Tina Glasneck, USA Today Bestselling Author

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Lady Hel

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But who is Lady Hel from Norse myth?

Hel is the ruler of the Norse underworld Helheim, also called Hel. However, it should not be understood as the Christian Hell with fire and brimstone, for Helheim is a cold place. It’s not a place of torment either, but a place where the old, and those who die from sickness go (as well as the god Baldr).

In the older text, not much is said about Hel except that she is beautiful on half of her body, and the other half is either black or blue and depicts death.

She is one of the three children to Loki and the giantress Angrboða (her siblings include the Midgard Serpent and Fenrir, the wolf).

It is said that she became the ruler of Helheim as Odin gave her the position. Not until later do we learn more about who she is — for when Baldr is killed by his brother and goes to Hel, the other gods mourn for him and wish his return. Lady Hel says this will only happen if all of the world grieves for him. All did, except one lone woman– who was Loki in disguise — and this made it that Baldr must remain in Helheim until after Ragnarok, when he will return.

So, for this story, I wanted to tell more about this complex character and often villain.

She’s been so much fun to write that I can’t wait to see where she takes me next — she just might get her own series. 

Blurb:

She’s the ruler of Hel. She shouldn’t need anyone until a curse forces her to look for him. 

Lady Hel, the ruler of Helheim, is cursed for disobeying Odin’s order. Stripped of her position, she’s imprisoned in Midgard on an ostentatious estate until she is able to find love. Unfortunately, Lady Hel has never had luck or use for love. 

Harley Andersen is a seven-year college senior with no idea what to do with his life. So far all he’s come up with is killing time. When his best friend dares him to hop the gate of what’s supposed be a haunted house, he encounters a woman who steals a lot more than his breath. And what she’s offering could give him the future he’s missing. It’ll just require a trip to the past.

Download your copy of Hellish and start the Hell Chronicles Series.

Idunn’s Apples + Recipe

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Idunn is a goddess of rejuvenation, who passed out fruit to the gods to help them remain youthful. Although not much is mentioned of her, she had an important role to play. The fruit she carried was not necessarily apples, but whatever it was, it gave those that ate it youth, beauty, and vitality.

There is one popular myth that remains about her, The Kidnapping of Idunn.

As it goes, Odin, Loki, and Hoenir were traveling and got hungry. They saw a herd of oxen and slaughtered one for dinner.

The ox would not cook no matter how long they held it over the open flame. An eagle seated on a branch in the tree overlooking them, and said, “Well if you will let me  eat until I am full, I will let your food cook.” You see, he was using magic to make it that the ox wouldn’t cook.

The gods, hungry, were like, okay, cool. We’re hungry after all.

Well, the eagle flew down and grabbed the best piece.

Loki wasn’t having it. The eagle said he wanted to eat, not necessarily the best piece, so Loki takes up a branch and swings it at him.

The eagle grabbed the branch, and with Loki still hanging on, he flew up high into the sky.

Loki was now terrified and begged the eagle to let him down.

Well, the eagle wasn’t going to miss out on a chance to get something or rather someone that he wanted.

At first, Loki refused the eagle’s request, but the eagle would not bring him down until Loki conceded, which he did.

The eagle wasn’t normal, but Thjazi, a jotun, in disguise.

The oath he procured from Loki was for Loki to bring him Idunn and her fruits.

Loki oathbound headed back to Asgard with Odin and Hoenir. He lies telling her that he found some fruit even more marvelous than what she’s growing just outside of the walls, and tells her to bring her fruit for comparison. Idunn follows Loki out, with her basket.

When Idunn enters the woods, she is then snatched up by Thjazi, in eagle form, and taken away to his home in the mountains.

Well, Idunn must be gone for a bit of time as the gods start to age—they can feel age creeping upon them. Their skin wrinkles, their hair turns gray.

Finally, assembling, the gods ask about Idunn and her absence. It comes out that she was last seen with Loki.

They track down Loki, seize him, and threaten him if he doesn’t tell them what happened to Idunn.

Loki finally tells them that Thjazi took Idunn.

His honesty was met with a threat of its own, though: if he didn’t bring back Idunn he would be put to death.

To assist him in getting Idunn back, he borrowed Freyja’s hawk feather cape, which allowed him to change into a hawk, and flew off to Thjazi’s home. When he arrived, he found that Thjazi was away fishing.

Loki then turned Idunn into a nut and sped away with her, carrying her in his hawk talons.

When Thjazi returned, he found Idunn missing, and changed back into his eagle form. He took to the air in the direction of Asgard and saw Loki. Now he was in hot pursuit.

Then gods, also keeping an eye out for Loki, saw Thjazi flying behind him. They set to build a fire. Loki made it across, and then the gods set the kindling alight creating an explosive fire.

It happened so fast, and Thjazi was so hot on Loki’s tail that he didn’t have time to slow down, and instead entered the flames.

That was the end of Thjazi, and Idunn was once again home to make the gods young again.

So, what is this moral of this story? Don’t take time to rejuvenate for granted, maybe? Maybe it is about the power of the oath and what it meant back then to give your word? Just maybe, it is that when we harm, we should also do all that we can to make it right?

Download the Recipe as a PDF Here!

Why Fairy Tales?

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Looking back, the one constant narrative in my life started with those magical words, “Once upon a time.” Fairy tales have a special place in my heart, not only because it is through those fascinating tales that I started writing fantasy, but they also have an important place in my life.

