Iduna and the Magic Apples

by Marianna Mayer

Other authorsLaszlo Gal (Illustrator)
Hardcover, 1988

Status

Available

Local notes

293.13 May

Barcode

6743

Collection

Publication

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (1988), Edition: 1st American ed, 40 pages

Description

The evil giant Thiassi vows to capture Iduna and her magic apples which give the gods on Valhalla everlasting life.

Language

Original language

English

Physical description

11.25 x 8.75 inches

User reviews

LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
The tale of Iduna, the Norse goddess whose magic apples maintained the eternal youth of the immortals of Asgard, is here retold for children. When the evil giant Thiassi kidnaps the gentle Iduna, it falls to Loki - the self-centered god of mischief, whose treachery permitted the abduction in the
Show More
first place - to rescue her...

My recent reading of The Jewel Seed, a children's fantasy novel by Joan Aiken which takes the myth of Iduna as its inspiration, reminded me of this gorgeously-illustrated picture book. Hungarian-born artist László Gál, always one of my favorite fairytale illustrators, creates a sense of mystery and menace with his tempera paintings, framed on each page by gorgeous decorative borders.

I always look for attribution in folkloric and mythological retellings, and was therefore pleased to see that Mayer provided a brief note, explaining the origins of the story in the 10th-century Norwegian poem Haustlong, and the 13th-century Icelandic The Prose Edda. All in all, Iduna and the Magic Apples is a beautiful volume, offering the only picture-book retelling of this particular myth, with which I am familiar.
Show Less
LibraryThing member quantumbutterfly
A find from my local used bookshop. A lovely retelling of the myth of Idunn losing her apples and the Gods fading for it. As always, Loki causes the trouble and ends up helping to fix it. Worth finding!

Rating

½ (5 ratings; 3.8)
Page: 0.2518 seconds