Just finished reading
this fantastic book, part of the Barnes & Noble Collectible
Editions, and it was exactly what I was after.
On the book itself:
it’s a lovely leather-bound hardback with gold edging, a ribbon
bookmark, and great illustrations within (mostly paintings but some
statue photographs).
The text itself dates
back around a century, and I think this is for the better. I’ve
read a more recent book on Norse mythology that had some very
‘current day’ interpretation (Ivar the Boneless as literally
boneless and with cartilage instead as the Vikings moved away from
needing a front rank fighter as leader, disregarding and not even
mentioning the more likely alternative that his nickname is based on
a mistranslation).
Initially, the book
covers the origin of the world according to Norse mythology, which
also explains the enmity between gods and giants.
Following this, things
take a god-by-god approach, with an interesting order. I would’ve
assumed, wrongly, that Odin, Thor, and Loki would be the starting
chaps, but instead it’s Odin, Frigga (his wife), and Thor, with
Loki well towards the end. Each section covers the god’s divine
domain, in both the sense of a physical palace or multiple halls and
the aspect of reality for which they were responsible. Minor
characters of mythology associated with a god, such as Odin’s
wolves Geri and Freki, are mentioned in the relevant god’s
chapters, as are major stories (origin and shenanigans).
After the gods we come
to general chapters covering giants, dark elves/dwarves, and elves.
There are also two chapter’s dedicated to sagas (the Volsungs and
the Saga of Frithiof) but there’s no mention of definitively real
world characters such as Ubba, Ivar the Boneless etc.
Then we come to the
penultimate chapter on Ragnarok, and end with an interesting
comparison between Norse and Greek mythology which notes the very
large number of similarities.
The book’s very easy
to read and it’s often noted when there are multiple names (either
minor or major variants) for a god or place. Quotations from other
texts are used often as well, to good effect, and the artwork is all
good stuff. Much detail is present when it comes to gods, with far
more than just the main ladies and gentlemen covered and a lot of
information on the most significant ones.
I like this book so
much that about halfway through reading it I ordered Classical
Mythology by the same author. If I were designing what a great
mythology book should be, this is it.
As the cunningly astute
of you may have surmised, I heartily recommend this book.
Thaddeus
