately to the landscape. The most valuable part of this book is the explanation and notes that are given after each story that tells how the stories still reflect the hopes, fears, hardships and preoccupation of the people who inhabit Iceland today. Even though these stories are depictions of gigantic trolls, wizards and black magic, religious tales, elves or 'the hidden folk', buried treasure, and various water monsters, it allows us to see how they relate to events today and how the people of Iceland's believe they still have an effect, particularly on the environment. This is an invaluable source for research, but more than that, I found it to be an extremely intriguing read, and I had a lot of fun with it.
July 26, 2014
I was in Iceland last July and bough this book because the tourguide was telling stories about trolls, ghosts, invisible people and so on and I wanted to read more about it.
There are some nice stories in this book, but also some that are a bit odd. There is a lot of manslaughter going on in the stories, usually with an axe. I also have the impression that in older times it was the habit in Iceland that women were married off to old or ugly (or both) farmers.
I suppose that the isolated location and the extreme weather conditions can lead to all this kind of stories.
There are some nice stories in this book, but also some that are a bit odd. There is a lot of manslaughter going on in the stories, usually with an axe. I also have the impression that in older times it was the habit in Iceland that women were married off to old or ugly (or both) farmers.
I suppose that the isolated location and the extreme weather conditions can lead to all this kind of stories.
November 21, 2011
The author has a strange and jarring habit of changing tenses half way through a story, sometimes halfway through a sentence, but apart from that these stories are fascinating and simply told.
January 14, 2018
Interesting collection of stories, with helpful footnotes for more info.
See my other ten word book reviews at my blog: https://tenwordbookreviews.wordpress....
See my other ten word book reviews at my blog: https://tenwordbookreviews.wordpress....
January 30, 2020
It wasn't Medieval folktales at all. All the stories were from the 1700 & 1800's. There wasn't a single pre-Christian folktale or legend mentioned.
July 5, 2019
On a recent trip to Iceland I found this little book in a gas station (of all places!). It turned out to be quite scholarly for such an origin. It also turned out to be entertaining and interesting.
This collection is a peek into the Icelandic mind. A culture’s folktales always reveal aspects of its worldview, and these tales are no exception. It was interesting to see the similarities between these stories and more familiar ones from the British Isles and Europe. Some were clearly relatives of those familiar tales, but usually the familiar elements appeared as mere details within larger stories — the Emperors New Clothes and Rumpelstiltskin come to mind as examples.
The most interesting stories were the purely Icelandic ones. Those which gave a hint as to what life on that remote island was like over the centuries. Considering how small this book is, it is very rich.
This collection is a peek into the Icelandic mind. A culture’s folktales always reveal aspects of its worldview, and these tales are no exception. It was interesting to see the similarities between these stories and more familiar ones from the British Isles and Europe. Some were clearly relatives of those familiar tales, but usually the familiar elements appeared as mere details within larger stories — the Emperors New Clothes and Rumpelstiltskin come to mind as examples.
The most interesting stories were the purely Icelandic ones. Those which gave a hint as to what life on that remote island was like over the centuries. Considering how small this book is, it is very rich.
October 18, 2024
I’ve been always fascinated by the iceland’s vibes; during my economics and financial studies I likely went off to a little library and I always picked some Icelandic fairytales books. Soaking into this Jónes Árnason's book for the first time felt like you wanted to lounge in the south side of a plum tree or instead near a branch where the clouds seem to burst over your head. Some folklore tales are underrated or people just think it’s not adults matter ( this makes me think about The little Prince book) so it won’t fit or they just want to avoid reading stories that ought to tickle their imagination or regretting something lost . I lately picked this book for the second time and I really miss to fancy about Icelandic fairytale book .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2021
This book has various tales, and most are two pages or less, so it is perfect for those of us that never like to put a book down in the middle of a chapter. Some of the tales were quite amusing, while others seemed to have no point at all. This also contains the story of what may be the original version of Rumpelstiltskin.
Most of the stories were mediocre. It gets 3 stars, as most stories deserved 3 stars, and a few stories would be higher or lower rated. I can't say I recommend it, but I also wouldn't tell anyone to not read it.
Most of the stories were mediocre. It gets 3 stars, as most stories deserved 3 stars, and a few stories would be higher or lower rated. I can't say I recommend it, but I also wouldn't tell anyone to not read it.
December 9, 2018
Want to know how elves came to be? What does the everyday life of a troll lokk like?
A must read to everyone who has been or will be visiting Iceland and cares about living land, history, and culture.
Oh, and I just love the way Icelanders tell their stories. I’ll not spoil it for you, but pay attention. And you’ll understand these people better.
A must read to everyone who has been or will be visiting Iceland and cares about living land, history, and culture.
Oh, and I just love the way Icelanders tell their stories. I’ll not spoil it for you, but pay attention. And you’ll understand these people better.
May 3, 2025
A selection of Icelandic folk and fairy tales has been collected and translated by May and Hallberg Hallmundsson. The tales are arranged in four topics- elves and trolls, ghosts and sorcerers, saints and sinners, and miscellaneous tales. Folk tales contain a people's yearnings, fears, sense of honor, and imagination. The tales are a pleasure to read and tell so much about the Icelandic people.
July 29, 2021
Los cuentos tienen más valor históricos que literario. Es muy curioso ver cómo se combinan en las historias el folclore, el paganismo y la religión cristiana, en un país donde la conversión a la religión de Roma no fue tan abrupta como en otras naciones.
July 13, 2024
3.5 stars. I don’t really know how to rate fairy tales lol. The first section was definitely my favorite but obviously each section had their ups and downs. I wish the author notes were more clearly marked and weren’t part of the text.
August 7, 2025
A wonderful collection of Icelandic folklore. I was fascinated with the blending of pagan and Christian elements marking the time when the nation’s storytellers appealed to both audiences. A delight for fairy tale aficionados.
September 22, 2025
I bought this book for my son and his wife and decided to read it first. It had some interesting stories, but overall I found it a bit dry for my taste. I hope my son likes it. He and his wife have been to Iceland twice and should enjoy it.
September 17, 2018
Lidt en spøjs blanding...
December 16, 2018
A collection of folk tales featuring ogres, trolls and imps told with a wry sense of humor.
February 7, 2021
The occasional dryness can be attributed to this being an exact translation, but there were definitely quite a few stories I ultimately enjoyed.
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January 12, 2022I find reading the folk and fairy tales of other countries and cultures to be utterly delightful and fascinating 😊
May 29, 2023
Well, that was good fun. And quite strange! Especially enjoyed the very last story in the book, about three sisters in a contest to determine who could make the biggest fool out of their husband.
November 22, 2023
I fun memory from Iceland!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews