Norse Mythology

Great book, read myself some years ago and bought this as a gift. Interesting and fun retelling of the Norse Myths. Would recommend.

Neil's writing style flourishes as always and the tales he tells are exquisite. Each chapter has a strong pace to it and moves us along through the narrative of how gods acquired their scars, their artefacts and their powers with ease. And then we come to Ragnarok. Whilst the two preceding chapters start to lay the foundation for Ragnarok, it does feel as though the book jolts into it's final chapter a little too quickly. As though there was more there that could've been told before diving head-first into the end-times. In short - I wish there were a few more short stories. But otherwise an excellent book!

Well written and informed look at what the Vikings believed in. Their mythology and legends and lore. Not too heavy either, in terms of accessibility. Would recommend this. Item arrived today on time intact and as described

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. Sounds good, I thought. I have enjoyed reading two of his novels, Stardust and The Ocean At The End of the Lane, and I have been interested in Norse mythology since I was a teenager, so I bought his new book, wanting to know how well he retold the old tales. It is a good book, I think, a fine retelling of the Norse myths. I like the way he has managed to make a collection of tales read like one story, starting appropriately with an account of the creation of the nine worlds of Norse myth, and ending with Ragnarok, the last battle and its aftermath. Wisely, to make his work read like a novel, rather than a collection of loosely connected tales, he concentrates on the adventures of three of the gods, Odin, Thor and Loki. Tales that involve humans in Norse myths, like that of Volund the smith or Sigurd, the slayer of the dragon, Fafnir, he does not include. Read as one tale, the book is a tragedy. "Death is the enemy," wrote Virginia Woolf in her novel, The Waves. Certainly, death is the one thing that not even the Norse gods can escape. When Ragnarok comes, they do not hope to survive it, only to die bravely in battle. The last three chapters in the book, The Death of Balder, The Last Days of Loki, and Ragnarok: The Final Destiny of the Gods, bring the tragedy to a moving conclusion. Before the end comes there is some schoolyard humour along the way, in some of the adventures of Odin, Thor and Loki, which made me smile, even laugh. I liked the style in which the book is written, in a suitably northern, light, direct, blunt way. I was pleased to read in his introduction to his book that Neil Gaiman read and reread Myths of the Norsemen by Roger Lancelyn Green with delight when he was younger. It is one of the books in my book collection. I enjoyed reading it as a teenager, too. I also own a copy of Myths of the Norsemen by H.A. Guerber. As Neil Gaiman is a popular writer, I am sure many people will buy his new book, and some of them might be inspired by it to learn more about Norse mythology, which would be a good thing. It might lead them to read The Elder Edda, which includes Voluspa, one of my favourite poems, and to read The Prose Edda, and such works as The Saga of the Volsungs. The myths of the north lands need to be retold to be kept alive. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman will help people to rediscover the old tales. What we call mythology today is, I think, the creation of poets and storytellers. There is evidence in carvings in stone and wood that people in the north lands did worship the gods Odin and Thor, and the goddesses, Frigga and Freya, but it was the poets and storytellers who created tales about them. Greek mythology has The Iliad and The Odyssey of Homer. Sadly, Norse mythology has no such epic poems, only tales told in verse and prose fragments. From those fragments, Neil Gaiman, who is a fine storyteller, has managed to write a fine novel, well worth reading. The illustration of Mjollnir, the hammer of Thor, on its front cover, is wonderful, I think, and for that alone it was worth buying the book.

This Norse Mythology book review is for those who want to learn more about the legends of the Norse Gods. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman is a fantastic start. I have always been fascinated by myths and legends. Whether it was the Ancient Greek and Roman gods and goddesses or Celtic folklore, there is just something so brilliant about reading and exploring these fantasy stories. I have read the Poetic Edda, so I had an awareness of the stories already, but Norse Mythology was a fantastic read. If you know little to nothing of these myths, this book is a fantastic place to begin. Accessible Writing Style The only other book written by Neil Gaiman that I have read is American Gods. In my review of that book, I talk about how easy the writing style makes it to read. Learning Norse mythology from scratch by beginning with the Prose Edda or Poetic Edda can put some people off. This book, however picks some of the most important, relevant and entertains takes from those older texts and makes them accessible to a wide audience. Whether it is Loki tying his testicles which are then yanked by an animal to make someone laugh, or Thor dressing as a bride to recover his hammer from a thief, the stories are brought to life and often very funny. Additional Storytelling Rather than reading like a dry encyclopaedia, Norse Mythology is written as a collection of fantastic story stories. Neil Gaiman really brings the characters and tales to life. Yes, the overall stories are the same as those from the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, but they are rewritten almost to be quirky fantasy short stories. Adding dialogue, travelogue and extra scenes enhances the characterisation of the gods, goddesses and other beings and creatures. Although from older texts it is clear that Thor is a little… slow, Neil Gaiman’s depiction of the god of thunder through dialogue makes that aspect of this character funnier. It also adds a little nuance as Thor also has other aspect to his personality that are essential to understanding him. In conclusion to this Norse Mythology book review I would certainly recommend the novel to anyone with an interest in these deities and accompanying stories. Additionally, if you like fantasy in general this is a fantastic read, as well as a quick and easy one too.

