Favorite tales

[Jainarayan]

In the interest of getting a little discussion going here in this room I thought I'd ask what everyone's favorite tales are. Going into why would be great, if you like.

Mine:

• Lokasenna. It's probably not right, but I think it's hilarious. It showcases what stones Loki has.

• The fight with Hrungnir. Magni shines out at the end. I can see Odin riding away in a snit for not getting Gullfaxi.

• The Lay of Thrym. In one translation it mentions a look of disgust Thor gives to Heimdall for the suggestion of dressing in drag, complaining the other gods will think him unmanly. Another version has Thor shaving his beard off and, needless to say, grumbling mightily about it. Loki tells him to quit his bellyaching, that his beard will grow back all the thicker. Quintessential Thor. Gotta love the Big Lug.

• The Lay of Hárbard. More quintessential Thor, getting peed off and ready to smite, then storming off, probably muttering and cursing under his breath.

• Thor's Journey to Utgardloki. This is probably one of the first stories I ever read about Thor.

• Hávamál, though not a tale per se. I like it for the wisdom and common sense.

 

[Riverwolf]

Honestly, most of my favorites remain the classic fairy tales we in the West grew up with, such as those collected by the Brothers Grimm, classic Anglo-American favorites like King Arthur and Robin Hood, or those written by 18th/19th Century writers such as Beauty and the Beast and A Christmas Carol. I count them because they still have faint echoes of the Old Way in them (some more than others), and part of what I want to do is rework them to feature the Old Gods and without Christian notions of objective binary morality (last Yule, I started writing an outline for "A Yuletide Lay", a complete reworking of Christmas Carol but with the values of the Old Way that are beyond good and evil).

Of the Edda stories, I love the Lay of Thrym for being the only unabashed comedy in all of the world's collective Mythology that I'm aware of, Lokasenna for being so multifaceted (much like Loki Himself), and the Lay of Harbard for giving me a classic image of Odin in grey rags, face down but single eye looking up at Thor and a big impish grin. I also love the story of Odin's quest for knowledge.

 

[Jainarayan]

Ooh yeah, talking about the Brothers Grimm... I just got a hardcover copy of what is supposed to be their complete works. I was in my friendly neighborhood B&N in the foklore and mythology section and saw it. Had to have.