Hello and welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Mr. Young and it is great to see you on another lesson in this "Twisted Tree" sequence.

So I must say, I am personally very excited about today's lesson because we are going to be exploring something I find very interesting indeed about the text, and that is its links to Norse mythology.

So all of those fantastic things that Rachel Burge is kind of influenced by in Norse mythology and how she's incorporating those into the text itself.

So as always, we will be using a copy of the text throughout this lesson and I recommend that you use the 2019 Hotkey Books version as we go through today's learning.

So shall we get started? So today's lesson has a very clear learning outcome, which is as follows: So by the end of today's lesson, we should all be able to understand how Burge uses Norse mythology to create a terrifying villain.

And that terrifying villain is, of course, the draugr.

So just as in any lesson, we have some very important words.

So I do encourage you just to pause the video, jot these down and their definitions, particularly if they are new to you, because we are going to be using them quite a bit.

So let's take a look at what they are.

Mythology: a collection of stories that explain the beliefs, history and traditions of a culture, often involving gods, heroes and magical creatures.

Norse: belonging or relating to the Scandinavian countries.

A draugr: an undead creature from the Norse mythology that haunts the living.

And finally, decay: to rot or decompose.

And that is a word that we see often accompanying the arrival of the draugr.

So I'm super excited for today's lesson.

We've got some two really interesting learning cycles which are really going to develop our understanding of Norse mythology, "The Twisted Tree" and the draugr itself.

So really looking forward to learning cycle one, where we are going to be just looking at Norse mythology, something that I find really, really interesting, and then linking it and starting to kind of draw parallels with the story of "The Twisted Tree" itself.

And then we're gonna move on to learning cycle two, where we are going to look at something very specific.

We're going to look at that fantastic villain, that fantastic kind of creature in "The Twisted Tree" of the draugr.

And in particular we are going to look at how Rachel Burge has characterised that using existing elements of Norse mythology.

So let's get started.

So quick discussion question for me then, please.

Have you heard of the word "mythology" before? And can you think of any examples of mythology? So hit that pause button, have a quick discussion or jot down some ideas if you're working independently, and then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, my goodness, what a fantastic start to today's lesson.

So let's keep that enthusiasm, let's keep that energy going as we move throughout today's learning.

So really well done to anybody who identified anything similar to what is on the board now.

And I heard lots of examples of this and I even heard people kind of calling out very specific mythologies from different areas.

So mythology is a collection of stories that explain the beliefs, history and traditions of a culture.

And they often involve gods, heroes and magical creatures.

And I heard some examples of this in the class and it's fantastic that you're drawing on your existing knowledge.

So I heard people talk about Greek mythology, Norse mythology, Roman mythology, and Chinese mythology as well.

It's important to remember that these are not the only four mythologies.

There are lots and lots of mythologies from different cultures across the world, but these are some really, really famous examples.

But crucially, Rachel Burge was specifically influenced by Norse mythology when writing "The Twisted Tree".

So mythologies that relate to the kind of Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and others.

So Norse mythology contains a diverse set of beliefs and structures, but key parts include the following: So there are gods and goddesses, so powerful deities like Odin, the wise king of the gods.

We've also got Thor, the thunder god and Hel, ruler of the underworld.

We've got the nine realms as well, is a very common feature of Norse mythology.

So the world is divided into these nine realms and they can include Asgard, which is home of the gods, Midgard, which is Earth and Jotunheim, which is the land of the giants.

Another key part of Norse mythology is Yggdrasil, a giant, magical tree that connects all nine of these realms. And again, we can continue, we can talk about mythical creatures.

So there are beings like trolls, giants, a draugr and the dragon Nidhogg.

And finally we've got this idea of Ragnarok, a prophesied end-of-the-world battle where many gods will die, leading to the rebirth of the world.

So this is not an exhaustive list of everything in Norse mythology, but this is just some really, really key and common features of it.

So you can probably think already where I'm going to be going with this.

So my question is, can you identify any direct links to the plot of "The Twisted Tree" from these examples of Norse mythology below? Is there anything there that's really kind of jumping out to you as a clear connection to the text? So hit that pause button, complete the task and then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

And yeah, I totally agree.

Well done.

There is lots and lots of examples there of clear links we can make to "The Twisted Tree" itself.

So we've got that example of Hel, the ruler of the underworld.

We see that character in "The Twisted Tree", don't we? We've also got this idea of Yggdrasil, a giant magical tree.

So it's never referred to as that, but it's clearly a clear parallel to "The Twisted Tree", isn't it? We've also got the idea of a draugr, a mythical creature from Norse mythology that we see time and time again in "The Twisted Tree", that actually forms the principle villain of the story.

