Product Description
In this poem for bedtime, Mother and children await Father's return on a wintery night. ... Read more

Product Description
1932. Contents: Snorre's Life; Snorre's Writings; The Manuscripts; Previous Translations; Character and Customs of the Nordic Races; The Origin of the Nordic Races; the Norse Kings; The Jutes, Angles and Saxons; England's Danish Kings; History of the Norse Kings: Ynglinga Saga; Halvdan the Black; Harald Hairfair; Hacon the Good; Eric's Sons; Hacon the Jarl; Olav Trygvason; St. Olav; Magnus the Good; Harald Hardrade; Olav Kyrre (or the Peaceful); Magnus Barefoot; Sigurd the Crusader and his brothers Eystein and Olav; Magnus the Blind and Harald Gilli (Gilchrist); Sigurd, Inge, and Eystein, the sons of Harald Gilli; Hacon Broad-shoulder; and Magnus Erlingson. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Norse king history
This is the best history book that I have ever read.It is very full of history and details without any author input of personal opinions.I have been doing genealogy and this book has cleared up some questions that I could not find answers to anywhere.The book is well worth it for anyone into history or genealogy.

OK, but.....
I rate translations of historical document based on the importance of the original, the readability of the translation, and the availability of better translations.In rare cases, I also look at the fidelity to the original (in cases where I have read the material in the original language).This work gets 3 stars.

On the first element, Heimskringla is is of enormous importance in both mythological and historical studies relating to Viking and Medieval Scandinavia.Snorri's account begins with a mythological account of the gods euhemerized (as in Edda) in the Ynglinga Saga, and then goes through the history of the kings of Norway starting with Harald Fairhair.The material is of tremendous importance and even later sagas in the series have proven important in folklore studies.

However the translation was made at a time when it was fashionable to provide very flowery translations of sagas and other Old Norse documents.The goal was to make the work feel classy and old.Unfortunately this greatly hurts its readability and, as Einar Haugan pointed out in his essay "On Translating from the Scandinavian," this approach fails to note that in their day such works did not have such a feel and hence a more direct translation is often better.Hence I think that the fidelity and readability issues are worth treating this edition as less important than it would be otherwise.

Finally there are other translations out there which are more recent and reflect a better understanding of the Old Norse documents in their historical context.For this reason, while this is't a BAD addition to one's library, I would recommend other translations instead.

Very unhappy
The product, when it finally arrived, was just fine.However, when I didn't receive the first shipment I don't understand why I should have to pay twice for the book to finally be received!I'm not at all happy with the treatment by Amazon!

Leo Ogden

Hardly a "victorian" translation, but rather an attempt to retain old norse flavor!
This compendium of the norse kings' chronicles is a great effort to keep the flavor and literary rhythym of the original works by Snorri Sturluson.


The extensive annotations and clarifications make this an ideal reference work for navigating the labyrinth of icelandic and norse sagas and other literature from the Scandinavian side of the sea. It's an ideal companion to an aggregation of the norse sagas. If this volume has a shortcoming, that is that it lacks what all of the present-day renderings of the related body of literature could have to add interest for the novice: up-to-date maps keyed to the individual chronicles. But in fairness, that could be a volume in itself, for sure!

Criticism of this translation of the Snorri's chronicles of the lives of the norse kings as "victorian" is not very insightful. First, the Victorian era ended with the 20th century (Queen Victoria died in 1899). This volume dates at the earliest back to 1932.

Second, expecting a translation that reads like Harry Potter does a major disservice to both Snorri's and the editorial board/translators' efforts. It might make for a more casual read, but that isn't the purpose of this volume. Perhaps a version of Clif's Notes or a lighter pictoral Marvel's comics edition will be forthcoming...

