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The Dragon's Hoard: Stories from the Viking Sagas
Eleven amazing stories from the Viking Sagas, packed with warriors and battles, heroes and heroines, berserkers, monsters and zombies. AND LOTS OF MAGIC.
Stories include:
* The Dragon's Hoard
* The Swan Warrior
* The Berserker's Baby
* Tusker versus the Earl
* The Bear in Chains
* The Raven Banner
* The Boy in the Bones
* Sailing to America
* The Zombie on the Roof
* Hunting Magnus
* Odin's Riddles
Stories include:
* The Dragon's Hoard
* The Swan Warrior
* The Berserker's Baby
* Tusker versus the Earl
* The Bear in Chains
* The Raven Banner
* The Boy in the Bones
* Sailing to America
* The Zombie on the Roof
* Hunting Magnus
* Odin's Riddles
64 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
5 people are currently reading
387 people want to read
About the author
Lari Don
61 books101 followersI'm a children's writer based in Scotland, and most of my fiction is inspired by the Scottish landscape and local legends. I love writing fantasy adventures for 8-12 year olds, including the Fabled Beast Chronicles and the Spellchasers trilogy, but I also love creating stories for other age groups.
I've gone darker and more dangerous in my YA thriller MindBlind.
And I've worked with amazing illustrators on picture books, including a retelling of the Scottish tale of the kelpie, The Secret of the Kelpie, with gorgeous pictures by Philip Longson, and a new fable about Nessie, The Treasure of the Loch Ness Monster, with fabulous artwork by Nataša Ilinčić.
I've written collections of myths and legends, including heroine tales from all over the world in Girls Goddesses & Giants, and Scottish tales in Breaking the Spell and Viking saga tales in The Dragon's Hoard, both illustrated by the wonderful Cate James.
I'm passionate about sharing old stories, creating new ones, and inspiring new young readers and writers. And I'm writing more adventures and retelling more myths, right now!
But I'm also reading... I read a lot of non-fiction, because a lot of my fictional ideas are inspired by folklore and history. I also read a lot of children’s fiction, because kids get all the best stories! And sometimes I remember how old I am, and read books for adults.
I also love discussing books, and answering queries about my books and stories, so please do get in touch. You can chat to me here on Goodreads, or through my own website, http://www.laridon.co.uk, or find me on Twitter @LariDonWriter, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laridonwriter, or Instagram: laridonwriter Have fun reading!
I've gone darker and more dangerous in my YA thriller MindBlind.
And I've worked with amazing illustrators on picture books, including a retelling of the Scottish tale of the kelpie, The Secret of the Kelpie, with gorgeous pictures by Philip Longson, and a new fable about Nessie, The Treasure of the Loch Ness Monster, with fabulous artwork by Nataša Ilinčić.
I've written collections of myths and legends, including heroine tales from all over the world in Girls Goddesses & Giants, and Scottish tales in Breaking the Spell and Viking saga tales in The Dragon's Hoard, both illustrated by the wonderful Cate James.
I'm passionate about sharing old stories, creating new ones, and inspiring new young readers and writers. And I'm writing more adventures and retelling more myths, right now!
But I'm also reading... I read a lot of non-fiction, because a lot of my fictional ideas are inspired by folklore and history. I also read a lot of children’s fiction, because kids get all the best stories! And sometimes I remember how old I am, and read books for adults.
I also love discussing books, and answering queries about my books and stories, so please do get in touch. You can chat to me here on Goodreads, or through my own website, http://www.laridon.co.uk, or find me on Twitter @LariDonWriter, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laridonwriter, or Instagram: laridonwriter Have fun reading!
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 21, 2021
Great little book to introduce anyone to the less know tales of Vikings. The illustrations are adorable considering the stories sometimes gruesome topics. This would be great for family's to read aloud and excellently the author has included where she heard of these stories so we can look into the ones we enjoy in more depth.
February 6, 2024
Read for my independent study for Norse mythology in young adult literature. Below is a report I wrote on it for that study:
The Dragon’s Hoard, written by Lari Don and illustrated by Cate James, is a children’s book that retells many myths found in the Old Norse sagas. I didn’t realize this book was aimed at children before I started reading it, but there’s still a lot to be said about this book. Firstly, it covers a very wide range of stories. It tells stories from some of the oldest legendary sagas to the medieval Icelandic sagas and everywhere in between. There are a couple of famous stories (Sigurd slaying Fafnir and the Viking’s discovery of Vinland are pretty well-known), but most of them come from more obscure sagas. I knew the names of a few, but there were others I had no clue about. This was great fun because Don tells these stories in a very whimsical manner, and this was a great way to experience these stories for the first time. In fact, I loved one of the stories so much (“The Swan Warrior”) that I went to read the saga it was adapted from, The Saga of Hromund Gripsson. It was significantly drier than Don’s version, and the section of the story that Don tells is a very small part, but it’s undoubtedly the same story. He expands it and embellishes it to make it more readable, but he adapts it faithfully.
