Description
Book SynopsisThe stories of Thor, Odin and Loki are familiar to most of us. Many people know that the Norse gods fought against giants and were ultimately betrayed by Loki the trickster. The end of the world and the death of the gods in a grim battle called Ragnarok has also found its way into popular culture. Ideas taken from Norse mythology are frequently found in modern fantasy and science fiction – such as elves, dwarfs and undead warriors rising from an unquiet grave, for example. Norse mythology is rich in adventure and ideas about creation, death and the afterlife.
Norse Myths takes a wide-ranging approach, examining the creation stories of the Norse world, the monsters and the pantheons of the deities, including such figures as Heimdall, Freya and Baldr. It looks at the sagas and the Prose and Poetic Eddas, which tell of real and imagined people, featuring both heroic tales and humorous escapades. The book also examines how Norse myths were interpreted in a Christianized Europe and how their motifs influenced medieval German writers and, in turn, were used in the modern world in very different ways, by the likes of composer Richard Wagner and in the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Illustrated with 180 colour and black-&-white artworks and illustrations, Norse Myths is an engaging and highly informative exploration of a rich mythology that still resounds today.
Trade ReviewThis truly is an exploration of Viking culture that everyone can enjoy. * All About History *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
The sources of Norse mythology and how it compared with other mythologies of the Middle Ages.
1. Creation Myths and the Cosmology
Various forms of a creation myth are recounted, where the world is created from the flesh of the primordial being Ymir, and the first two humans are Ask and Embla. Also explores Asgard, where the gods live, and Midgard, where humans live.
2. The Deities
Norse mythology is unusual in that it has two sets of deities who became a single pantheon. The clash between the Aesir (gods of war) and Vanir (gods of nature or fertility) could have a different mythic significance, however. It might indicate a change in society to a more martial outlook, since although the two sets of gods are supposedly equal, the Aesir seem to be the senior partners.
3. Jotnar
Norse mythology was populated by a range of creatures, in addition to mortals and gods. Some were monsters, some personifications of natural forces, and some were powerful supernatural beings. Others, like the Jotnar, were very similar to the gods and could have children with them. Many of the gods had at least one parent who was a Jotunn.
4. Other Creatures
Norse mythology tells of a variety of magical creatures. These include Elves, Dwarfs, Trolls, Valkyrie, multi-legged horses like Sleipnir, sea beasts such as Jormungand, the wolf Fenrir, and the gold-hoarding dragon Fafnir.
5. The Eddas
Most of what is known today about the Norse religion and mythos comes from the Poetic and Prose Eddas, or from the sagas written about mortal heroes.
6. Ragnarok
The Valkyrie are maidens who carry half of those slain in battle to Valhalla to be ready to do combat when Ragnarok, the foretold battle at the end of the world, arrives. Some dead go to Hel. At Ragnarok, the gods Odin, Thor, Tyr, Heimdallr, and Loki are killed by fire jotunn; the world is destroyed and then repopulated by two human survivors.
7. The Legacy of Norse Religion
Norse mythology saw a Romantic revival in 19th century art and music, such as in Wagner’s opera The Ring of the Nibelund, which drew on the Old Norse Edda, the Volsunga saga and Thidrekssaga. J.R.R. Tolkien, a scholar of Anglo-Saxon, was influenced by Norse mythology in writing The Lord of the Rings. Marvel comics also use the characters of Thor and Loki in their Avengers books and movies.
Index