It was not the desire to be a princess, but to be a part of something grand, a world filled with possibilities and magic.

Growing up, castles were not a part of my ordinary landscape. My earliest memories are of my riding to head start and passing by what I now know to have been an insane asylum. In my mind, it reminded me of the glorious structures of a long-forgotten era, that of the castle.

Every morning, I’d look over at my mother and delightfully scream, “There’s my castle.”

My memories are usually quite foggy, but not this one. This one is rich and vibrant, whereby even the joy of then seeps into my fingertips as I remember that flicker of a moment.

This love of castles led me to Europe, to the land of castles, and of course, to Germany, and the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale Highway.

But that road of fairy tales took on an unexpected twist.

In 2017, I was invited to participate in a limited-edition time-travel romance box set. The fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast ( my favorite), beckoned me like a beacon. I couldn’t resist, but I also wanted a twist and a way to tie it into my worldbuilding.

The character that came to mind could only then be Lady Hel. It was supposed to be only a blimp in the pan, but Lady Hel had other plans.

Ever since then, I’ve made sure to infuse fairy tale retellings into my world, for to me, they are as much as home as that of the usual legends and mythos, which continue to inspire me. Maybe Snow White is the first vampire, perhaps the Witch from Hansel and Gretel is genuinely the heroine of the story, and maybe Red has other motives for her dealings with the wolf.

Fairy tales allow us to dance with darkness, and bask in the magic of fairies.

And the possibilities for what’s around the corner or who you might encounter is awe-inspiring.

Today, you can dive into a retelling inspired by the Evil Queen with Curse of the Fallen Fairy by Angela Sanders and Tina Glasneck, exclusively available in the Once Upon A Fairy Tale Night box set.  ????? ?????????? ????’? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ????… Who doesn’t love a fairytale retelling with a twist? https://books2read.com/OnceUponaFairyTaleNight

PS: Here is a list of stories based on fairy tales, that you can find under Books,

  • Charming Like A Wolf
  • Hellish
  • 7 Twisted Fairy Tales
  • The Prince and the Raven
  • Curse of the Fallen Fairy

Odin the All-Father

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My goal in writing tales is to help you escape into a book filled with magic and myth and where anything is possible. The great thing about mythology is that we get a chance to dive into history, ancient cultures and try to understand how the people of then saw and experienced the world. Around the world, the different mythologies came up with ways in which they interacted with their deities, and also how they saw them.

There is never a myth on how the gods created the different races (race is a human construct). The mythology talks about creation and the first people. In Norse mythology, it specifically speaks of the first people – Ask and Embla, who were created from driftwood (from the ash tree) found on the beach. Odin blew the breath of life into them, and his brothers, Vili and Ve, gifted them with consciousness and the ability to speak, hear and see. After that, Ask and Embla were clothed, given names and Midgard for their dwelling place.

Want to know more about Odin?Check out the short story, Odin’s Ravens.

This is truly one reason that we can call Odin the All-Father, as he is the one that gifted life.

I love mythology and look forward to diving into more soon.

Why are fandoms important?

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And how can I start my own?

Although many states and jurisdictions are opening back up, we are still in quarantine here in Virginia. This time, besides working on my design business has also given me time to drop into the different fandoms and either refresh my love of the best TV shows to binge watch or to wonder why they are considered the best. Here is the top 10 TV Show fandoms ranked on Ranker:

  1. Game of Thrones – I must say that I’ve not watched all of the series because I don’t have HBO. My favorite parts from all of my Youtube surfing is about the dragons, the Night King, and the growth of Arya. I mean, it had me with the dragons if nothing else!
  2. Breaking Bad – I’ve watched 3 episodes, and went meh. After working in criminal law for 10+ years, the last thing I wanted to see was more about drugs (meth). This was a hard pass for me.
  3. Stranger Things – Woot! I am a 80s kid so this is like reliving the good ole days my youth. The arcades, the freedom of bike riding, the group of friends. Heck, even how the local mall was the hangout place to be! I can’t wait until the next season.
  4. Sherlock – I love this version with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Although a crime drama, it has an edge to it that is more than just gratuitous violence. Cumberbatch and Freeman are perfect together! This show made me truly into a Cumberbatch fan (marvel helped to cement that).
  5. The Office – OMG, it is like watching a car wreck. The only reason I warmed up to it was because of hubster (It is like a part of his daily relaxation-unwinding routine). After a while Pam and Jim pull you in. But still: Michael is/was the boss/supervisor from hell.
  6. Friends – I am a huge Ross fan, and my favorite episode is the one with the leather pants. OMG, it is hilarious on all accounts, and even now, just remembering it, I’m laughing.
  7. Supernatural – I learned about Supernatural at the tail end of the series, but the episode that I enjoyed the most was the Scooby-Do cross over. Again, when I am able to relive my childhood, I consider that a win!
  8. Sons of Anarchy – nope, no idea.
  9. The Sopranos – again, nope.
  10. The Big Bang Theory – I really enjoyed this series up until they started making Shelton another Michael from the Office. Now, he was just mean for no reason.

Personally in my list of fandoms, for TV shows, I’d include: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X-Files, Fringe, Parks and Recreation, The Good Place, Once Upon A Time, Castle, Community, Heroes, Veronica Mars, Luther, The 100, and finally, Firefly.

What about you? What TV shows would you consider to be in your top 10?

One day, I hope to build a world that inspires community. It might not be today, but I’d like to think that I am on my way to creating a fandom, too!