One of the themes of this book that stood out to me is what I’m going to call duty in death. In “The Swan Warrior”, Helgi is invincible as long as he can hear his wife, Kara, in the shape of a swan, singing above him in battle. He becomes overzealous, however, and starts yelling battle cries, and Kara has to fly low enough for him to hear. But just as he swings his sword upwards to strike an enemy, he finds that he has struck Kara instead. He dies soon after. In “The Raven Banner”, the Earl of Orkney has a banner that brings his army victory on the battlefield, at the cost of the banner’s bearer. After many battles, no one wants to carry the banner, so the Earl finally has to, and he dies. In “Sailing to America”, Thorvald lands in Vinland and has a battle with the natives already living there, where he kills most of them but is mortally wounded by an arrow. He asks his crew to bury him on the new land so it can be his home forever, and they do.
These are all striking to me because they don’t have a happy ending, but they do seem to say something. Helgi’s tale warns us against hubris; the Earl’s urges us to take responsibility, especially when it comes to other people’s lives; and while Thorvald’s is a little murkier, one interpretation may be that it encourages us to accomplish our goals. These men learned a valuable lesson, at the cost of their lives. Perhaps they needed to die to learn this message, perhaps they died because they didn’t learn it sooner. Perhaps they died as fatal retribution for deaths they are responsible for (Kara, the banner bearers, and the natives). Whatever the case is, it makes you think. I didn’t quite expect this from a children's book, but I’m glad I read these stories.
Another thing I loved was how magic/the supernatural was a common theme in nearly every story. There were dragons, ghosts, sorcerers, and even Odin makes an appearance. It makes the stories feel very fairy tale-esque and gives each of them a good through-line that spiritually connects them even though they’re all mostly separate.
The Dragon’s Hoard, written by Lari Don and illustrated by Cate James, is a children’s book that retells many myths found in the Old Norse sagas. I didn’t realize this book was aimed at children before I started reading it, but there’s still a lot to be said about this book. Firstly, it covers a very wide range of stories. It tells stories from some of the oldest legendary sagas to the medieval Icelandic sagas and everywhere in between. There are a couple of famous stories (Sigurd slaying Fafnir and the Viking’s discovery of Vinland are pretty well-known), but most of them come from more obscure sagas. I knew the names of a few, but there were others I had no clue about. This was great fun because Don tells these stories in a very whimsical manner, and this was a great way to experience these stories for the first time. In fact, I loved one of the stories so much (“The Swan Warrior”) that I went to read the saga it was adapted from, The Saga of Hromund Gripsson. It was significantly drier than Don’s version, and the section of the story that Don tells is a very small part, but it’s undoubtedly the same story. He expands it and embellishes it to make it more readable, but he adapts it faithfully.
One of the themes of this book that stood out to me is what I’m going to call duty in death. In “The Swan Warrior”, Helgi is invincible as long as he can hear his wife, Kara, in the shape of a swan, singing above him in battle. He becomes overzealous, however, and starts yelling battle cries, and Kara has to fly low enough for him to hear. But just as he swings his sword upwards to strike an enemy, he finds that he has struck Kara instead. He dies soon after. In “The Raven Banner”, the Earl of Orkney has a banner that brings his army victory on the battlefield, at the cost of the banner’s bearer. After many battles, no one wants to carry the banner, so the Earl finally has to, and he dies. In “Sailing to America”, Thorvald lands in Vinland and has a battle with the natives already living there, where he kills most of them but is mortally wounded by an arrow. He asks his crew to bury him on the new land so it can be his home forever, and they do.
These are all striking to me because they don’t have a happy ending, but they do seem to say something. Helgi’s tale warns us against hubris; the Earl’s urges us to take responsibility, especially when it comes to other people’s lives; and while Thorvald’s is a little murkier, one interpretation may be that it encourages us to accomplish our goals. These men learned a valuable lesson, at the cost of their lives. Perhaps they needed to die to learn this message, perhaps they died because they didn’t learn it sooner. Perhaps they died as fatal retribution for deaths they are responsible for (Kara, the banner bearers, and the natives). Whatever the case is, it makes you think. I didn’t quite expect this from a children's book, but I’m glad I read these stories.
Another thing I loved was how magic/the supernatural was a common theme in nearly every story. There were dragons, ghosts, sorcerers, and even Odin makes an appearance. It makes the stories feel very fairy tale-esque and gives each of them a good through-line that spiritually connects them even though they’re all mostly separate.
June 3, 2022
Eleven myths and legends retold from the Viking Sagas mostly from the 13th and 14th centuries that were passed down through generations.
1) The Dragon’s Hoard. Volsungs Saga. Loki accidently creates a dragon, Sigurd kills it.
2) The Swan Warrior. Hromund Gripsson Saga. Sad story of a warrior and his swan love.
3) The Berserker’s Baby. Vatnsdal Saga. A berserker is saved by a baby.
4) Tusker Versus the Earl. Orkneyinga Saga. How a warrior from Moray got revenge on Earl of Orkney’s invasion of Scotland.
5) The Bea in Chains. Tale of Audun of the West Fjords. Two stories about a man giving a bear to the king of Denmark and the bear’s return home.
6) The Raven Banner. Orkneyinga & Njal’s Sagas. A mother creates a special war banner for her son.
