Danish Folk Tales

by Svend-Erik Engh, Tea Bendix (Illustrator)

A collection of tales that grew out of the sprawling flatlands, the oozing fjords, the dark forests and the waves that crash on the shores of Denmark. How a Viking ship carried a future king into Roskilde Fjord, how a mermaid's laughter brought fortunes to her fisherman host, how the people of Lolland survived a flood with waves 3m high and how a princess found her freedom in becoming a prince. Experience the history, landscapes, stories and fairy tales brought to life by a storyteller who called this country home for nearly sixty years.

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2023

Reviews

[Kayleigh | Welsh Book Fairy · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨ 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ✨

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Danish Folk Tales
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Svend-Erik Engh, Illustrated by Tea Bendix
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3/5

🌊 𝗩𝗶𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗳𝗷𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀, 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘀, 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗱𝘀
🧜‍♀️ 𝟮𝟳 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
🌊 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀
🧜‍♀️ 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

Danish Folk Tales delivers an amalgamation of 27 tales, each with a lesson to be taught and a lesson to be learnt by the reader, particularly younger readers who could benefit from cautionary tales.

There are stories here for all ages. Some I read to my four year old and we both got to enjoy together such as Three Lessons To Be Learnt, The Mermaid That Laughed Three Times, and his personal favourite: The Fat Cat.

Other stories were a little bit gruesome to share with small children before bedtime and so I’ve also picked out the ones I particularly enjoyed, including The Devil’s Coffee Grinder, The Two Friends, and my personal favourite: Prince Vildering and Miseri Mø.

Overall, this is a worthy collection of folk tales that reflect the Nordic country within its pages whilst describing unworthy traits such as greediness and disobedience whilst praising kindness and compassion.

—Kayleigh🤍

♡ 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦
♡ 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫
♡ 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬

[Csenge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is just... friendly. Is that strange to say about a folklore collection? It feels like a very friendly storyteller sharing stories with you from his culture. There are Vikings, and fairy tales with princesses and dragons, and legends about wars and disasters, and some outwitted devils. Some stories are funny, some are adventurous, and a few are sad. One of them made me cry happy tears. All of them come with the teller's comments, and also notes and sources so we find out more about where they came from and how they got here. But they also all carry Svend-Erik's own telling style, which is clever, empathetic, and genial. He selects the stories with great care, and you can tell he enjoys sharing each of them. There were several tales in the book that belong to types I know, but these versions were often kinder, surprising, and delightful. The ethereal illustrations match the book perfectly. It was a great read.

[Brendan Rather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful collection of tales for adults and children, perfect for any lover of stories rooted in history and lore.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful collection of stories and lore.

[MyOwnBookAdventures · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually own a hardcopy edition that doesn’t exist on goodreads… but since we’re not allowed to add additions anymore I guess the kindle edition will do🤷‍♀️