And we've also got this idea of a prophesied end-of-the-world battle.

I was definitely drawing some parallels from that, from what Martha does at the end in this kind of epic battle, this epic showdown with the draugr.

So well done if you picked up on anything similar in your own discussions.

So, a quick check for understanding for me then, please.

According to Norse mythology, Ragnarok is what? Is it a prophesied end-of-the-world battle, is it a giant, magical tree that connects all realms, or is it the ruler of the underworld? So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to see the correct answer.

Fantastic work to everybody who identified it as A.

It is the prophesied end-of-the-world battle.

It can't be B because that is Yggdrasil, a giant, magical tree that connects these realms. And the ruler of the underworld is Hel, again, a creature that we see in "The Twisted Tree" itself.

Okay then, we have reached our first practise task of today's lesson.

I'm super excited to see how you get on with this one because you are going to be showcasing your fantastic knowledge about Norse mythology.

And in particular, you are going to be focusing on Odin and the draugr.

So you will need to access the additional materials to complete this task where you will find some extra information on both of these characters.

So your task is as follows: So read that information on both Odin and the draugr, which can be found in the additional materials, and then answer the following questions.

Those questions are: What is Odin the god of? Which day of the week is he associated with? Who accompanies Odin? What are eyes symbolic of? What is Odin's sacrifice of an eye symbolic of? What's the difference between a draugr and a ghost? List four common traits of a draugr.

And finally, what three things are draugr known for? So, really excited to see how you get on with this one.

So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to move on to some feedback.

Okay, excellent work on that task.

It is really fantastic to see you applying all of your fantastic knowledge of Norse mythology to those questions.

And reading comprehension in questions of those kind are a key skill in English.

So it's really, really fantastic to see you applying them so effectively.

So let's see how we could have approached this task.

Well, what is Odin the god of? Well, we could say the Odin is the god of wisdom, death, battle and poetry.

Which day of the week is he associated with? Well, we could say he is associated with Wednesday.

Who accompanies Odin? Well, he is accompanied by two ravens and two wolves.

And we certainly see ravens in "The Twisted Tree", don't we? Four: What are eyes symbolic of? Well, eyes are symbolic of perception, both literally, in terms of their sight that they provide, but also metaphorically in terms of their understanding.

It continues.

Five: What is Odin's sacrifice of an eye symbolic of? Well, Odin's sacrifice of an eye is symbolic of trading one mode of perception for another, or gaining a deeper understanding.

And we can draw some parallels here, can't we, with the character of Martha in "The Twisted Tree"? The kind of sight that she gains by losing that sight in one eye.

Six: What's the difference between a draugr and a ghost? Well, we could say the difference between a draugr and a ghost is that a draugr has a real, reanimated body, whereas a ghost has a spiritual, intangible body.

So the draugr has a kind of physical presence in a way that the ghost does not.

Seven: List four common traits of a draugr.

We could say four common traits of a draugr are being hideous-looking, possessing superhuman strength, reeking of decay, and having long claws.

And finally, what are three things draugr are known for? Well, draugr are known for their greed, envy, and their bloodthirsty natures.

And we certainly see that time and time again, don't we, in "The Twisted Tree"? Okay, we have reached learning cycle two.

So we have learned about Norse mythology, we've learned a kind of quick overview of all of those key components and particularly how they relate to "The Twisted Tree".

And now we are going to draw out one very specific side of it, which is understanding this fantastic creature, this fantastic villain, the draugr.

So let's get started.

So quick discussion question for me then, please.

What do you remember about the draugr in "The Twisted Tree"? What do you remember about its description, what it does? Any kind of key relevant information that might be effective here.

So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, some really fantastic discussions there to kick us off with learning cycle two.

So we might have said: The draugr in the story is a reanimated corpse that haunts the protagonist, Martha.

It's terrifying in appearance with decaying flesh and supernatural strength.

Throughout the novel, Martha confronts the draugr as part of her journey to uncover her family's dark secrets.

And ultimately Martha kills the draugr and rescues her loved ones.

So some kind of key plot and character information about this character.

So Burge based her character on a real life figure in Norse mythology, also called the draugr.

So let's learn a little bit about this figure in Norse mythology.

So the draugr is an undead being often likened to a zombie or vampire.

And it is a reanimated corpse that rises from its grave after burial.

Draugr are typically depicted as grotesque and frightening, and they possess superhuman strength, have long, sharp claws and emit a foul stench due to their decaying bodies.

