Product description
Review
Stately or bucolic, heroic or comic, romantic or gross, horrific or gentle, deeply ironic or deeply moving, the myths here retold yield up their mood and substance ― The Times Literary Supplement
A collection of dramatic, moving, intricately structured stories … a scholarly survey and compendium of Norse mythology … a sustained poem distinguished by the icy precision of its language ―
The Times Educational SupplementFrom the Back Cover
‘Burning ice, biting flame; that is how life began’The extraordinary Scandinavian myth cycle is one of the most enduring, exciting, dramatic and compelling of the world’s great stories. The Penguin Book of the Norse Myths compellingly retells these stories for the modern reader, taking us from the creation of the world through the building of Asgard’s Wall to the final end in Ragnarok. You’ll 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 never be trusted. The Norse myths are as thrilling to read as they are of vast cultural and historical importance. In this gripping book Kevin Crossley-Holland brings alive the passion, cruelty and heroism of these unforgettable stories.
About the Author
Kevin Crossley-Holland is an eminent poet, translator and prize-winning children’s author. His translations of Old English poetry are brought together in The Anglo-Saxon World, and he has also translated The Exeter Book Riddles. Among his many publications are the Viking Sagas, eight volumes of poetry, various anthologies, including The Oxford Book of Travel Verse and Folk Tales of the British Isles, an illustrated book for children entitled Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki, as well as two operas, a play and a memoir. He was previously Gregory Fellow in Poetry at the University of Leeds, editorial director of Victor Gollancz, Lecturer in Anglo-Saxon Literature and Culture for the Tufts University London program, Fulbright Visiting Scholar at St Olaf College and Endowed Chair in the Humanities and Fine Arts at the University of St Thomas. He is President of the School Library Association from 2012-2017, a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, an Honorary Fellow of St Edmund Hall, Oxford, and has received Honorary Doctorates from both Anglia Ruskin and Worcester Universities. He lives in Norfolk.
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Amazon Customer –
This is a beautifully collected chunk of deep north european culture. The stories are great and funny, kevin c-h’s prose is sharp and interesting.Many people are drawn to greek myth and to native american stories of creation, or of the trickster coyote. It seems a real shame to have read these stories but to have missed core norse myths, which have been told on our land, right here, for millenia. the creation story is weird and magnificent, the end of days is always waiting there, with the release of the wolf fenrir and the death of the gods. loki is a tricky and cunning god, causing mayhem and getting out of scrapes. the details of the gods are exquisite – freyja, goddess of fertility, also goes to war in her chariot drawn by two cats, accompanied by her magical boar, and has a cloak of feathers that allow her (or loki) to fly anywhere. it is a rich source for the imagination, particularly as many of the tales are lost and some of the characters are there, but undeveloped (or developed in other stories). there is a wonderful open-endedness to many of the stories.These stories, along with the celtic myths, are deeper and closer to people on these islands than the greeks or the judaic stories. Yet deeply neglected. And I think they are a much more fun read than achilles’ sulking and slaughtering in the iliad. give me loki, heimdall, or cu chullain any day. (though i could never give up odysseus!)On a more concrete note the stories are fun, very readable and the notes are an absolute blessing. You don’t need the notes to get the story (I often can’t understand shakespeare without flicking to the commentary) as they are so well written. But if anyone has ever tried to read the older / poetic edda in the raw, you will find these adaptations, and the notes, a huge relief.
L. Kelly –
A wonderful collection of norse myths, adapted in a very engaging style.The norse myths can often be overwhelming, filled as they are with a plethora of unusual names and places, written in a very purple prose. This author has managed to adapt the stories and simplify them to the point that they become accessible and enjoyable, but without oversimplifiying to the point of being childlike.Crossley-Holland has also included a lot of notes and reference material, which helps to place the stories in a historical context and to explain their place in the nordic civilisations.
MR W –
Really good but some of the stories still bored me.
Andrew W –
This book is an excellent introduction to Norse Mythology. It is extremely well written, highly engaging and entertaining. It was meant to be accessible to readers from all backgrounds – and in this it succeeds.What makes this book a particular success is its well thought-out structure. The work is essentially divided into three parts:The first consists of the introduction. Here the author not only provides a critical analysis of the source material, but also provides a succinct overview of Norse beliefs, culture and historical background essential to understanding the subsequent myths.The second part consists of the collection of myths themselves; written in plain English and as close to the original text as possible. The myths themselves are highly readable, fascinating and entertaining. Many of the myths were lost to time, but the author has arranged those that we know of in such a way as to provide a coherent narrative.The third part of the book can be described as an Appendix. Here the author discusses each myth in turn; analysing their meanings, contexts and significance while occasionally providing fascinating cross-cultural comparisons with other mythologies. This section is essential reading for those who want not only to be familiar with the stories, but to truly understand and appreciate them.Traditionally obsessed with its Classical and Christian heritage, the West has largely ignored non-Mediterranean literary traditions. This author has convinced me that Norse mythology was no less rich and sophisticated than its Greek and Roman counterparts – and deserves to be recognised as part of Europe’s proud and diverse literary and cultural heritage.
N. Ketharinath –
I was looking for a book regarding Norse mythology for a while but only decided to get one recently, and this book is a good example of why I often prefer going for Penguin versions of books rather than others. On their own a lot of these myths can be very difficult to understand, but this book comes with not only a pretty decent introduction to the myths and their background, but also a note section at the end of the book for each myth to give a little bit of further information on it. It is the type of book where I could tell beforehand that it would be difficult in places to put certain parts together – at least for a while – but I have read similar books so I felt like I could deal with it and I could. If you feel on the fence about dealing with hefty material without wanting to make much of an effort (parts of this may require re-reading in order to really get a grip of it) then I might suggest trying a different book. You still can tell that there is plenty of extra material to delve into after reading this book if you want a very thorough understanding of Norse mythology and etymology, but I feel like this book is a very good place to start if you really are interested.
Gonzalo De Miguel –
Kind of disappointing
Some pages are poorly printed, blurred.Any way, it’s very interesting story
Katia Vences –
Genial
Excelente como primer acercamiento a la mitología nórdica
JMac –
A very fun read for anyone interested in vikings
Written for the contemporary reader by a man well versed in the original texts. A very fun read for anyone interested in vikings, myth or folklore. Not a scholarly work but meant for the casual reader as an engaging immersion into an ancient and mythic world.
Touchstone –
Nice, interesting read…
A very nice intersting read through the world of Norse Mythology. Very interesting and is packed with all various short stories. Worth a read!!
Francesca Romana –
Loved it
I love Norse Mythology and this book was really great.. I liked in particular the first chapter which provides you with all the infrmation about the history and the sources!