When searching for a suitable title that would best describe a compendium of Viking myths and legends compiled especially for storytellers, it was no easy task choosing a single word that would encompass the rich and diverse anthology that is Viking folklore and myth. Dissapointingly (for me) the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian translations of the word compendium were returned as kompendium. However, the Finnish translation was returned as Tiivistelma. And so Tiivistelma it has become. Like so many projects, the birth of this book came from of a completely separate, yet similar, project and it soon took on a life of it's own. I invite Storytellers to take their listeners on a journey back to a time when the boundaries between myth, legend and reality were as fluid and as permanent as waves washing on a sandy beach. Listeners and readers, to really benefit, you are encouraged to engross yourself in the stories and let your imagination run wild. Close your eyes, think of Odin, Thor and Tolkien and let your mind walk through the Hallowed Halls of Valhalla. Let yourself be amazed and overawed at the magnificence and splendour of a time long passed.