All about history book of myths and legends. ( PDFDrive )

THE DEATH OF BALDER Balder was the son of Odin and Frigg, and the most handsome of all the gods. One night he had a dream that h ...

The period that followed the decline of the Roman Empire (from the 5th century onwards) was a rich time for myths and legends in ...

Hildebrand and Hadubrand Older and more experienced, Hildebrand tragically killed his own son when they fought, as he was more s ...

The life of the hero Beowulf is depicted in the great Anglo-Saxon poem of the same name, a work that champions the values of hon ...

BEOWULF BURIAL TREASURE Anglo-Saxon poetry mentions treasures such as rings and jewels, which a king would bestow on his bravest ...

Hoard of gold The hoard guarded by Andvari included gold rings, brooches, torcs, necklaces, and other jewellery, all objects hig ...

KEY CHARACTERS The characters in Sigurd’s story were first described in the Volsunga Saga, a Norse text from the 13th century. A ...

The territory of the ancient Celtic people stretched from Britain, across France and Germany, to Central Europe. Although they w ...

God of the sun The lines surrounding Belenus’s head may depict the warm, glowing rays of light emanating from the sun god. God o ...

Ancient Celtic literature abounds with stories of people visiting magical worlds that are separate from but close to our own. Th ...

MAGICAL WORLDS Isle of the maidens The land that Máel Dúin and his companions found was populated only by women, all of whom wer ...

The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table has captured the imagination of writers down the ages. There have b ...

KEY CHARACTERS Many characters are involved in the Arthurian legends – some are forces of good, while others bring about the des ...

The folklore of the Slavs often reflects their ancestors’ anxieties about evil, the unknown, and the dangers of the forest. Ther ...

MARIASSA There was once a young girl called Mariassa, whose stepmother sent her to Bába Yagá to borrow a needle and thread. Luck ...

The Slavic lands are full of dense forests and misty lakes, both natural and man-made. From earliest times these places were bel ...

The minstrel Sadko The musical theme of Sadko’s story made it attractive to composers. The Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsa ...

Slavic mythology describes the firebird as a beautiful creature with a long tail and stunning red, yellow, and orange feathers t ...

THE FIREBIRD KEY CHARACTERS There are several versions of the firebird story, but they usually contain the same key characters: ...

The ancient Slavs, who lived in and around Russia, had numerous deities who ruled with great power over the Earth. Their control ...