Quotes from Kevin Crossley-Holland

Ymir's body is divided so that everything, even his eyebrows, were used in the creation of the world; the four dwarfs who hold up the sky; the wolves that chase the sun and moon; the giant's eyes that are tossed up into heaven and turned into stars: these and a host of other particulars become narrative elements within the cycle.

Some things in our lives, we think about, we hope for, we dream of, we half believe. But some we just know. And what I know, Laura, is that if you practise and learn to play this instrument, the day will come when angels stop and listen to you.

Be generous, be spirited, and you'll lead a happy life.

Because you know something won't ever happen, it doesn't stop you longing for it. I know I'll never be able to speak or sing with my own voice. I don't know why. I wish I did.

That's what happens when you're really concentrating. Time stands still. Time flies!

Everything, I thought, everything keeps changing. Changing shape, changing colour, changing sound.

A culture finds the gods it needs

Well, we must all make do. Humans aren't born equal. Each of us must make the most of ourselves.

As often as not, a man who sticks at home knows next to nothing about his guest.

Beside the other two Wayland appeared clumsy, his shoulders almost too broad for the rest of his body, while he moved as clumsily as a bear too, tripping over things, knocking them down; except only when he was at work - and then his clumsiness like a bear's was also elegance; then each of his movements meshed in with the next, each of his muscles co-ordinated, the whole of him was focused to one end, like a sword towards the man it is killing. That end was perfection

The stone is not what I say it is. It's what you see in it.