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
http://www.abelapublishing.com