Will the real THOR please stand up!

Ahhhhhhh - so we now have it - another boyhood hero hits the screen.
 But who was the real Thor? In the most complete volume of Norse mythology "Myths of the Norsemen" (illustrated, follow the link) a whole chapter is devoted to the Norse god Thor - chapter 4 actually. It is one of the largest chapters of the 620 page illustrated volume so it is no surprise that Marvel ended up devoting a whole series to him. The sub-headings in the chapter are:

The Thunderer
Thor’s Hammer
Thor’s Family
Sif, the Golden-haired
Thor’s Journey to Jötun-heim
Utgard-loki
Thor and Hrungnir
Groa, the Sorceress
Thor and Thrym
Thor and Geirrod
The Worship of Thor

That the chapter on Thor appears so early on in the book is testament to his position in the Norse pantheon. Only Odin and Frigga rank higher.

Here is a short excerpt from the opening of THOR'S HAMMER -

Thor was the proud possessor of a magic hammer called Miölnir (the crusher) which he hurled at his enemies, the frost-giants, with destructive power, and
which possessed the wonderful property of always returning to his hand, however far away he might hurl it.

“I am the Thunderer!
Here in my Northland,
My fastness and fortress,
Reign I forever!
“Here amid icebergs
Rule I the nations;
This is my hammer,
Miölnir the mighty;
Giants and sorcerers
Cannot withstand it!”
Saga of King Olaf (Longfellow).

As this huge hammer, the emblem of the thunderbolts, was generally red-hot, the god had an iron gauntlet called Iarn-greiper, which enabled him to grasp it firmly. He could hurl Miölnir a great distance, and his strength, which was always remarkable, was doubled when he wore his magic belt called Megin-giörd.

“This is my girdle:
Whenever I brace it,
Strength is redoubled!”
Saga of King Olaf (Longfellow).

Thor’s hammer was considered so very sacred by the ancient Northern people, that they were wont to make the sign of the hammer, as the Christians later
taught them to make the sign of the cross, to ward off all evil influences, and to secure blessings. The same sign was also made over the newly born infant when water was poured over its head and a name given. The hammer was used to drive in boundary stakes, which it was considered sacrilegious to remove, to
hallow the threshold of a new house, to solemnise a marriage, and, lastly, it played a part in the consecration of the funeral pyre upon which the bodies of heroes, together with their weapons and steeds, and, in some cases, with their wives and dependents, were burned.

And finally a piece from Matthew Arnold -

“Thou camest near the next, O warrior Thor!
Shouldering thy hammer, in thy chariot drawn,
Swaying the long-hair’d goats with silver’d rein.”
Balder Dead (Matthew Arnold).

In its comics Marvel has done justice to the character of Thor, his hammer and belt as described above. Lets just hope the movie does justice to the imaginations of millions of boys who devoured the Thor comics back in the 60's and 70's - who now just happen to be in their 50's, 60's and 70's.
 
And for you younger 'uns - if you see an army of middle-aged, greying men lining up at the box-office buying tickets for this movie, be kind, we're reliving our childhood - only now its on the Silver Screen and not in our imaginations.

If you're not so keen on a whopping 620 page volume on Norse mythology, you could try "The Children of Odin - the Book of Northern Myths" which is an easier and lighter introduction to Norse Mythology (338 pages, illustrated) and which has the reader, especially young readers, following Odin on a journey through the Norse or Northern Myths. It can be purchased online at discount at http://www.abelapublishing.com/Odin.html

THE PHYNODDERREE and other tales from the Isle of Man

IN no part of the British Isles has the belief in the existence of Fairies retained a stronger hold upon the people than in the Isle of Man. In spite of the tendency of this matter-of-fact age to destroy what little of poetry, romance, and chivalry education has left to us, there lurks still in many countries, and especially in mountainous districts, a half credulity in the supernatural.

This volume rescues from oblivion a few of the Manx legends: 

• Mona's Isle
• The Phynodderree (from whence this book obtains its title)
• Tom Kewley and the Lannanshee
• King Olave The Second and the Great Sword Macabuin, and 
• The Buggane's Vow

Many legends of good and evil Fairies are still related by the country people of Mona's Isle; and those who care to inquire into the habits and customs of the Manx cottagers will see and hear much that will reward their curiosity. It is not the mere excursionist, or TT visitor, visiting the Island for a summer holiday who will ever learn or see anything of these customs, but those who branch off the high road and venture into the recesses of the mountain districts.

In the course of conversations on the lingering belief in Fairies, a regular attendant at a local Church, and a well-to-do farmer expressed his implicit conviction that such people as fairies did frequent the Glen in which he lived. In reply to the question, "Have you ever, in your life, seen a fairy?" he replied, "No! I can't exactly say I ever saw one; but I've smelt them often enough."