7) The Boy in the Bones. King Hrolf Kraki’s Saga. A warrior hero helps a young boy find his courage.
8) Sailing to America. Greenlander’s Saga. Leif and Thorvald Eriksson discovering Vinland (America).
9) Zombie on the Roof. Grettir’s Saga. How Grettir helps a farm haunted by Glam the zombie.
10) Hunting Magnus. Magnus’ Saga. Magnus doesn’t want to fight so he runs away and becomes a saint.
11) Odin’s Riddles. King Heidrek the Wise’s Saga. A riddle competition between Odin and King Heidrek.
1) The Dragon’s Hoard. Volsungs Saga. Loki accidently creates a dragon, Sigurd kills it.
2) The Swan Warrior. Hromund Gripsson Saga. Sad story of a warrior and his swan love.
3) The Berserker’s Baby. Vatnsdal Saga. A berserker is saved by a baby.
4) Tusker Versus the Earl. Orkneyinga Saga. How a warrior from Moray got revenge on Earl of Orkney’s invasion of Scotland.
5) The Bea in Chains. Tale of Audun of the West Fjords. Two stories about a man giving a bear to the king of Denmark and the bear’s return home.
6) The Raven Banner. Orkneyinga & Njal’s Sagas. A mother creates a special war banner for her son.
7) The Boy in the Bones. King Hrolf Kraki’s Saga. A warrior hero helps a young boy find his courage.
8) Sailing to America. Greenlander’s Saga. Leif and Thorvald Eriksson discovering Vinland (America).
9) Zombie on the Roof. Grettir’s Saga. How Grettir helps a farm haunted by Glam the zombie.
10) Hunting Magnus. Magnus’ Saga. Magnus doesn’t want to fight so he runs away and becomes a saint.
11) Odin’s Riddles. King Heidrek the Wise’s Saga. A riddle competition between Odin and King Heidrek.
February 20, 2020
It occurs to me that working our way through the age appropriate works of Lari Don is the main focus of our social studies curriculum for this year :P
As an adult, I catch glimpses in these oral tales, temporarily given a singular form, of places that I have visited and histories I have learned. I appreciate the information given at the end of the back about where these sit within wider lore. Miss 5 is both fascinated by the stories and questioning as to why the Vikings seem to really enjoy fighting and lopping off heads. Her favourite story is the first one which requires wits and cunning to defeat a dragon. We have also had really interesting (and important) discussions about the way history is written by the victors (or the group of people telling the tale) and that therefore it is rather more like an advertising commercial with a few kernels of truth. Our favourite example of this is the Raven's Banner which manages to glorify a Viking defeat (and would probably be told quite definitely by the Irish!).
Miss 5 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
As an adult, I catch glimpses in these oral tales, temporarily given a singular form, of places that I have visited and histories I have learned. I appreciate the information given at the end of the back about where these sit within wider lore. Miss 5 is both fascinated by the stories and questioning as to why the Vikings seem to really enjoy fighting and lopping off heads. Her favourite story is the first one which requires wits and cunning to defeat a dragon. We have also had really interesting (and important) discussions about the way history is written by the victors (or the group of people telling the tale) and that therefore it is rather more like an advertising commercial with a few kernels of truth. Our favourite example of this is the Raven's Banner which manages to glorify a Viking defeat (and would probably be told quite definitely by the Irish!).
Miss 5 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
February 5, 2020
Some gruesome brutality is mentioned.
February 28, 2020
A lovely taste of Very Old stories, brought down to kids' level. Some stories ended rather abruptly or awkwardly.
June 16, 2025
Πολύ καλό βιβλίο με κάποιες ιστορίες-μύθους των Βίκινγκς σε απόδοση για παιδιά. Πραγματικά το απόλαυσα.
June 15, 2022
Enjoyed the authors voice retelling sagas that I had never heard before. Was a very good folklore/fairytale type book.
August 22, 2016
This is a book packed with 11 tales for your children to read. The characters are believable with the illustrations being colorful with detailing. Very well written by one of the most outstanding author Lari Don. We will look forward to her next book. My grandson who is 10 years old just loved this book. He has read it over a few times and shares the tales with me. It is wonderful to watch him act out some of the parts. I highly recommend this book. Hat's off to Lari Don!
I was given this book from Quarto Publishing Group for a honest review.
I was given this book from Quarto Publishing Group for a honest review.
October 12, 2016
I'm a fan of Norse saga, and this is a well done picture-book/ kids version -- think of it as an introduction to the sagas. A light, less intense retelling of some of the shorter stories within the larger tales. It lacks the glorious language, and the author clearly abridges/ changes the stories when she feels like it, but she also tells you that, very specifically, in the afterword. It's a great companion to D'Aulaire's Myths and a interesting extension for kids who are casting around after reading Riordan.
August 12, 2016
There's a reason why folk tales and fairy tales and sagas and legends last: they are good stories. The Dragon's Hoard is a collection of old stories told by the Vikings. Purists and kids who love a good tale will be happy: nothing has been sanitized here and there's lots of warriors and battles and monsters and warfare. I think kids are hungry for stories like these.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews