The Story Behind the Stories
Why Tales of the North exists, where each tale comes from, and who it's written for.
Jacob Meline
Jacob began writing the Tales of the North series for his own children, turning Old Norse legends into bedtime stories to teach them good values and morals. He writes so his kids, and others, can always hear their father's voice, even when he can't be there.
Why This Series Was Written
Tales of the North is a series of illustrated children's books drawn from Old Norse myth and legend, written to teach kids good principles and help them become strong, kind, and wonderful people. In a world of kids books that only tell stories with no substance, these are written to bring real meaning to enrich the lives of children and help them while they grow up.
Each book began as a bedtime story for Jacob's children. Every tale follows one young hero through a single adventure that challenges them to grow and become better. All the books close in a way to help connect children and young readers to the hero, tying the myth back to the lesson it was written to teach.
The series is written to be read aloud together. Simple enough for a young child to follow, with rhyme and rhythm that make it a treasure to revisit, and to help them become strong readers. Each with a single clear virtue at its center for parents and teachers to talk about afterward.
Rooted in Old Norse Myth
Every story in the series is an original tale, drawn from real Norse writings — the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and the old sagas — carrying Viking-age wisdom into a story a child can hold onto.
Livvy and the Lost Boat — Truth
Drawn from the Hávamál ("Sayings of the High One"), a poem of Viking-age wisdom in the 13th-century Poetic Edda that reminds us "a good name never dies."
Emma and the Silver Sword — Courage
Drawn from the Old Norse legend of Hervor, the brave girl of the Hervarar saga who crosses the sea to a mist-shrouded isle to claim her father's ancestral sword.
Grace and the Long Winter — Perseverance
Drawn from the Old Norse myth of Sól, the sun-goddess of the Poetic Edda who is chased across the sky but never stops.
Will and the Giant King — Honor
Based on Thor's contests at the hall of the giant king Útgarða-Loki, recorded around 1220 CE in Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda.