It has been reissued since then by several publishers, including its 75th anniversary illustrated edition. The mythic legacy of the scandinavians includes a cycle of stories filled with magnificent images from prechristian europe. The 10 best norse mythology books norse mythology for smart. I picked this book up because i had limited exposure to religions and their myths other than the judeochristian pathway. It retells stories of greek, roman, and norse mythology drawn from a variety of sources.
Stories of norse gods and heroes by annie klingensmith consists of 20 chapters, each a story from norse mythology. I would consider your purpose before deciding where to begin. Meet dragonslaying heroes and giantsmashing gods, as well as thor, the thunder god, loki the shapeshifting trickster and sea serpents, fire demons and frost giants in these aweinspiring myths. Thirtytwo scandinavian myths tell stories of gods, giants, dwarfs, and monsters involved in the creation, development, and ultimate destruction of nine mortal. I had to guess at the pronunciation of most of the names but i. Norse myths is a candlewick studio publication packed with stories and tales of gods, goddesses and giants from the norse mythologies. Love in the norse tales was often accompanied by murderous passions, and treachery was commonplace.
The norse world xiv cosmology xx the pantheon xxv sources xxxii the literary structure of the myths xxxvi approach xxxix the myths 1. More information about this seller contact this seller 2. From asgard to valhalla shorty dawkins freedom outlaw. Here are thirtytwo classic myths that bring the viking world vivi. The norse myths by kevin crossleyholland goodreads. The book entitled the norse myths by kevin crossleyholland contains multiple series of myths throughout it. Tolkien, whose lord of the rings features many themes from norse mythology, such as dragon slaying and enchanted rings. Norse mythology is the body of myths of the north germanic peoples, stemming from norse paganism and continuing after the christianization of scandinavia, and into the scandinavian folklore of the modern period. From the comic book hero thor, to the names of the days of the weektuesday is tyrs day, wednesday is odins day, thursday is thors day, and friday is freyas day. Stories survive for some of the gods, preserved in the poetic edda, the prose edda, and other icelandic manuscripts but no stories have survived for many of the gods and for most of the goddesses. An exhilarating introduction to the vivid, violent, boisterous world of the norse myths and their cultural legacyfrom tolkien to game of thrones. The book is set from the birth of the universe to ragnarok, the twilight of the gods.
It is a basic introduction to the mythology, so individuals wanting more analysis or discussion, or those already very familiar with norse myths may not find this book that insightful or interesting. Daulaires book of norse myths hardcover may 31, 2005. I was delighted to hear about this book and enjoyed learning more about nordic mythology. Kevin crossley hollands the norse myths are a very readable collection of talesmyths from the land of the norse. It includes gripping retellings of no less than 34 epic norse myths more than any other book in the field while also providing an equally comprehensive. If i wanted to learn about norse viking mythology, what. For a long while the fairest of the gods lay in the half light, his brow gleaming as white as the whitest flower, his hair shining, and he tried to snare his dream to name each form and dismiss it. Neil gaiman delves deep into norse myths for new book. A guide to the gods, heroes, rituals, and beliefs paperback. Guerber simplifies the text down to smaller synopses of some, but not all, of the myths. Parents need to know that norse mythology is a novelistic account of ancient scandinavian myths, retold by neil gaiman, author of the graveyard book and many other awardwinning titles.
Neil gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. It opens with a foreword by the author explaining exactly what norse myths are and how they came about. In the norse myths, kevin crossleyholland gathers together thirtytwo myths important to the scandinavian culture. Norse myths by kevin crossleyholland, jeffrey alan love. The norse myths the pantheon fairy tale and folklore library 8601417032572. Despite the starkness of this picture the norsemen took intense pleasure from such things as friendship, drinking and eating, making love, outwitting strangers, avenging wrongs, and. The norse myths lesson plan contains a variety of teaching materials that cater to all learning styles. From the eddas and sagas in a barnes and noble collectible edition retitled tales of norse mythology is a great read if you have little to no knowledge of the norse pantheon, myths, and surrounding literature. The norse gods go on adventures and engage in great contests. Asgard home of the aesir, midgard home of humans, alfheim home of the elves, vanaheim home of the vanir, jotunheim home of the giants. The 10 best norse mythology books norse mythology for. The earth became green and beautiful again, and in a deep forest that the fire had not burnt a woman and a man woke up. Neil gaiman putting his own fingerprints on the norse myths. A guide to viking and scandinavian gods and heroes has quickly become one of my favourite books on norse mythology.
