True and Untrue and Other Norse Tales (edition 1958)

Madame Undset's essay on folk tales, which serves as the introduction to this collection of Norwegian stories, encompasses cosmology, mythology, anthropology and more to explain her well-thought out belief that folk tales are good and worthy of knowing. Raised in a secular fashion in a Lutheran country, which to some extent wanted to deny its cultural heritage as "anti-Christian" Undset wished to set the record straight, so to speak, and did so through this fine chapter in her book of folk tales for children. ( )