Sir George Webbe Dasent was a notable translator of folk tales and a contributor to The Times. His engagement with Scandinavian literature and mythology, sparked by his encounter with Jakob Grimm, led him to translate foundational works like the Prose or Younger Edda and various sagas. Dasent's renderings of epic Icelandic narratives and charming Norwegian fairy tales, including the renowned The Story of Burnt Njal and Popular Tales from the Norse, served to introduce the richness of Nordic folklore to an English-speaking readership. His scholarly efforts significantly contributed to the diffusion and appreciation of Scandinavian literary traditions.
This collection of Norse Fairy and Folk Tales contains translations of over 25 classic tales. Within them we find the origin of many other folk lore traditions. Many of the tales, particularly those translated by G.W. Dasent, come from Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe's Norske Folkeeventyr (Norwegian Folktales). Asbjørnsen and Moe drew inspiration from the Brothers Grimm believing their work to be of national importance for the newly independent Norway.