Northern tales are an international historical heritage. They reflect the development of the culture of ancient civilizations. Tales of the northern peoples have many distinctive features.
Despite the fact that now it is almost impossible to accurately determine the date of their appearance, they continue to have a serious impact on modern culture.
General information
Northern fairy tales, in the form in which they existed for a thousand years, began to appear somewhere in the 5th century AD. Folklore is closely intertwined with ancient mythology and religion. Before the advent of Christianity, pagans reigned in the north. The faith was so strong that even after the proclamation of Christianity, the two religions existed in parallel. After the confrontation arose, the pagans actually went underground, but continued to perform rituals and sacraments. Therefore, in many tales, there are creatures and people who played a role in northern mythology. The moral of fairy tales most often indicated the severity of life and the importance of choice. The epic notes turned out to be very strong. In folklore, much space is given to battles and heroes who fell in battle.
The complexity of research and structuring of the tales of the north lies in their antiquity. They were invented long before the distribution of writing. Before the adoption of Christianity, people also believed in a variety of myths. Therefore, it is rather difficult to distinguish one from the other.
World structure
Northern fairy tales almost always describe events, starting from a pagan worldview. All heroes, locations, objects take their place in the complex hierarchy of northern folklore. Above all are the al-gods. They created the world and breathed life into it. They live in Asgard, the kingdom of heaven.
Only pious people get there. In Asgard, there is the Valhalla castle, where the souls of soldiers who died in battle are sent. In fairy tales, various soldiers are often mentioned who go to certain death for a higher purpose. Moreover, they fight only with
mythical creatures and never with other people. It follows from this that one of the messages of northern tales is an explanation of the meaninglessness of worldly vanity and problems. That people are not a priori enemies of each other and that in the world after death there is no difference who you fought for or which flag you held.
Gods
One of the famous tales describes the battle of several gods with dark forces. Initially, various monsters like dwarfs and giants are sent on a ship to capture new lands. After fierce battles, one of the gods - Loki - turns out to be a devoted own son. He turned into a wolf and chained him to a rock. A serpent was hung over his father, which emits poison on God. To prevent this from happening, the Shigun girl vowed to always hold the chalice over Loki.
Many early northern fairy tales that were designed for children do not have the traditional features of
children's folklore. For example, Loki's fetters are made from the guts of his first son. After a few centuries, such terrible details begin to sink (the guts are replaced by chains and the like).
Mythical peoples
An important component is played by various mythical peoples and creatures. For example, elves and gnomes. They care about nature and help people. A significant part of fairy tales encourages you to love the world around you. For example, a little boy trampled upon a young tree that the elves planted. For this they came to him at night. In ancient versions, they took him to hell or broke their arms. In today's interpretations, the punishment is milder. Among the gnomes, there are also evil ones who constantly struggle with other creatures.
In tales, the main characters of which are children, trolls often appear. These creatures are described by huge, stupid, cannibals. After a collision with them, children try to avoid a monstrous fate. Wit and resourcefulness helps them in this. To fool stupid trolls, children use various tricks. The most famous fairy tale of this orientation is about the bridge. A group of children (among which there is always a girl and several guys), crossing the river, came across a troll who was going to eat them. Using cunning, they deceived the giant and passed him by.
Impact on modern culture
Tales of the northern region had a huge impact not only on the modern folklore of these peoples, but also on world culture as a whole. Many creatures and personalities began to be widely used in fantasy works of writers of the 20th century. One of the most striking examples is the Lord of the Rings trilogy, written by Tolkien. It describes creatures such as orcs, trolls, elves. All of them have great similarities with the same characters in the ancient tales of the peoples of the north. Influence was provided on many branches of modern creativity. Through writers, images penetrated the cinema that emerged in the 20th century.
Distinctive features of northern tales
Tales of the Nords have many features that distinguish them from the folklore of other nations. One of the main differences is the secondary role of magic. Mythical creatures have practically no special abilities. The main role in the plot of fairy tales is played by moral and volitional qualities, while various supernatural abilities are just their reflection. Also northern tales have a number of cruel moments.
Actors often die, and death is described in sufficient detail, right up to a demonstration of circumstances (tearing to pieces, burning alive, and so on). The protagonists often have tremendous physical strength, but cunning and ingenuity help to achieve a positive outcome. Northern folk tales will appeal to representatives of Slavic peoples.