Deb Nelson Gourley presents
Kings of Norway
By Anders Kvåle Rue
58 bilingual stories in English and Norwegian
Published by Astri My Astri Publishing

Excerpt from Kings of Norway: Harald Fairhair – Harald Hårfagre

Harald Fairhair – Harald Hårfagre
Born ca. 860, died ca. 932
Son of King Halfdan the Black and Ragnhild Sigurdsdatter
Ruled ca. 875 – 932

English Version - click here

Harald was one of many petty kings in Viking Age Norway. Snorri Sturluson writes in Heimskringla that one day Harald sent some of his men to a beautiful maiden named Gyda. They were to ask her if she would become Harald’s mistress. Gyda replied that she was only interested in him if he became king of all of Norway! When Harald heard this, he decided to unite Norway into one kingdom. He would not cut his hair, he said, until the task was completed.

At Hafrsfjord, not far from where Stavanger lies today, Harald won the decisive battle. Now the kingdom was his and he could cut his long hair. After this, people called him Harald Fairhair.

Harald had a number of wives and many sons, and they helped him rule the land.

Norwegian Version - click here

Harald var en av mange småkonger i vikingtidens Norge. Snorre Sturluson skriver i Heimskringla at Harald en dag sendte noen av mennene sine til ei vakker jente som het Gyda. De skulle spørre henne om hun ville bli Haralds kjæreste. Gyda svarte at hun bare var interessert i ham dersom han ble konge over hele Norge! Da Harald hørte dette, bestemte han seg for å samle Norge til ett rike, og sa at han ikke skulle klippe håret før det var fullført.

Ved Hafrsfjord, ikke langt fra der Stavanger ligger i dag, vant Harald det endelige slaget. Nå var riket hans og han kunne klippe det lange håret sitt. Etter dette kalte folk ham for Harald Hårfagre.

Harald hadde flere koner og fikk mange sønner, og de hjalp ham med å styre landet.

 

Reviews

Deb Nelson Gourley has assembled a team of winning contemporary artists, working in visual art and the art of first-rate storytelling, as they retell in fresh ways the sagas of ancient Norwegian kings. The dual language format allows readers of English as well as Norwegian to savor the stories, and use the book as a unique language-learning-learning tool.

—Harley Refsal, Professor, Scandinavian Folk Art, Scandinavian Studies, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa

Astri My Astri Publishing has created nothing less than a masterpiece with this beautiful book featuring illustrations and brief descriptions of 58 different Norwegian monarchs, written in both English and Norwegian. Kings of Norway and its accompanying 3 CDs are ideal for first-year Norwegian classes, language camps, and heritage and cultural programs. The book is a stroke of genius, appealing to readers of all ages on both sides of the Atlantic.

—Steinar Opstad, Ph.D., Norwegian scholar and writer, Sarpsborg, Norway

This unique bilingual book, written and illustrated by Anders Kvåle Rue, presents a brief history of the 57 kings and one queen who ruled Norway from circa 875 to the present. Three accompanying CDs by native English and Norwegian speakers adds to the book’s impact as a history and language resource. This book is another outstanding contribution by Deb Nelson Gourley's Astri My Astri Publishing to the field of Norwegian-American studies.

—Arne Brekke, Ph.D., Comparative Germanic Indo-European Linguistics, Grand Forks, North Dakota