So curl up with this unique volume in a comfy chair for just as this book brings you enjoyment and mirth, be assured that your purchase will have also helped an underprivileged person somewhere for 33% of the publisher's profit is donated to charity.

For more information, a table of contents, a sample of the text or to order, go to http://www.abelapublishing.com/phynodderee.html

or to view the "Celtic Tales" collection follow this link
http://www.abelapublishing.com/CelticTales.html

YESTERDAY'S BOOKS for TODAYS CHARITIES

Abela Publishing
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Old Peter's Russian Tales - Children's Tales from Old Russia - Raising funds for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal

This is a book of old Russian folklore retold for young people and the young at heart. The tales are a good sampling of Slavic märchen. The stories in this book are those that Russian peasants tell their children and each other.

This is a book written far away in Russia, for English children who play in deep lanes with wild roses above them in the high hedges, or by the small singing becks that dance down the gray fells at home. Illustrated by Dimitri Mitrokhin, Russian fairyland is quite different to anything seen or experienced in Western Europe or America. Under the windows of the author's house, the wavelets of the Volkhov River are beating quietly in the dusk. A gold light burns on a timber raft floating down the river. Beyond the river in the blue midsummer twilight are the broad Russian steppes, stretching all the way to the Ukraine, and the distant forests of Novgorod. Somewhere in that forest of great trees--a forest so big that the forests of England are little woods beside it--is the hut where old Peter sits at night and tells these stories to his grandchildren.

In Russia hardly anybody is too old for fairy stories, and the author even heard soldiers on their way to the front during WWI talking of very wise and very beautiful princesses as they drank their tea by the side of the road. He believed there must be more fairy stories told in Russia than anywhere else in the world. In this book are a few of those he liked best.

The author, Arthur Ransome, spent time in Russia during World War I as a journalist for a radical British newspaper, the Daily News, meeting among others, Lenin and Trotsky and was also known in the London bohemian artistic scene.

£3, or approx NZ$6.40, of the Publisher's profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charity.

For more information, a table of contents or to order, go to
http://www.abelapublishing.com/Russian.html

To view the "Western European Tales" collection follow this link
http://www.abelapublishing.com/UKandWesternEurope.html

Abela Publishing
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YESTERDAY'S BOOKS for TODAYS CHARITIES

Legends of MA-UI (Maui) - raising funds for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal

MAUI (Ma-u-i, Ma-oo-e) is a Polynesian demi god. His name derives from “Mohyi” meaning "causing to: live" or "life," applied sometimes to the gods and
sometimes to chiefs as "preservers and sustainers" of their followers. The Maui
story probably contains a larger number of unique and ancient myths than that of any other legendary character in the mythology of any nation. They also form one of the strongest links in the mythological chain of evidence which binds the scattered inhabitants of the Pacific into one nation. They possess
remarkable antiquity.

There are three centres for these legends, New Zealand in the south, Hawaii in the north, and the Tahitian group in the east. In each of these groups of islands, separated by thousands of miles, there are the same legends, told in almost the same way, and with very little variation in names. Adventures from the great voyages of discovery carry fragments and hints of wonderful deeds.

They are not only different from the myths of other nations, but they are unique in the character of the actions recorded. Maui's deeds rank in a higher class than most of the mighty efforts of the demi gods of other nations and races, and are usually of more utility. The Maoris of New Zealand claim Maui as an ancestor of their most ancient tribes and class him as one of the most ancient of their gods, calling him "creator of land" and "creator of man" sometimes "the sun himself," "the solar fire," and "the sun god," while his mother Hina was called "the moon goddess." The Maui legends are full of  helpful imaginations, which are distinctly and uniquely Polynesian in nature.

£3, or approx NZ$6.40, will be donated to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal for every copy sold.

For more info, a table of contents and to view a sample of the text, go to
http://www.abelapublishing.com/maui.html

To view all 10 books raising funds for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal, go
to http://www.abelapublishing.com/christchurch.html

Published by Abela Publishing
http://www.AbelaPublishing.com

The Children of Odin - The Book of Northern Myths

A long, long time ago, before the dawn of time, somewhere to the North, lay the realm of Asgard. Therein dwelt the Norse gods and goddesses of old who were wise, beautiful and kind. They lived in peace and harmony, untouched by evil and iniquity - until the day the Giants from Jotunheim cast envious eyes upon them and their kingdom....

