Norse mythology was actually new to me when I came to homeschooling; I just didn’t remember there being as big a focus on those stories in school as the Greek Myths.  So, I felt a little behind the eight ball when I came into teaching fourth grade.  I also wondered about the connection between Norse mythology and the Waldorf School Curriculum because I never remembered reading about Norse myths in any of Steiner’s educational lectures, of which I had read the majority.  Yes, there is good mention in Mission for Folk Souls (Lecture 9) about the generalities, but not related to fourth grade.  I think my opinion is rather well-summed up in agreement with Waldorf Educator Stephen Sagarin and his blog post about Norse Myths here.

So, all that to say, Steiner talked about “ancient scenes” for fourth grade- which could include stories of Norse Mythology or something else entirely!   We usually cover stories and mythology of Ancient India, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, etc in fifth grade, but there are other types of ancient stories one could use in fourth grade!  In the Americas, one might consider the Popul Vuh, for example, or stories from the San, one of the most ancient groups still living today, or Japanese mythology or Celtic tales.  I also considered Icelandic tales and  such.  I think you have to really take the time to read the stories and see if they resonate with you and the child standing in front of you.

So, the first time I went through our Norse Mythology block I think it was a little more rote.  I hadn’t really penetrated the myths  well, other than they were interesting stories and people, and of course, many references to these stories in literature and movies in our North American culture.  The quick differences in personalities, the grey that lives in the black and white, the outrageousness of Loki, and yes, even the darkness of Ragnorakk seems to really fit with ten year olds and their development. However, if I lived in a different part of the world, quite frankly,  I don’t know as I would have picked Norse mythology.  Our family has Danish and Norweigian blood, so it also made sense for us to an extent as part of our own family culture.  It may not for other families, and I think that is okay!  Freedom in Waldorf Education is essential in bringing what is right for you and your family, so long as it is done in a developmental light.

The second time I went through Norse Mythology, I had a much better  grasp on it. I used D’Aulaire’s Book of Norse Myths just like the first time, but I didn’t try to bring all of the stories to life and instead picked the tales that I thought would really speak to my child.

For our main lesson books,  we ended up with the first time through main lesson book with the following in it: Copywork of a poem, a watercolor painting of Jutenheim, a watercolor painting of Muspelheim, The Nine Norse Worlds drawing, The Creation of the New world and man summary, Knot Drawing #1, drawing of the Three Norns, Knot Drawing #2, Picture and Summary of Odin, Summary of Loki and some of the other gods, Drawing and summary of Freya, watercolor painting of a jotun, drawing and summary of Odin and Sleipner, picture and story of Freya’s wonderful necklace, Summary and Painting of the Theft of Thor’s Hammer, copywork of poem about Thor, Summary of Thor and the Giant, Drawing and Summary The Death of Balder, Knot Drawing #3, Ragnorokk summary with knot border, A New World painting and drawing and a painting of Scandinavia.

The second time through  fourth grade main lesson from this block, (not as much writing):   Drawn Title Page with knot drawings, Drawing of Odin and poetry copywork, the three Norns and relation to grammar, four kinds of sentences, Drawing and Summary of Balder, Drawng and Summary of Sif, Drawng and Summary of Freya’s Wonderful Necklace, Drawing and Summary of the Death of Balder,  Drawing of Ragnarokk, 8 watercolor paintings.

Hope that helps some of you planning Norse Myths not to feel overwhelmed.  It can be a fun block, working in any amount of grammar and writing that your student needs.

Blessings and love,

Carrie