The first and second chapters set the stage with an overview of the sources for norse mythology and a discussion of prechristian germanic religion in order to provide context for the books main focus. Here are thirtytwo classic myths that bring the viking world vividly to life. The best they seem able to do is withstand a greater chaos, for a time. The stories are translated from the original source, the icelandic eddas, which were compiled in the century from much older written and orally transmitted material. The world here is a hard, cold, bitter place in which to live. Author kevin crossleyholland explains that a long time back the vikings believed that human beings lived on middle earth. The northernmost extension of germanic mythology, norse mythology consists of tales of various deities, beings, and heroes derived from numerous. These myths provide explanations for the ways of the ancient world and give the reader insight into the beliefs of the nordic pagans. The norse myths by kevin crossleyholland scholastic. Norse myth is complicated in that nothing was written down during the actual viking age, so our pr. Tales of odin, thor and loki, is a big, heavy book. Timeless tales of gods and heroes is a book written by edith hamilton, published in 1942 by little, brown and company.
Includes a guide to norse names and characters, and internet links to websites to find out more about the vikings. It traces the norse myths transmission and development from viking age skaldic poetry to the later eddas. Inside youll find 30 daily lessons, 20 fun activities, 180 multiple choice questions, 60 short essay questions, 20 essay questions, quizzeshomework assignments, tests, and more. Asgard home of the aesir, midgard home of humans, alfheim home of the elves, vanaheim home of the vanir. That reaction is genuinely earned in this tight retelling, as gaiman darts between a tolkienesque tone in the epic origin stories and his own bright wit in the tales centering on the adventures of thor, loki, and odin. Neil gaiman delves deep into norse myths for new book the new. Gods, humans, and monstrous beasts engage in prodigious drinking bouts, contests of strength, greedy schemes for gold, and lusty encounters. The body of stories that we today call norse mythology formed one of the centerpieces of the pagan norse religion. The book is gaimans retelling of several stories from norse mythology.
Gods of the vikings new ed by crossleyholland, kevin isbn. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales. In norse mythology, neil gaiman retells the norse stories about the forming of the world, the creation of yggdrasil and the nine worlds, how odin lost his eye, how the gods got their treasures, lokis children, thors journey to the land of the giants, the death of balder, ragnarok, and more. Neil gaiman almost makes a novel out of norse mythology. Neil gaiman was reading to a packed crowd from his new book of stories, norse mythology, on thursday night at town hall, and he had. Youll discover how thor got his hammer and how odin lost his eye, the terrible price of binding the wolf fenrir and why loki the trickster can. The word story, for instance, should not be passed over. The caldecott medalwinning daulaires once again captivate their young audience with this beautifully illustrated introduction to norse legends, telling stories of odin the allfather, thor the thundergod and the theft of his hammer, loki the mischievous god of the jotun race, and ragnarokk, the destiny of the gods.
Buy daulaires book of norse myths instead, it has pictures. In norse mythology, gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major norse pantheon. But both parts of this definition need some discussion. He twisted and writhed as he tried to escape the dark shapes. The caldecott medalwinning daulaires once again captivate their young audience with this beautifully illustrated introduction to norse legends, telling stories of odin the allfather, thor the thundergod and the theft of his hammer, loki the mischievous god of the jotun race, and. If youre a parent looking for a book on norse mythology for your child, the daulaires book of norse myths is easily the best book on norse mythology for children. Table of contents legends, myths and fables from around. Reviewed in the united kingdom on 4 september 2018. About norse mythology cliffsnotes study guides book. The norse myths by kevin crossleyholland, paperback. The daulaires book of norse myths is specifically written for ages 59, or kindergarten through fourth grade. I completely agree with brian and dan for a serious study, you must go to the eddas.
Unlike their greek counterparts with whom most readers are far more familiar, the norse gods impose little order upon the world. Stories of norse gods and heroes download free pdf book. Gaimans forthcoming book norse mythology, which norton will publish next february, is an almost novelistic retelling of famous myths. Neil gaiman on his norse mythology, in which odin wants. The book opens with a note from the author explaining the origins of the stories.
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