SHOWS GREAT RESPECT FOR VIKING HISTORY!!
If you want to know more about the lives of your norse ancestors, this is the book for you!!I like Erling Monsen's comments about the "historicity" of the book, because, apparently, other more recent historians have downplayed the importance of Snorri. But there is ALOT of detail in these chapters of many individuals. ... Read more

Product Description
"The Prose Edda", or "Younger Edda", is a classic collection of Norse myths of the Icelandic people. Widely considered as compiled by Icelandic scholar and historian Snorri Sturluson around the year 1220, "The Prose Edda" contains a euhemerized Prologue followed by three tales: the 'Gylfaginning', the story of the creation and destruction of the world of the Norse gods; the 'Skáldskaparmál', consists of a dialogue between Ægir, a god associated with the sea, and Bragi, a skaldic god; and the 'Háttatal', a collection of Old Norse poetry including original compositions by Snorri Sturluson. This classic collection of Old Norse myths is one of the most important of the Icelandic eddas and a must read for fans and scholars of Norse mythology. ... Read more

Product Description

Humans are terrestrial animals, and our capacity to see and understand the importance and vulnerability of life in the sea has trailed our growing ability to harm it. While conservation biologists are working to address environmental problems humans have created on land, loss of marine biodiversity, including extinctions and habitat degradation, has received much less attention. At the same time, marine sciences such as oceanography and fisheries biology have largely ignored issues of conservation.

Marine Conservation Biology brings together for the first time in a single volume leading experts from around the world to apply the lessons and thinking of conservation biology to marine issues. Contributors including James M. Acheson, Louis W. Botsford, James T. Carlton, Kristina Gjerde, Selina S. Heppell, Ransom A. Myers, Julia K. Parrish, Stephen R. Palumbi, and Daniel Pauly offer penetrating insights on the nature of marine biodiversity, what threatens it, and what humans can and must do to recover the biological integrity of the world's estuaries, coastal seas, and oceans.

Sections examine: distinctive aspects of marine populations and ecosystems; threats to marine biological diversity, singly and in combination; place-based management of marine ecosystems; the often-neglected human dimensions of marine conservation.

Marine Conservation Biology breaks new ground by creating the conceptual framework for the new field of marine conservation biology -- the science of protecting, recovering, and sustainably using the living sea. It synthesizes the latest knowledge and ideas from leading thinkers in disciplines ranging from larval biology to sociology, making it a must-read for research and teaching faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate and advanced undergraduate students.

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Addition to a Marine Ecologist/Biologists Library.
Best book I have come across to-date regarding conservation of marine biodiversity... Being a Marine ecologists means you always have to find the right book to use in teaching your students, and this book deals with many topics to be taught either on the graduate or postgraduate level. I highly recomend purchasing this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first volume of an envisaged nine that are the fruits of an international project to edit the complete corpus of medieval skaldic poetry. The project is supported by the Union Académique Internationale (supported project no. 60). Funding has been provided by, amongst others, the UK Arts & Humanities Research Board; the Australian Research Council; and the Joint Committee of the Nordic Research Councils for Humanities. The Norse-Icelandic Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages project aims to produce a new edition of the known corpus of Norse-Icelandic skaldic poetry, including runic inscriptions in metrical form. In practice this means editing all poetry supposed to be earliest until c. 1400 and which does not belong to the Codex Regius of the Elder Edda and manuscripts containing related texts, such as AM 748 I 4 The edition will appear in book and electronic form. The editors do not intend to follow the format of Finnur Jónsson's Den Norsk-Islandske Skjaldedigtning A and B (1912-15), currently regarded as the standard edition of the skaldic corpus, with separate volumes of diplomatic and critical editions. This new edition will consist of a critical edition with an English translation. It will, however, in all cases reexamine the manuscript evidence for the poetic texts and their locations. To do this a data bank of photographs of the manuscripts has been established for the editors to work from. Many relevant photographs already exist in the two Arnamagnæan Institutes, in Reykjavík and Copenhagen. Some photographs have been made specially for the project. The published edition is divided into three parts. The first includes the editions of complete, identifiable poems or fragments; the second, editions of lausavísur (single verses) and Finnur Jónsson's ubestemmelige vers (poetry of indeterminate provenance), while the third part consists of a bibliography. The overall project is under the direction of a group of five editors: Professor Margaret Clunies Ross (University of Sydney), Professor Kari Gade (Indiana University), Dr. Guðrún Nordal (Stofnun Árna Magnússonar), Professor Edith Marold (University of Kiel) and Dr. Diana Whaley (University of Newcastle on Tyne). It has the patronage and assistance of five consultants, who give advice on editorial matters and offer support in accessing the manuscripts that are necessary to the project, many of which are in one or other of the two Arnamagnæan Institutes of Icelandic Studies. ... Read more

