Idun’s Golden Apples
How the Norse gods ensured eternal youth – in spite of Loki
Video not yet publicly available
This tale has been recorded and will be uploaded to the video gallery on 3rd February 2026. where it will be available to watch for free – together with many, many other tales.
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If you have a particular reason for wanting to watch the recording before it is publicly available, send a mail and we can discuss this.
The tale is preserved in the 10th century skaldic poem Haustlöng.
Modern versions are found in Norse Myths (Kevin Crossley-Holland, 1996) and Folk Tales of the Cosmos (Janet Dowling, 2023).
A note on the ending
The throwing of the giant’s eyes into the heavens to become stars really belongs to the subsequent tale of his daughter Skadi seeking atonement for her father’s death. However, I follow Janet Dowling in including it as this makes a particularly satisfying ending – the storyteller’s primary duty.
More deep tales
The video gallery has become very extensive. So if you would enjoy more tales like this which explore the depths of the human psyche, here are a few suggestions.
The video clips here are all amateur quality, shot in various theatres or, as here, in my home studio.
Their intention is just to show the range of my storytelling and give a flavour of a live performance.
Permission is granted for use in non-commercial educational contexts.
The videos are © Richard Martin.
Professionally recorded CDs and DVDs are available here.
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Permission to tell outlines my views on copyright
For those who are teachers: Telling stories in the classroom: basing language teaching on storytelling