East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North

A compact collection of traditional northern folktales retold as short narratives that alternate everyday domestic scenes with sudden supernatural interventions. Individual stories present enchanted brides and cursed suitors, magical helpers and perilous trials, quests to distant or impossible realms, and escapes from trolls, giants, and other folk-devils. Recurring motifs include transformation, tests of loyalty or cleverness, and rescue through persistence, often resolving with the breaking of spells. Presented as discrete tales, the volume balances plain narrative simplicity with folkloric wonder, moving repeatedly between the familiar household world and startling elements of the uncanny.