Product Description
Out of the great halls of Asgard, home of the Norse Gods...came one of the greatest Norse legends. Thor, powerful god of thunder, and his brother Loki, the trickster, were eager to resolve an argument: Does strength always win, or do brains always beat brawn? To find an answer, they travel to the strange and forbidding land of giants. There they will face a series of challenges that will prove once and for all which god is right. Or will it? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent rendering of an old Norse Myth into a version that younger children can understand and enjoy
(and their Dad's can enjoy as well....). My 4 year old boy enjoyed reading this one with me (altho to be honest he preferred Beowulf: Monster Slayer (A British Legend) (Graphic Universe). That said, this version of Thor & Loki in the Land of the Giants is really well drawn and, like Beowulf, stays faithful to the story. There's perhaps not quite so much outright action as in Beowulf (probably why my boy preferred it) but there's enough to hold the interest and the story itself certainly generated enough questions.

If you're reading it to a younger audience, my only advice is .... be well prepared for all those questions about Norse mythology - Fenris, Ragnorak, Jotunheim, who WERE Thor and Loki, why was Thor's chariot pulled by Goats and how come you could eat them and they'd be back alive and kicking the next morning? ... Read more

Product Description
Full of giants, trolls, heroes, and beautiful princesses, these 42 folktales include such favorites as "Dapplegrim," "Tatterhood," "Katie Woodencloak," and "Soria Moria Castle," plus many less known, such as "The Werewolf," "Such Women Are," "The Three Dogs," "Temptations," "King Gram," "The Magician's Pupil," "Legend of Tannhauser," "The Outlaw," "Toller's Neighbors," "The Widow's Son," "The Three Sisters Trapped in a Mountain," and "The Goatherd" (the origin of Washington Irving's story of Rip van Winkle). The volume also includes instructive variants of the same story, such as "The Blue Belt" and "The Blue Riband," and "The Seven Ravens" and "The Twelve White Peacocks." Another plus is a substantial critical introduction by the author.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Popular Tales from Norse Mythology
Just a warning to those fooled by the title: Don't expect to find any mention of Odin of Thor in this book.Rather than mythology, the stories in the book would be more appropriately described as folktales or perhaps even fairy tales.Most involve a fair maiden in distress who is rescued by a "once-was-a-peasant-found-a-magic-belt-or-met-a-troll-and-became-a-knight"type of hero.

Nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed the book.As the author says, the folktales in _Popular Tales from Norse Mythology_ are overall good reading.They are full of excitement and adventure and a great deal of humour.These factors probably made it possible for the stories to survive as Scandinavian oral tradition until they were finally written down in the last century.

Although the book rarely mentions Norse gods directly, a number of characters can be identified as one of the old gods, particularly Odin, slipping into an overall Christianized story.I found that interesting. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

WOW
I was extrememly excited to see this available!Auden's translation of the Eddas is excellent, and hard to come by cheaply. ... Read more

Product Description
A compendium of ancient mythical figures covering Greek and Roman, Celtic and Norse cultures. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Good, but not excellent, and not comprehensive
This is mostly a picture book. It is in dictionary form, with three dictionaries, one each for Classical, Celtic, and Norse myths. Many of the illustrations are lavish and excellent, including oil paintings, museum pieces, and story-book illistrations circa 1900. Other illustrations (about a third) are meritless; evidently drawn to fill up space in the book.

The text covers major entries that could be found in any dictionary of mythology, but falls severely short on minor characters and places. It is also missing several obvious entries: for example 'dwarf' and 'giant' and 'troll' are missing from the Norse dictionary.

The Norse dictionary includes a smattering of characters from Baltic and Finnish (Kallevalla) mythology but it is even more incomplete than the Scandenavian entries.

Everyone must have this!
The Encyclopedia of Mythology, by Arthur Cotterell, is a gorgeous, hardcover book filled with illustrations and text covering Classical, Norse and Celt mythology.Each section opens with full-color, glossy images that outline what you'll be able to find in each section. Every page is just as beautifully illustrated.

The encyclopedia provides a great deal of information on not just the familiar gods and goddesses, but also more obscure ones. It is a terrific educational tool for children and adults. It is also a great book for coffee table discussion.

Writers and artists will also find the encyclopedia to be a wonderful tool for striking the flame beneath the imagination. Most of the artwork to be found within its pages are by artists well-known for their fantasy images. My favorite artist in the book is Alan Lee, whose beautiful paintings are highly regarded by those who enjoy the sword and sorcery, AND the Tolkien realms.

