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The Norse Myths

The Norse Myths

List Price: $16.00
Your Price: $10.88
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good beginning resource
Review: I liked this book mainly for it's extensive notes to go along with all of the stories. Western culture is not as well versed in Norse mythos as we are in greek mythos so having the notes and the intro helped me a lot. However, this book probably wouldn't be a good resource for someone who knows a lot about Norse mythology because this is very basic. But on the beginning of my scholarly search this was a good starting point.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: An easy read
Review: I liked this book, especially since the author drew from sources beyond Snorri. However, at the same time the author took liberties with the stories by adding conversations between characters that didn't take place in the original versions. That's fine for story telling, but to discuss the text with others you have to be able to recognize the difference between what the author added to the stories and what was in the originals. I was also disappointed that he did not include the complete text of Havamal or Voluspa. Otherwise this was an enjoyable introduction to Norse mythology.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: An easy read
Review: I liked this book, especially since the author drew from sources beyond Snorri. However, at the same time the author took liberties with the stories by adding conversations between characters that didn't take place in the original versions. That's fine for story telling, but to discuss the text with others you have to be able to recognize the difference between what the author added to the stories and what was in the originals. I was also disappointed that he did not include the complete text of Havamal or Voluspa. Otherwise this was an enjoyable introduction to Norse mythology.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Entertaining while educating....
Review: I picked this book up after I ran across many kindred websites suggesting this as text that would help one to understand norse mythology. Before C-H even begins the tales, he sets up a general overview for you so that you are "on familiar ground" when you are reading the myths and have an understanding of the layout of the worlds. What is even more pleasing is that he has a picture layout of the nine worlds (for those who like 'visuals'). The Myths were set up in a storytelling format that is easy to read and enjoy....in otherwords its not 'textbook' style. Also, he has a lot of notes for each tale at the back of the book that go into depth about all the texts he used in his retelling of the stories as well as some interpertation of what the stories were getting at. I highly recommend this book for those people who are interested in learning about norse mythology

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: not really a review for this book...
Review: I read kevin crossley-hollands book "viking! myths of gods and monster" which contains 17 of the myths from his "norse myths" book. For people looking for good stories this book is fine, and can provide some entertaining moments, but for those interested in learning about norse mythology, this book is utterly useless, and packed with fundamental errors, and i can only presume that the errors from "viking!..", comes from his "Norse myths" book.

The biggest error is that he claims that Hel is the realm of the giants, and Niflheim is realm of the dead. Hel was in fact the realm of the dead (ruled by loki's offspring of the same name), and Niflheim is merely the cold land to the north. Hel might have been placed in Niflheim, but niflheim is not realm of the dead. What might have confused the author is that below Hel, is NiflHel which is where the people that dies in hel, goes. (Nifl means fog).

Another error is that he claims that Bifrost is a flaming bridge, when in fact Bifrost is a rainbow bridge.

he also fails to mention that Jotunheim is home of the giants (the giants are not actually giants. "Jætter" translates better to throlls or orcs) as opposed to hel being the realm of giants. The only one capable of becoming a giant is utgards-loki, by the help of magic as he does in the "thor's expedition to utgard" myth.

All through the book there are errors in the myths and the ones i've mentioned and other errors, may seem unimportant to most people, but if an author wants to retell the myths of the norse, or any other, mythology, the first thing he should do, is to familiarize himself with the surroundings and the realms in which the myths take place, which this author fails miserably at.

It's probably worth noting that im a dane, and have great passion for the norse mythology and ancient religion and as such am more sensitive to such blatant errors.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A fine tome
Review: I read this book cover to cover, and found each page worth reading again. While it is certainly not as extensive in its explanations as other books, it offers fair notes on anything with which a new reader might be unfamiliar. I found the most enjoyment in the stories themselves; they seemed to have a more friendly appearance than the stories as told in other books. I consider myself well-versed in the Norse myths, and I would recommend this book to anybody wishing to learn about the Norsemen's tales, or to anybody just looking for a good story.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An excellent retelling of the Norse myths
Review: If you are looking for the best retelling of the myths available, with the grim humor and wisdom of these Norwegian tales intact, look no further.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Awesome Book
Review: It is an awesome book. If you don't believe me and the other reviewers, go to the library and read it to see for yourself. It is definitely worth reading.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great stuff!
Review: One day, I found this book lying around the house. Because I am part Norweigan and enjoy Noweigan music (Emperor, Dimmu Borgir), I thought I'd check it out. Three words describe the stories contained here: "What a trip!" There's rivers made of mestrual blood, hillarious insults ("Freja, you were caught in bed with your own brother and then you farted!"), and some very unexpected plot twists. The myths are very well explained and care has been taken to retain the "oral history" feel they've had for over a millenium. I don't read many books, but I can pretty much guarentee that this is worth your time. Buy it, check it out from the library, do whatever it takes to get it into your hands today and you won't be disappointed! Mr. Crossley-Holland has done an excellent job in making this ancient tales readable by modern people.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An in-depth introduction
Review: The author starts off with a 25-page or so introduction to the myths, covering the Norse world, cosmology, the pantheon of Norse gods, the sources, and the general structure of the myths.

The heart of the book consists of 32 myths, arranged in basically a chronological order - beginning with the creation of the world / Ymir, and ending with Ragnarok.

This is followed by notes (of a more academic nature) keyed to each of the 32 stories, where he gives additional information, sources, parallels in other cultures, and interpretations.

The writing style moves well, and the myths are told in a way that holds the reader's interest. Younger folks may well need to start with something a little simpler, like D'Aulaire or "Gods & Heroes from Viking Mythology" published by Schocken Books, but for adult readers looking for an intelligent introduction to Norse mythology, this book can't be beat.


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