This volume is an excellent retelling of the Norse sagas about Odin, Freya, Thor, Loki, and other gods and goddesses, whom the Vikings believed lived in Asgard, back in the murky clouds of pre-history. It is quite literally a version of northern mythology retold for children which has enthralled the young, and the young at heart, for countless generations. Enthralling because, while Greek and Roman mythology is interesting, Norse legend seems to have a special place in the Western European psyche, probably because so many Europeans have a Viking ancestor somewhere in their lineage.

These stories are filled with the rich narrative of the storyteller, the flashing of colour, beauty and truth against the foreboding, lurking dark of the underworld. They are brought to life with excellent illustrations by the renowned artist Willy Pogany (1882 – 1955). In addition, many of today's online Viking games use this volume as a point of reference.

Padraic Colum (1881 - 1972) was an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, biographer and collector of folklore. He was one of the leading figures of the Celtic Revival. In his retelling of these Norse myths and legends he speaks directly to children.

33% of the publisher's profit from the sale of this book will be donated to UNICEF.

For more information, a table of contents or to order click on this
link http://www.abelapublishing.com/Odin.html

To view the complete Viking and Icelandic Tales collection follow
this link http://www.abelapublishing.com/VikingandIcelandicTales.html

Published by Abela Publishing - http://www.AbelaPublishing.com

POLYNESIAN MYTHOLOGY & ANCIENT TRADITIONAL HISTORY OF THE (MAORI) NEW ZEALANDERS - Raising funds for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal

TOWARDS the close of 1845 Sir George Grey was unexpectedly requested to administer the affairs of New Zealand.

On arrival he found the Maori tribes engaged in hostilities with the Queen's troops, against whom they had contended with considerable success. He quickly realised he could neither successfully govern, nor hope to conciliate, with a people whose language, manners, customs and religion he was quite unacquainted. He decided that he should be acquainted with the language of the (Maori) New Zealanders in order to redress their grievances. With no published Maori dictionary, nor books to study its construction, he found this to be a most difficult task.

To his surprise he found that the Maori chiefs, in their speeches or in their letters, frequently quoted fragments of ancient poems or proverbs, or made allusions which rested on an ancient system of mythology. This gave him further impetus to learn the language of the country. For more than eight years he devoted a great part of his available time to collecting these ancient myths, poems and legends, working in his spare moments in every part of the country.
Once, when he had amassed a large amount of materials to aid him in his studies, the Government House was destroyed by fire, and with it were burnt the materials he had so painstakingly collected, and thus he was left to recommence his difficult task.

The ultimate result, however, was the collection of a large mass of materials. He felt unwilling that the result of his labours should be lost to those whose duty it may be thereafter to deal with the natives of New Zealand; and he undertook to published his extensive collection of ancient traditional poems, religious chants, hakas and songs of the Maori race.

It is in this volume that Sir George Grey first presented "to the European reader" in 1854 the first written record and translation of the principal portions of ancient Maori mythology and of some of their most interesting legends.

£3, or approx. NZ$6.40, of the publisher's profit from the sale of each book is donated to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.

For more information, a table of contents or to order, go to
http://www.abelapublishing.com/newzealand.html

To view the "Australsian Tales" collection follow this link
http://www.abelapublishing.com/Australasia.html

Abela Publishing
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Celtic Fairy Tales - A Victorian Children's Classic

Celtic folklore overflows with vivid stories that fire the
imagination. This book contains 26 stories from around Wales and
Ireland and was compiled by Joseph Jacobs in the 1890's.
While the stories were published in the 19th. C. they probably date
back to the middle ages or even further.

While some of the themes found in Celtic folklore are similar to those
of contemporary fairy tales, other stories in this collection are
infused with a flavour that is uniquely Celtic. In Jacobs' own words,
"The Celts went forth to battle, but they always fell. Yet the captive
Celt has enslaved his captor in the realm of imagination."

Celtic Fairy Tales has tales of horned women, breweries of eggshells,
sprightly tailors, gold and silver trees, King o' Toole's goose, sea
maidens, and more. Of particular interest could be the 13th century
legend of Beth Gellert, wherein the dog of Llewelyn (I) the Great,
Prince of Wales, protected the prince's infant son from a wolf attack.
A memorial to the dog allegedly still stands today in the village of
Beddgelert, near Snowdon, Wales. 

In an attempt to give a library of the Celts' wealthy imagination to
his readers, Jacobs has attempted to begin the readers' captivity with
the earliest recordings of these tales. And captivate he does—Celtic
Fairy Tales not only preserves a cultural history, but also is richly
entertaining.

For more info, the ISBN, a table of contents or to view a sample of the interior, 

go to www.http://www.abelapublishing.com/Celtic.html

To see the books in the Celtic Tales collection, follow this link
http://www.abelapublishing.com/CelticTales.html

Published by Abela Publishing http://www.AbelaPublishing.com A Social Enterprise Publisher.