The Encyclopedia of Mythology is a must have for any mythology buff.

This book covers everything that you would want to know!
This encyclopedia is a great book for people who are interested in mythology.It is a great resource book for me. I use it a lot forinformation in some of my classes that deal with mythology.I woulddefinatley recommend this book to anyone interested in learning somewonderful stories of the Classical, Norse, and Celtic mythology!Andthere's a great bonus, the pictures are encredible!

Wow. It doesn't get better than this!!
This is the most amazing reference book I have ever seen. The book itself is a work of art, not mentioning the BEAUTIFUL illustrations and descriptions of the gods, goddesses, heros, legends, monsters, giants, ect. inside! I recomend this book to anyone who is interested in a good book to cuddle with, learn from, or just read in general! This is such a interesting way to learn, and the artwork is magnificent. I, myself, am making a mozaic dedicated to this book. I love it so much. If you just leafed through it you would be caught by it too.

Comprehensive and beautiful!

This handsomely bound work is sure to be
invaluable to anyone interested in European
mythologies. Written by Arthur Cotterell, a
well-respected scholar of mythologies and
ancient civilizations, the degree of detail
is remarkably complete. Entries vary from a
few sentences to over a page, depending upon
the subject. In addition, special feature
spreads provide more detailed examination of
specific mythological themes.

The reference is also a work of beauty. Every
page is copiously illustrated and the heavy-
stock paper is well suited to high-quality
color reproductions. The magnificent artwork,
almost entirely by well-known and respected
artists, is thoroughly cited.

Best of all, this wealth of information is
easily accessible. A thorough index refers
readers to all pages in which a subject name
appears, with main entry pages designated by
bold-face type. The entries themselves offer
effective, yet non-obtrusive, references to
related entries or themes.

This reference is highly recommended for
anyone interested in Classical, Celtic, or
Norse mythologies. Undoubtedly helpful to
scholars, it should also prove fascinating to
casual readers and to all who appreciate fine art.

... Read more

Product Description
T HERE is a charm in the name of ancient Greece j there
is glory in every page of her history; there is ;t fascination
in the remains of her literature, and a sense of unapproachable
beauty in her \;orks of art; there is a spcll in
her climate still, and a strange attraction in her ruins. Ve
are familiar with the praises of her beautiful.islands; our poets
sing of her lovely genial sky. There is not in aU the bnd a
mountain, plain, or river, nor a fountain, grove, or wood, that
is not hallowed by some legend or poetic tale. The names of
her artists, Pheidius, Praxiteles, ApcHes, and Zeuxis; of her
pocts, Homer, Pindar, LEschylus, Sophocles, Euripides; of her
philosophers, Socrates, 1'lato, Epicurus; the names of her statesmen
and orators, Pericles :lnd Dernosthencs; of her historians,
Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon ; of her mathematicians,
Archimedes and Euclid, are familiar to 1S as household words.
V e look uack over a period of more than t"."O thousan

Table of Contents

ODt:CTIO~; CREEK A!'D RO!lIA~ MY:rHOLOGYThe; Creation of the 'Vorld; Deities of the Highest Order; Inferior Deities; Demigods or Heroes; XORSE At-:D OLD GERMAN MYTHOLOGY; MYTHOLOGY AND RELJGIO~ OF THE HINDOOSThe; Vedic Gods ; The Brahmanic Gods ; ~IYTHOLOGY AND RELICIO~ OF EGYPT; IXD£x; PAG~; 22; 26; I29; 200; 328; 337; 341; 353

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.

Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Succinct and Priced Right
Attempting to read the Elder Eddas without some familiarity with Norse mythology can be confusing. I got this book because it is short and inexpensive, thus providing me with the needed background without a large investment in time or money.

The book was written in Danish and translated into English a century ago. Its strong point is the succinct summaries of the Norse myths.

On the other hand, there is at least one curious omission. The book refers to the death of Baldur, but makes no reference to the story of how Baldur died, in a William Tell type archery contest.

Another strange feature is that its summary of Beowulf, which the author considered to be a Norse myth, is incorrect. Contrary to this book's claim, Beowulf did NOT cut off Grendl's arm with a sword. On the contrary, Beowulf said that he would not use a sword because Grendl did not, and pulled Grendl's arm out of its socket.

