Starter quiz
- In 'The Twisted Tree', which character can be described as the protagonist with supernatural abilities?
- Stig
- Martha ✓
- Mormor
- The Norns
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- Which word can be described as 'the development of events outside a person's control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power'?
- supernatural
- fate ✓
- apparitions
- power
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- In 'The Twisted Tree', the island of Skjebne is a fictional place, what does its name mean?
- death and decay
- fate and destiny ✓
- luck and fortune
- good and evil
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- In 'The Twisted Tree', what are the Norns?
- The leaders of all of the Norse gods.
- The weavers of fate and protectors of the tree. ✓
- The corpses that comes back to life and hunt the living.
- The cursed souls that are trapped in the tree.
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- According to Martha's great-grandmother Karina, why is Mormor trapped in the tree in 'The Twisted Tree'?
- because she angered the gods
- because nobody has watered the tree ✓
- because of a curse placed on her family
- because she wanted to be there
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- In 'The Twisted Tree', how do Martha's inherited abilities connect her to her family's history?
- they allow her to control time
- they grant her immortality
- they tie her to ancient Norse mythology ✓
- they make her invisible
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Exit quiz
- In 'The Twisted Tree' which word is not used to describe the draugr?
- putrid
- emaciated
- rotten
- beautiful ✓
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- In 'The Twisted Tree', whose letter tells Martha that the Norns will reveal her fate?
- Karina
- Mormor ✓
- Yrsa
- her mother
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- In 'The Twisted Tree', Burge uses the same word to describe both the tree and the Norns, which word is it?
- gnarled ✓
- wizened
- harsh
- beautfiul
- fierce
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- In 'The Twisted Tree' which god does Martha demand to see, in order to save Stig?
- 'Hel' ✓
- Which of these answers is not true with reference to Martha and Stig's relationship in 'The Twisted Tree'?
- Martha is initially wary of Stig.
- Martha and Stig become mutually dependent on each other.
- Martha and Stig share their personal experiences leading to greater trust.
- Martha does not feel anything for Stig. ✓
- There is romantic tension between Stig and Martha.
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- In 'The Twisted Tree' what happens to both Gandalf and Stig?
- They both get scared and run away.
- They are sucked into the hollow of the tree.
- They are murdered by the draugr. ✓
- The Norns give them a secret message.
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Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Martha's dream tells her that she can only save Mormor from torment if she goes to the tree.
- Martha kisses Stig but he pulls away and she feels humiliated.
- The draugr appears and kills Stig and Gandalf.
- Martha calls on her ancestors to help her against the draugr.
- Martha visits Hel.
Common misconception
The Norns are whimsical and conventionally beautiful.
Look at the descriptions of the Norns. Their beauty lies in their power and wisdom. They are "gnarled" and "wrinkled", which adds an air of authority to their presence. They are also described as "fierce".
Keywords
Subside - become less intense or severe
Sacrifice - slaughtering something as an offering
Constellation - a group of stars forming a pattern
Reincarnate - reborn in another body
Frenzied - wildly excited or uncontrollable
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