Hekla:

by Gunhild Haugnes, Jessica Draskau (Translator)

A mysterious woman
A furious volcano
A merciless witch hunt

Hekla was born on a bitterly cold and stormy winter night in the far north-east of Norway. Yet it is fire that will haunt Freya's fifth daughter.

In 1662, her mother is burned at the stake for witchcraft, and Hekla is faced with the threat of the same fate hanging over her. She searches for her father, the renowned shaman Jovnna, across land and sea.

Along the way, she encounters different peoples, seers, and underworld creatures. Hekla ultimately travels to the island that is home to the volcano she is named after.

There she will meet her destiny.

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Hekla is the fifth stand-alone novel in the Daughters of Freya-series. The main characters in the series are bound by ties of blood, and they have all been tasked with life-altering quests by Freya, with the survival of the Earth at stake.

307 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 18, 2025

About the author

Gunhild is a native Norwegian who takes her name from two valkyries, Gun and Hild.
She is currently working on a series of independent novels collectively designated ‘Daughters of Freya’, after the greatest Norse goddess.

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Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hekla by Grunhild Haugnes is another of the continuing series about the earthly daughters of Freya, each of whom must do her share to defeat Ragnarok. (the end of the world). She is the fifth daughter of Freya and has devoted her life to a quest she hasn’t understood most of the time. Her grandfather left her a hand-written book in which each of the earlier daughters had recorded stories, herbal recipes, and other important information. It was hidden for if any were found in possession of it, they would be branded a witch. She had given up home, and love, and children for this quest and in doing so had traveled all over Scandinavia and ended up in Iceland. There is did have a son with a man who was half elven and caused such jealousy that her life had been put in danger. This was a somewhat regular occurrence as she had been arrested several times as a witch and nearly burned alive as punishment.

Helka is smart. And she believes in the old gods. She has seen nothing but damage from Christians and she wants no part of it. She had been born without a father, and had watched her mother burned alive when she was just nine years old. She had never known her father, but as an adult started looking for him. After she found him he was often taciturn and unable to answer her questions. There is so much more to her story. It is an amazing tale, full of Norse mythology and fantasy.

I was invited to read Hekla by the author. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #GunhildHaugnes #Hekla #DaughtersOfFreya

[Freya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read all of the books in this series and find them all impossible to put down. Readers will find that they identify with some of the daughters more than others. I relate to Freydis and Thoron the most, so I wasn't surprised that I didn't connect fully with Hekla. However, I enjoyed a lot of the supporting characters and look forward to reading the next daughter's journey!

[Rhonda Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Hekla" is the fifth installment in Grunhild Haugnes' "Daughters of Freya" series, a powerful narrative that follows Freya's daughters as they confront Ragnarok. Hekla, the fifth daughter, is fiercely committed to her quest, determined to uncover its significance. She guards a hidden book left by her grandfather, filled with vital stories and herbal recipes, fully aware that its possession could brand her a witch.

Hekla has made significant sacrifices—leaving behind home, love, and the chance for children—to embark on this crucial mission, which has taken her from Scandinavia to Iceland. Her relationship with a half-elven man resulted in a son, inciting jealousy that put her life at risk. She is no stranger to danger, having faced numerous arrests for witchcraft and narrowly avoiding death by burning.

Intelligent and resolute, Hekla stands firm in her belief in the old gods, rejecting the destruction that Christianity has brought upon her world. Orphaned after witnessing her mother’s execution, she sought out her father, only to find him often silent and uncommunicative.

Her story is a captivating blend of Norse mythology and fantasy, and I confidently assert that I've read every book in this series. Each one is impossible to put down.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hekla, An Epic Nordic Novel by Gunhild Haugnes is an exceptional book all on its own, but even more so with the great translation achieved into English. Without that I could not read this book. Long before the famous witch hunts in the US they happened elsewhere in the world. In this fifth book of the Daughters of Freya Series, Hekla knows this all to well as her mother died from such a claim made against her.

Born to complete a quest for Freya as all the main female characters, the journey to accomplishing this mission is full of hardship and being misunderstood as well as confusion on what she should do. While Thoron is still my favorite of the daughter of Freya, I found Hekla story to be a compelling read full of concern about her survival. I recommend the entire series including Hekla.