It turned out that Grendl was enchanted and so impervious to swords. ... Read more

Product Description
The voyages of the Norsemen, or Vikings, across the North Atlantic to Iceland c. 860-70, Greenland c. 986, and the east coast of North America was a turning point in world history and one of the greatest adventures of all time.In Norse Atlantic Saga, Gwyn Jones re-tells the dramatic story of the Viking voyages in vivid, striking prose and includes translations of six classic Viking epics:"The Book os the Icelanders," "The Book of the Settlements", "The Greenlander's Saga", "Eirik the Red's Saga", "Karlsefni's Voyage to Vinland", and "The Story of Einar Sokkason". Published to great acclaim in 1964, The Norse Atlantic Saga is now available in an expanded edition, which takes into account the tremendous gains that have been made in Viking scholarship in the past 22 years:the discrediting of the Vinland Map, greatly extended knowledge of the Vikings' life in Greenland and proof that Norsemen did indeed land and establish a settlement in L'Anse aux Meadows in the New World.For this expanded edition, Jones has largely rewritten his account of the Viking voyages, and added numerous new maps, plates, and illustrations, as well as appendices in which Robert McGhee, Thomas H. McGovern and Brigitta Linderoth Wallace, three prominent archaeologists, discuss their recent findings.The incorporation of this latest research into Gwyn Jones's narrative account of the Viking story guarantees its continued importance to Viking scholars as well as to readers interested in tales of bravery and heroic adventure. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Absorbing -- also includes original major sources
An excellent summary, well told, of what is known about Norse discovery, settlement and developments in Iceland, Greenland, and their farthest overseas reach, North America. Although no one has "the" definitive answers to the mystery of just how, why and exactly when the Norse Greenlanders' Eastern Settlement (really southern) disappeared after enduring for 500 years, Jones examines most of the likely possibilities with discernment in sorting them out. The last definite word we have from Norse Greenland was in 1410 when a group of Icelandic visitors left to return to Iceland after a four-year stay, including a young Greenland woman recently married to one of them. There was little hint of Greenlanders' society being in any threatening decline at that point: although life was not easy, that was nothing new. The best evidence indicates that the last of Greenland's Norse held on at least until the end of the 1400s and more likely well into the 1500s. Theories abound about causes: most propose a combination of factors, but we don't really know.

Yes, we do have reports of some violent incidents between Norse and groups of "skraelings" (the Inuit or so-called Eskimo) who had not appeared as far south as the Norse areas until well into the 1300s after more than three centuries of sole Norse settlement there. But there are also reports and evidence of both trade and other friendly and even sheltering contacts. The contacts were limited and infrequent with little or no territorial conflict involved, the Norse living mostly along the inner fjords where there was pasture for their flocks, and the Inuit on the outer coasts where sea hunting was much better. On this, Carl Sauer made a telling comment: "That the unwarlike Eskimos should have driven the Greenlanders back and finally eliminated them by force is quite out of character for both groups." Also the Norwegian Arctic explorer and scientist Fridtjof Nansen, well acquainted with Eskimo culture firsthand, had earlier objected to such claims. (In a recent best-seller Jared Diamond has revived the claim but adduces no new evidence.) There is some evidence of piratic attacks and kidnappings from outside, with English and Basque freebooters and some others suspected, but which without further information remains a dark suspicion unproven to scholars' satisfaction. At any rate it is certain that regular contact with Europe ultimately dried up, and Greenland's "rediscovery" was to wait until the end of the sixteenth century with the Frobisher and Davis expeditions, which found Eskimos but no Norsemen.

As for Vinland, Jones gives a good and very interesting account of what is known of those ventures and withdrawal. While rather noncommital as to where the settlement Leif established was located, he inclines toward Helge Ingstad's view that the site he and his wife uncovered at Newfoundland's northern tip is it. (See my other reviews for different opinions on this.)

The second half of the book is devoted to the sources, and a fascinating collection it is. Starting with translated text of the old Icelandic manuscripts "The Book of the Icelanders" (Islendingabok) and "The Book of the Settlements" (Landnamabok), Jones then gives a full translation of both sagas relating the Vinland ventures, plus the short saga of Einar Sokkason, the latter centered on a pair of dramatic events in Greenland which came to a head about 1132. Additional material is found in the appendixes, including an Inuit folk tale of a bloody incident and reprisals between a group of Eskimos and Norse (recounted grippingly in Jane Smiley's novel "The Greenlanders"); also an explanation of finds uncovered at a Norse farmsite in Greenland's former Western (really northern) Settlement; and an interpretation of Newfoundland's L'Anse aux Meadows site by Birgitta Linderoth Wallace who, after the Ingstads had finished their work became Director of the Parks Canada Project there and has since been its on-site authority.

