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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Enter a north where summer nights stay bright, winter darkness lingers, and the hills seem to have their own will.
Under the Midnight Sun, compiled by Lehman Wendell, gathers myths and tales from the Sami lands of Lapland and the forests, lakes, and mountains of Sweden. Drawn from oral traditions, these short stories carry the beliefs, fears, and humor of unnamed tellers who pass them from one generation to the next.
Here, the landscape is more than a backdrop. Long winter darkness and bright summer nights shape a world of giants, spirits, trolls, and clever people close to nature. The collection explores the power of wit against strength and the deep ties between human life, animals, weather, and land.
What you’ll discover
- Light against darkness Step into northern landscapes where the changing seasons shape the life and mood of tales.
- Giants and spirits Meet the great beings and unseen presences that fill the world of northern folklore.
- Wit against strength Explore a recurring folktale idea: a quick mind can find a way past brute force.
- Land with a will Feel the closeness of people to forests, lakes, mountains, animals, and uncertain weather.
- Stories passed along Discover tales that preserve the fears, beliefs, and humor of the people who tell them.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this book if you love fairy tales, northern legends, trolls and goblins, or short stories with a wink in them. It suits families reading aloud.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A silent bride hides a trick
- Preparation gives the weak a chance
- Ordinary objects become clever weapons
- The centuries must explain themselves
- The land holds human secrets
- Belief and doubt share the fire
- Fear and hunger test ordinary people
- Alertness and mercy guide the tales
- Clear pictures carry the lessons
Who’s who
- The Clever LappA poor Laplander who meets a giant and knows he must outwit him to survive.
- The GiantA huge, lazy creature of Lappish tales who loves boasting and is easily fooled.
- KronosThe Mountain King who sits in judgment once each century as the ages of the world report on their lives.
- IngemarA small boy at Lundokro who follows his father toward a strange light on Christmas Eve and then dreams of it.
- AndersA brave seventeen-year-old who laughs at ghost stories until something grabs him in the dark church vestibule.
- Peter the TurnerA clumsy but hardworking spinning-wheel maker who must feed hungry children and fights a wicked thought.
- Lars of BostbienoA mill owner who waits at night to catch a thief and must decide what to do.
- Henrik HornA cheerful man who goes to town with a shopping list and comes home through a forest said to hold a nymph.
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Under the Midnight Sun
A giant courts a Lapp girl, and her father dresses a log in her wedding clothes.
Easy readUnder 2 hours to read20 languages
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In short
Imagine a giant who falls in love with a Lapp girl. Her father does not dare refuse him, so he dresses a log in a bridal veil and stands it in the corner of the tent.
Under the Midnight Sun at a glance
- Reading time
- About 1 h 5 min50 min fast, 1 h 15 min slow
- Length
- 15,200 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Lapp wit beats giant strength with a bluff
In Lapland, the old tales say giants are feared for their size, their strength, and their taste for human flesh. Yet the same tradition says they are lazy and clumsy, and not nearly as clever as the Lapps.
In The Giant's Bride, a giant falls in love with a Lapp girl. Neither she nor her father wants him, but nobody dares say no. The father dresses a log in shoes, a silver belt, a fresh dress and cap. He stands it in a corner of the tent under a heavy veil, as Lapp custom asks of a bride. The real daughter waits behind a hill with reindeer and a sled.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- English
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Wendell, Lehman. Under the Midnight Sun. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/under-the-midnight-sun.
Wendell, L. (2026). Under the midnight sun. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/under-the-midnight-sun
Wendell, Lehman. Under the Midnight Sun. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/under-the-midnight-sun.
@book{wendell2026under,
author = {Wendell, Lehman},
title = {Under the Midnight Sun},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/under-the-midnight-sun}
}
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What is Under the Midnight Sun about?
It is a collection of folk tales, legends, and short stories from Lapland and Sweden. You meet clever Lapps, foolish giants, gnomes, lantern men, a forest nymph, a witch with a cheese roof, and ordinary people facing fear and want.
Who is Kronos in The Report of the Centuries?
Kronos is the Mountain King whose palace rises from the earth once every hundred years. On that midsummer night the spirits of past centuries explain their deeds before him, and he judges some while postponing other verdicts.
Are the stories in Under the Midnight Sun true or traditional?
Lehman Wendell says in his preface that almost all the tales come from ancient northern traditions. A few are his own sketches, one is by Alfred Smedberg, and others are remembered from his mother's fireside stories in Illinois.
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