Norse Mythology – Neil Gaiman I’ve always loved mythology but am much more knowledge about Greek and Roman than Norse, so when a friend recommended a book about Norse mythology and written by the incredible Neil Gaiman, then I jumped at the chance and even bumped it up to ‘to read list’. The book itself is an easy read and as it is a collection of myths, you can quite easily stop between myths, if for example you have to go to work and actually do something rather than just read – I know, it’s wrong but it’s where we get our money for to buy more books! The myths cover a range of Norse Gods and their adventures, obviously a lot of the focus is on Odin Thor and Loki but its great to read about Tyr, Freya, Hod, Heimdall and Frey. I’ve certainly learnt more than I knew, and they were told in a fast and fun way. As a teacher I can definitely take these myths and make them into a child friendly version, the mead coming out of a god’s bottom, may have to be left out, but we’ve all had pints that tasted like that! It’s an easy read but not what I’d call spectacular, it’s fun but not funny, it’s got action but not action packed, the myths are interesting not page turners, the gods are humanly heroic not godlike. Neil Gaiman is a master storyteller; I just feel he could have made more of the material he had here. Well worth a read but not the end of my quest for more knowledge on Valhalla and its residents.

I read the book from start to finish. Not bad little book

TL:DR: A really fun and concise re-telling of Norse mythology which is more accessible than most others. I've always felt drawn to Norse mythology; From popular culture I was aware of the basics, of the fighting, and drinking and heroic deeds which are often reflected in comics and other mediums. I'd tried to sit down and read the poetic Edda and the prose Edda, but had always found the process really quite tedious, and far more confusing than i had expected. I genuinely wanted to enjoy Norse mythology, but not being familiar with Ancient Norse I had to rely on translations, and for the life of me I couldn't find one which felt fun, lively and engaging to read. I had high hopes when I spotted Neil Gaimon's Norse Mythology, having read and enjoyed Gaiman's work in the past, and having picked up on his clear passion for Norse mythology from his other works. I wasn't disappointed. This is the first time I've genuinely enjoyed reading the tales and stories of Norse mythology rather than forced myself through some kind of imagined obligation to understand the stories so often reflected in other works of literature. The book is genuinely fun; You can feel the personalities of the Gods and other characters, and feel the great lust for life, and mischief and downright bravado which the Norse people imbued their Gods with! I laughed out loud at Loki's exploits, and felt I got to know some of the more minor creatures of the pantheon in subtle ways which I'd never got from other translations. This deserves to be read because ti's fun, motivating, and gave me exactly the sense of enjoyment which I had always wanted from the Norse mythology... Time to go strap some furs to my loins and drain horns of mead before going for a fight I reckon! :-)