So really, really kind of nasty descriptions there of this draugr.

So, in fact, we see lots of direct similarities between Burge's draugr and the draugr from Norse mythology.

So let's take a look at some examples.

So in terms of a draugr being an undead being often likened to a zombie or vampire, well we see that, don't we? It is often described as having a skull for a head.

It doesn't have a a conventional head, it has a skull for a head.

Again, this idea of it being a reanimated corpse that rises from its grave after burial, it literally arises from a burial site in "The Twisted Tree".

Several times we are told it is rising from its burial site.

Draugr are typically depicted as grotesque and frightening.

And again, we see that in the description of the draugr, it has this kind of yellow eyes and these kind of sharp claws as well.

And finally, they possess superhuman strength, have long sharp claws and emit a foul stench due to their decaying bodies.

So the draugr is often followed by the stink of decay and is sometimes described as a rotting corpse as well.

So this is really interesting and this is suggesting that Rachel Burge is directly using these kind of key influences of Norse mythology to characterise the draugr in her own story.

So a quick check for understanding for me then, please.

Which of the below best sums up the draugr in "The Twisted Tree"? Is it A: The draugr in "The Twisted Tree" is entirely fictitious, thought up by Burge herself, Is it B: The draugr is a historical figure, Burge is just repeating what is already known, or is it C: The draugr is a blend of existing Norse mythology combined with Burge's own characterization? So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you like to see which is correct.

Okay, great job if you identified it as C.

The draugr get is a blend of existing Norse mythology combined with Burge's own characterization.

So Rachel Burge isn't creating it entirely herself, more is she just kind of repeating it as historical fact.

She is blending the two to create this kind of really compelling description of the draugr.

Great job if you picked up on that.

Okay then, we have reached our final practise task of today's lesson and I'm really excited to see how you get on with this one.

So you've guessed it, this is gonna be all about the draugr and particularly how it links to Norse mythology.

So throughout this practise task, I would like you to do the following, which is to answer this question.

And that question is: How does Burge use Norse Mythology to create a terrifying villain in the draugr? So a few things to focus on in that question, aren't there? So we are obviously looking at the draugr, we are look looking at how it is portrayed as a terrifying villain.

But crucially we are looking specifically at just the Norse mythology components of that.

What kind of specific things from Norse mythology is Rachel Burge drawing on to make it so terrifying? And you have some sentence starters here to help you and they are as follows: So, in Norse mythology, a draugr is.

In "The Twisted Tree", the draugr is firstly presented as.

but by the end of the novel it is.

And finally, Burge's description of the draugr clearly draws upon influences from Norse mythology when.

So you are really trying to pick on those very specific things, those very specific conventions of Norse mythology that are really present in Rachel Burge's description of the draugr.

And in particular, there are some pages that will be particularly helpful for you in this task.

So the following pages all contain descriptions of the draugr, which may be helpful.

And they are pages 138, 159 and 186.

So all of these contain really kind of interesting descriptions of the draugr where we can draw some direct parallels with Norse mythology.

So like I say, super excited to see how you approach this task.

So do pause the video and then push play when you'd like to move on to some feedback.

Okay, fantastic effort on that task.

It is absolutely brilliant to see you linking those two things together, those kind of wonderful contextual comments that we know now about the real life draugr from Norse mythology and showing how that has been incorporated into the work Rachel Burge has done in "The Twisted Tree".

So I would like you to self-assess your work and work out whether you have done any of the following: So have you outlined what a draugr is in Norse mythology? Have you analysed how the draugr is presented in "The Twisted Tree"? Have you explained how Burge's description of the draugr draws directly on Norse mythology? And have you used direct evidence from the text in your answer? So if you've done all of those things, then this will be a fantastic piece of work indeed.

But if you've missed one, please don't worry because that can be a really nice target for next time.

So we have reached the end of today's lesson.

It's been an absolute pleasure to teach you today, to teach you all about Norse mythology and how we can apply it to "The Twisted Tree" itself.

So let's just recap some of those fantastic things that we focused on today.

So firstly, Odin is a Norse god who is associated with wisdom, poetry, and death.

Odin sacrificed his eye in order to gain metaphorical sight and understanding.

A draugr is an undead creature from Scandinavian folklore.

A draugr is a reanimated corpse that stinks of decay and possesses superhuman strength.

And finally, Burge uses some of the most terrifying elements of Norse mythology to create a frightening villain.

So it's been an absolute pleasure to teach you on this lesson and I really look forward to teaching you on another lesson in this sequence.

So thank you very much and goodbye.