Looking for retellings of Old Norse sagas for children

Hi readers,

I'm looking for retellings of, or stories inspired by, Old Norse sagas for children or teens. The book(s) in question need to have been available in Swedish around 2005-2015 (don't ask...), but if you give me titles I can look that up for myself.

Thank you for your help!

My knowledge is pretty British Isles based, sorry, but my earliest read was Roger Lancelyn Green (chums with cs Lewis, that generation) His childrens norse book, in among various Legends was saga of asgard, retitled as tales of norse heroes I think. He's a workmanlike author but uninspiring imo.

Kevin Crossley Holland did a rather good older-children Norse Myths - he did a bunch of similar titles not for children though, so look for the illustrated one.

D'Aulaire is very pretty but mostly pictures.

Sorry not to be more help.

Thanks! That goes for me as well, every example I can think of is British - I think I may actually have the Green book somewhere.

Hoping for some Scandinavians here whose childhood reading is still fresh in the memory...

My kids liked Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman, which came out around then.
There's also Favorite Norse Myths by Mary Pope Osborne, and Nordic Gods and Heroes by Padraic Colum.

There's also the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard trilogy by Rick Riordan, but I think they are likely a bit late for your time period (the first one was published in 2015).

Thanks for the suggestions! These and the ones by @nessreader made me realise that I probably should have been more precise in my original post... It's not the Eddas/Norse myths I am looking for, but stories based on the legendary sagas. I was rather hoping for a children's version of Völsunga Saga or The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki...

Background: I'm working on a story with a Swedish protagonist and trying to get a handle on his childhood reading. I had already identified The Brothers Lionheart, Odd and the Frost Giants and Percy Jackson as likely candidates, but I also would like something specifically Scandinavian which ties in with the folktale background of the story. Which I am beginning to realise may be a tad ambitious ;)

Sheila Banfield did Leif the Lucky a Vinland hero which is a childrens retelling that might work?

Do you mean you want more Scandinavian authors?
For stories based on the sagas, possibly Viking Boy by Tony Bradman, or the Blackwell Pages trilogy (Loki's Wolves is the first one).

You could also look for graphic novels or manga -- eg. the Vinland Saga manga, or the Ragnarök comic by Walt Simonson.

>7 merrystar: Not necessarily Scandinavian authors, but popular/well-known in Scandinavia. At first I assumed that the children's books I am familiar with in Dutch would be available in Swedish as well, but that turns out not to be the case. It seems we translate more from English than they do... So I thought there would probably be some homegrown stuff I've never heard of, especially as the sagas are not as foreign there as they are to the Anglophone authors I keep coming up with. The Brothers Lionheart refers to 'the time of the sagas' as something Swedish children are familiar with, but I don't know if that's still the case more than 50 years later.

>5 Edward528: Not Swedish, nor legendary, but you can find modern Icelandic versions of Icelandic sagas for kids. I have some:

Njála - a retelling of Njál's saga by Brynhildur Þórarinsdóttir and illustrated by Margrét D. Laxness, 2002, Mál og menning
Egla - a retelling of Egil's saga by Brynhildur Þórarinsdóttir and illustrated by Margrét D. Laxness, 2004, Mál og menning

The same publisher put out a 4 volume graphic novel/band desinee? adaptation of Njál's saga: Blóðregn (2003), Brennan (2004), Vetrarvíg (2005), Hetjan (2007).

I don't know what's available in Swedish.

There should be plenty of Swedish folklore available for kids, but you're not asking directly about that . . .

I think you're more likely to find a kid's version of Völsunga saga than Hrólfs saga kraka. (Jesse Byock's intro to his translation _Saga of the Volsungs_ doesn't mention any kid versions. I don't know if the intro to Byock's translation _The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki_ put out by Penguin mentions any . . . )

>9 AmyMacEvilly: Thanks! I've got Byock's translation here, just had a look, but he doesn't mention any retellings. The Anglophone accounts of the saga are in any case all slightly obsessed by its relationship with Beowulf... If I had wanted a children's version of that now, I'd be spoilt for choice 🤨

Although I'm still interested in new suggestions, I have found enough books available in Swedish that suit the story thematically, even though they do not use the sagas. So I'll be able to get on even if I don't find my ideal saga retelling.
Thanks everyone!