Across the Rainbow Bridge by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Across the Rainbow Bridge puts Norse mythology in its original context of tales told around peat fires on long winter nights.

Across the Rainbow Bridge: Stories of Norse Gods and Humans by Kevin Crossley-Holland, illustrated by Jeffrey Alan Love. Candlewick Studio, 2021, 87 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-14

“Just over one thousand years ago, the rulers of Iceland decided that their island should officially become Christian. But they also wisely said that if any Icelanders preferred to go on worshipping the old gods, they could do so in private . . . [Many still] believed that these gods sometimes crossed a three-strand rainbow bridge and came down to Midgard (Middle Earth), the world inhabited by human beings, giants, and dwarfs.”

Just three gods appear in these tales: Allfather Odin, his wife Frig, and Loki the trickster. No hammer-swinging Thor, which may disappoint Marvel fans. But these stories, all hailing from the harsh climate of Iceland, demonstrate how close to the earth Norse mythology is. The Scandinavians were farmers who went raiding in their spare time, and farming north of the 60^th parallel was serious business. We get a sense of this in the first story: “When he was born, [Asta’s] baby brother turned out to be a sad little thing, a mewing weakling, and her parents had left him up on the glacier.” Which left them with one child who would have been taken by a troll if Loki hadn’t intervened.

Despite a worldview haunted by malevolent beings, Norse mythology reflects the creative talents of human beings who were made to reflect their Creator. The last story, “The Gift of Poetry,” is about how the crafts are carried on through generations of song, lyric, and story. The writing style is unadorned yet as starkly beautiful as the landscape, and the broad-brush, black and white illustrations communicate a severe grandeur.

Overall Rating: 4 (out of 5)

• Worldview/moral value: 3.5
• Artistic/literary value: 4.5

Read more about our ratings here.                 

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Review: Norse mythology influences Gary Paulsen’s last novel, Northwind.
• Resource: For more mythology books, see our Top 25 Ancient History Resources.

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