I bought this book last year when it was still hot off the press simply because it contained the words Norse and Mythology in one title. I’m a huge, HUGE mythology fan and Norse Mythology is on of those lesser known gems that have not yet been completely discovered and talked about as much as Greek or Egyptian Myths. To me, the fact that this was one concise guide to another beautiful, obscure culture and it’s roots was more than enough an incentive to buy it. Norse Mythology is a collection of stories that explain in detail important concepts and foundations of the North Germanic people. Although with the uprising of Christianity, most of the literature and scriptures have been lost but a few passed on works have still survived through the concealment of the Gods as kings and princes so as to appease the Christian rule. Neil Gaiman has taken the stories from the poem called Edda and put through the situations through a little fictional magic of his own. He goes on to explain the conception of the world according to Norsemen and how the use of pagan symbols and worship slowly formed a full fledged religion. The importance of the world tree Yggdrasil is understood as it marks the centre of the Norse Universe, stemming 9 realms from it. The Gods are born of a giant called Ymir and it’s his sons, Odin, Vili and Vè who later on slay him to create the remainder of all in existence, including Asgard and Midgard. The beginning also marks the existence of the end, Ragnarok. The Norse Universe exist on this very phenomenon that one day, the fire demon Surtr will bring the Norse Universe to an end with his flaming sword as it will slash through gods and mortals alike to lay it all to ruin. The myths of Thor, Loki, Balder, Heimdall and other gods are presented through stories and narratives also highlighting all the important incidents such as Odin becoming an All-Father, how Mjollnir became Thor’s weapon, the creation of beasts and Hell and Valhalla, etc. My main fascination was with the differences between the actual myths and the ones portrayed by pop culture. The following are the major points of differences: In the Marvel universe, Loki is referred to as the adopted brother of Thor but in reality, he is the blood brother of Odin instead. Hela is shown as a beautiful creature that rules the darkness and is the firstborn of Odin but infact, Hel is one of the offspings of Loki with the giantess Angrboda and is half corpse and half alive. It is Odin who sends her to rule the land of the underworld where she takes care of all the souls who didn’t die in battle and greatness and go on to Valhalla, the Norse Heaven. Thor is handsome and built and strong, is good at heart even if impulsive. However, unlike the suave Chris Hemsworth, he is also, to put it politely, dimwitted. Fenris the wolf is not a pet adopted by Hela/Hel but is one of the 3 monster children of Loki and Angrboda. The fact that you get to meet another set of Gods according to a culture that basically thrived and flourished on battles and plundering, it is not astonishing to see that they are not perfect. The stories often drip of betrayal, jealousy, hatred and cunning which were obviously very essential qualities for a culture such as that. The Gods aren’t picture perfect and show through their own human traits which is what makes it as engaging and realistic as it is. This was my first ever Neil Gaiman book and Needless to say, I am spellbound. The manner in which the stories are narrated actually feels like an age old storyteller, sitting in the woods in front of a bonfire to speak of the Gods and their long forgotten tales of valour, humour and cunning. Often when a culture and it’s myths are retold, there remains the risk of either overdoing the creativity or understating the actual facts. This book was the perfect example of what literary and creative restraint look like. Gaiman made sure you got all the facts, a laugh and then some but without disturbing the credibility of the actual mythology. He has tried every possible way to maintain the sanctity of the culture without making it too factual and boring. If you aren’t a non fiction lover and would not want all the extra information but would like to skip over to the stories, you can simply skip over the first 20 or so pages but don’t. YOU NEED ALL THE INFORMATION FOR IT ALL TO MAKE SENSE!!! A 5 star read that actually made me smile and laugh after so long. Definitely a read worthy of all the hype.

Gros coup de coeur pour "Norse Mythology" de Neil Gaiman ! Il se place assez facilement parmi les livres les plus drôles que j'ai lu cette année ! Dans ce livre, Neil Gaiman re-raconte la mythologie nordique dans un langage contemporain très accessible, sans changer les histoires originelles. Et quelles histoires ! Dans l'une, Thor part en quête d'un chaudron suffisamment grand pour brasser la bière des dieux, et se retrouve dans un concours de pêche qui va se terminer dans un combat contre le grand Serpent des mers... On apprend aussi l'origine de Mjolnir, le fameux marteau de Thor. Ca commence par un Loki bourré qui décide de raser les cheveux de la femme de Thor pour s'amuser... La naissance du cheval d'Odin (un cheval à huit pattes), est assez loufoque elle aussi... :) Autant dire qu'avec des dieux sans cesse en train de boire, une fin du monde où tout le monde meurt (zéro rédemption), un monde où on célèbre les prouesses de combat plutôt que les vertus... Ces histoires de vikings sont complétement décalées, bien loin des religions habituelles ! D'ailleurs, si vous aimez le personnage de Loki dans les films Marvel, vous trouverez un personnage encore plus traitre et malicieux dans le livre (un vrai plaisir) ! C'est une lecture qui peut faire un peu peur sur les deux trois premiers chapitres (qui introduisent beaucoup de vocabulaire et d'événements), mais ça se lit comme un livre pour enfant après (l'hydromel et la fin du monde en plus)

Very bad quality and I don’t even know what happen to the pages. But I love the story. Very interesting!

Norse Mythology, l’ultima fatica di Nei Gaiman, è dedicato a quei miti nordici che avevano affascinato l’autore da ragazzo e ai quali egli infonde una nuova linfa vitale. Gaiman presenta le storie che vedono protagonisti Odino, Thor e Loki, dai primordi del mondo sino al Ragnarok, in maniera piacevole, accattivante e con uno stile chiaro ma non semplicistico. Rispetto alle fonti cui l’autore ha attinto, le storie seguono un ordine logico e temporale che le rende particolarmente gradevoli da leggere. La freschezza dello stile di Gaiman si avverte anche nei dialoghi. Da grande amante del mondo nordico, ho apprezzato tantissimo questo romanzo e ritengo che Gaiman abbia svolto un lavoro egregio, dato che le fonti (Edda poetica e Edda in prosa) non hanno uno stile facilmente accessibile. Il romanzo, godibile anche per chi non conosce le gesta degli Aesir, è veramente una gioia da leggere e una volta terminato viene subito voglia di riprenderlo in mano. L’edizione Bloomsbury è molto curata, anche la copertina è invitante. Un libro consigliato a tutti gli appassionati di mitologia nordica e a chi apprezza le doti di storyteller di Gaiman.

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