The Norse Myths (The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)

I love this book. It has very readable translations of all the Norse mythology. It has an awesome introduction (maybe 25-30 pages or so?, not too heavy) that covers Norse culture, history, cosmology, and the authors/collectors of the stories. There are also very interesting end notes for each myth commenting on things like one myth's relation to the others, cultural context, alternate versions of the tale, etc. There's a decent sized glossary which is very handy. For me this book is the perfect balance of fun, readable "fairy tales" with a dash of more scholarly commentary for when you want to go deeper. I loved the book the first time through, and pick it up often to read a tale or two from time to time. If you're interested in Norse mythology, but don't have a lot of background in the area, this is the perfect book!

If you're looking for a good cheap book on norse mythology then you should buy this book. It starts off with an introduction which tell the kind of roles these myhs played in the lives of the norse. It also helps set you up with some information on some of the god's and how these myths came into being. Then come the stories which start with the creation of the world and it ends with the destruction of it. In all you get 32 stories, most of which deal with the god's interacting with humans, dwarves and their enemies the giants. The stories themselves are told very nicely and they never get dull. The only problem one might have is trying to pronounce some of the names. After the stories he gives information on each story on which source he used and sometimes he had to use differnt sources or how he had to altar some things so that the stories didn't contridict each other. There is also an index and a glossary at the end. I really enjoyed this book for the stories and the history behind them and I would highly reccomend it to anyone who has an interest in the norse myths, young or old.

I bought this book for my own enjoyment, and I must say, I love it! I was already familiar with many of the myths and "timeline" of events, but this book puts it all together in a detailed, but more easily understood way, as there is a lot going on. My favorite part of it though, is that it reads like an entertaining novel. The writer does an excellent job of giving the "characters" strong personalities and story presence, especially Loki! It's also well paced and interesting. This is what I was hoping for. I didn't want a textbook, though it still manages to teach me just about everything I was hoping it would. There are also notes and a glossary, and the cover design is nice. If this sounds like what you're looking for, get it. It's a fantastic buy.

The Norse Myths Kevin Crossley Holland’s “The Norse Myths” are a very readable collection of tales/myths from the land of the Norse. I picked this book up because I had limited exposure to “religions” and their myths other than the Judeo-Christian pathway. Watching the History channels “The Vikings probably spurred me on to do a bit more research and Crossley Holland appeared to be highly recommended. I did not read The Norse Myths for academic purposes, but looked at it more for exploration and entertainment. To be entertained, one must be able to understand the material. Crossley Holland enables the casual reader to never miss a beat with a very readable and informative introduction, an extensive glossary of characters, notes for further reading that deal with each of the thirty two myths (important for those who might want to do further research, tie ins with myths of other cultures, and explanation of possible Christian influence on the myths), and a progression of myths that build and reinforce as one reads. Periodically a myth would serve as a “review” for what preceded, or recount what is necessary to become a good Norseman. One can only imagine during the long, dark, northern winters, sitting around fires and stoves drinking mead and ale sharing these tales and myths with one another, perhaps with a tad of embellishment. An accomplished storyteller could have fun and entertain with the tales of the impulsive Thor and the shape-shifter Loki, the cast of Norse gods, giants and trolls. Crossley Holland presents an entertaining anthology of Norse myths that encompasses colorful characters and metaphorical beauty such as the wolves Skoll and Hati that chase the sun and moon across the skies to give us daylight and evening. I used Crossley Holland’s “The Norse Myths” as bedtime reading. Most of the tales are shorter than five pages, which makes for easy reading and digestion of the material, and hopefully initiating pleasant dream sequences for the sleep that follows.

This is a super-entertaining, super-accessible retelling of Norse myths ranging from the Theft of Idun's Apples to Ragnarok. Holland has stayed relatively true to the myths, but he has put words in the mouths of the gods and attributed small actions (like grabbing someone by the shoulders) to flesh out the narrative. If you're looking for the myths without any added narrative bits, you should go to the Eddas and not Holland's book of retellings. There are also notes on each myth at the back of the book. These notes really illuminate the different gods, their actions, and the possible symbolic meanings behind them. I also like how Holland was sort of sympathetic to Loki, who's too often cast as the Norse Satan and not attributed the same depth of character as other gods such as Odin or Thor.

this is a great compilation of many sources of the remaining Norse Myths. It is written in a style that is easily understood and the use of explanations and historical notes at the end of the book, one for each myth, make both the symbolism, source material and context more accessible. It combiles the Edas of Snoori with other sources to attempt a more complete set of myths than I have read and it's language and the order in which myths are presented make it much more fun and more easily understood than the source material is.

Crossley-Holland's edition provides a strong introduction to Norse mythology before diving into the rich and vivid tales themselves. His writing style brings the stories and characters to life. The book includes the most important of the myths for understanding Norse cosmology and creation, moving chronologically through to the end-times (Ragnarok). At the end of the book there are additional notes to highlight different interpretations and variations of the myths, which would be very useful to students and scholars. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about Viking culture.

This is probably the best introduction to the Norse myths for the general, adult reader. The retelling is lively, engaging and immensely entertaining. The author's introduction is excellent in assisting the non-scholar reader to get their bearings. The text of the myths is left clean and uncluttered with foot notes. Following the myths is a section of commentary on each of them. This is the books weakest point, the commentary seems unaccountably flat, lacking in depth and breadth. The author includes an invaluable glossary to help the reader keep track of who is who and what is what. The author includes a useful bibliography for those who wish to deep deeper into the subject. Again, this is the book I would recommend to anyone interested in exploring the nine worlds. It is most unfortunately that the norse myths are not as well known as the Greek myths.

A very nice intersting read through the world of Norse Mythology. Very interesting and is packed with all various short stories. Worth a read!!

Excelente como primer acercamiento a la mitología nórdica

Pour avoir lu d'autres livres relatant la mythologie nordique avec un style beaucoup plus académique, j'ai trouvé celui-ci bien plus facile à lire et à assimiler, bien qu'étant relativement fidèle aux différentes sources, lesquels sont citées d’ailleurs. L'auteur indique les mythes ou simplement passages qu'il a retranscrit tel quel ou bien lorsqu'il a choisit de s'inspirer d'autres sources, toujours en donnant les raisons.

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!

Some pages are poorly printed, blurred. Any way, it’s very interesting story