The Gatewatch

Description

The Gatewatch is a fantasy adventure inspired by the Norse Myths, the Icelandic Sagas, and the unforgettable landscape of the Rocky Mountains. Myth, history, and imagination fuse together in an epic troll-hunting saga written for young adult readers, and for the part of all of us that loves good adventure.

The accompanying Learning Guide is designed for use in Grades 7 to Grade 9 and is a free teaching resource for anyone who wishes to explore the Norse myths, Viking history, or Icelandic poetry through a novel study in their classroom. The text of The Gatewatch itself is rich with references to the Norse Myths, those ancient stories told by Scandinavian cultures all over Northern Europe and across the Atlantic during the period now referred to as the Viking Age. The characters encountered in the novel reflect the traits and habits of historical Vikings, most specifically the real-life Vikings described in the semi-mythic collection of accounts known as the Icelandic Sagas. Of utmost importance to Icelanders, as well as to all Vikings of that age, was poetry and so, for that reason, Icelandic verse forms and poetic riddles feature heavily throughout the story. For those who enjoyed teaching The Hobbit, Harry Potter, or The Chronicles of Narnia and would like to infuse their course with exciting new material, The Gatewatch offers a fresh fantasy world to explore with students.

Mythology is a core component of most middle year curricula and its exploration in the classroom can be enhanced through a supporting narrative like The Gatewatch. Viking history and myth presently enjoy much popularity, but with that comes many misconceptions and misrepresentations. At their worst these misrepresentations are used for nefarious political ends; in light of this fact, it is extremely important for students to learn about Viking history in a classroom context where archaeological facts, historical objectivity, and an attitude of inclusivity are emphasized. The Gatewatch presents the inspiration of Viking myth and history as a world heritage, for the benefit of all.

The Gatewatch also makes a perfect introduction for young adult readers to skaldic poetry, which centered around internal rhyme and alliteration, as opposed to the end-rhyme of most traditional Western poetry. Learning poetic forms distinct to specific cultures, such as the celebrated Japanese haiku, can be among the most memorable learning experiences for students. In a manner that will be familiar to readers of Tolkien, The Gatewatch uses skaldic verse to recall the history of the fantastic world just as Icelandic poets, known as skalds, recited mythological events and told of famous Vikings through similar forms. While phonetic and linguistic differences between English and Old Norse make it difficult to emulate skaldic styles such as dróttkvætt, málaháttr, and fornyrðislag exactly, a description of a close approximation that students can use to explore these forms is given in the preface of the novel as well as in the Learning Guide.