Odd and the Frost Giants

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Odd and the Frost Giants
Author	Neil Gaiman
Illustrator	Mark Buckingham
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Children's, Fantasy, Mythology
Publisher	Bloomsbury
Publication date	United Kingdom March 3, 2008^[1]
Media type	Print (Paperback)

Odd and the Frost Giants is a World Book Day book by Neil Gaiman. It draws on Norse mythology and also the historical Vikings.

[edit] Plot

Odd is a young lame Norseman whose father, a woodcutter, drowned during a Viking raid. His Scottish mother marries a fat widower who neglects him in favour of his own children, and when soon after the winter drags on unnaturally long, Odd leaves his village for the forest. There he meets a fox, an eagle and a bear, the latter with its paw trapped in a tree. Odd aids the bear, and learns that these are not normal animals, but the gods Loki, Odin and Thor. The gods have been transformed and cast out of Asgard by a Frost Giant who tricked Loki into giving him Thor's hammer, granting him rule over Asgard and causing the endless winter.

Deciding to help the stranded gods, Odd travels with them to Asgard. There, Odin leads him to Mimir's Well, and he receives wisdom and a vision of his parents in their youth. He eventually speaks with and outwits the Giant, convincing him to return home. In return, the goddess Freya heals his leg, though she cannot mend it completely, and Odin gives him a staff. He returns to Midgard, somewhat bigger than when he left, and as the winter ends he reunites with his mother.