Altogether, "The Norse Atlantic Saga" is a rich source of information on those activities, very readable and well presented. This Second Edition (1986) has been rewritten and contains much significant revision from the First (1964); the general outlines of this story have changed little in the years since. But Erik Wahlgren's "The Vikings and America" (also 1986) should be read as a counterweight to some of Jones' assumptions about the North American phase, as should Carl O. Sauer's "Northern Mists" (1968, also reviewed), which was ahead of its time and his perceptions still very much worth considering although studiously ignored by most scholars today if they've even heard of them.

Summation AND the Original Texts
An excellent book for anyone interested in the Norse explorations of the North Atlantic:Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland.Jones not only gives a good history, still relevant despite the 1964 copyright, but gives thelatter half of the book over to English translations of the originalsources:The Book of the Icelanders, The Book of the Settlements, TheGreenlanders' Saga, Eirik the Red's Saga, Karlsefni's Voyage to Vinland,and The Story of Einar Sokkason. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
The Mythology A to Z series explores the world's most important myths and legends in an accessible style designed for young readers. Each comprehensive volume contains more than 400 well-constructed entries on the major figures, places, stories, objects, and themes of a given mythology. An introductory essay recounts the history of these civilizations and illuminates their way of life. This revised edition of Norse Mythology A to Z features dozens of new entries on topics and themes of interest to young readers, including gods and goddesses, the geography of Norse mythology, shape-shifters, wood carvings, and folklore, as well as new illustrations and an updated bibliography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Informative.
This book gives very detailed explanations about every aspect of Norse Mythology that you can think of. I does however seem a bit jumbled at time but definatly worth it. ... Read more

Product Description
THE GROUP of poems offered in this volume comprises practically all the more considerable (non-Skaldic) verse material not in the Edda. Indeed, it has been subtitledthe most important non-skaldic verse not included in the poetic eddaA". It is a supplement to the Edda and it shows, even better than that remarkable collection, the wealth of independent poetic inventions and forms that flourished in the Scandinavian North before and immediately after the introduction of Christianity, especially when we bear in mind that much has been irretrievably lost.As to the contents of these poems, with respect to the first group of nine, range from the genuinelyheroic,A" realistic, dialogic-dramatic, earlier lays (such as the Biarkamol) to the moreromantic,A" legendary, monologic-elegiac, retrospective, later lays (like Hialmar's Death Song); though the lines of demarcation are by no means sharp and, in fact, nearly every poem represents an individual combination of these traits.A very different type of lay is seen in the three contemporary encomiastic poems which celebrate the life and deeds of the (historic) rulers of Norway-the only non-Skaldic efforts of this genre so exceedingly numerous in Old Norse literature. There is no common denominator for the four poems at the end of the volume, except possibly their arch-heathen character. As a finale the Song of the Sun marks the transition from heathen to Christian spheres of thought.Common to all of this material is its unliterary, that is, unbookish, character which is in marked contrast to virtually all of Anglo-Saxon epic literature, influenced as it is, to a greater or lesser degree, by Christian or classical models. That is to say, we deal here with the genuinely native expression of the North.33% of the net profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charity. ... Read more

Product Description
Thorsson's in-depth primer covers the concepts and practices of Gothic or Germanic magic, the ancient root of English, Dutch, Icelandic, Danish and Swedish traditions. He explores traditional Northern psychology, the religious tradition of the Troth, and concludes with four mini-grimoires on rune magic, galdor staves, hex signs and shamanism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

A Personal Favorite
Northern Magic is one of the best books for a beginning student of the Runic arts. It provides an excellent look into the ways of the Northern European shamanic and magical practices. The book is detailed and interesting while proving a decently easy read. It covers rune carving, galdr and seidh work as well as some further rune esoterics and even a section on the Pennsylvania Dutch Hexagrams, a Germanic magical artform.

Thorsson as an author is one of the supreme authorities of this age on Runology. He has an impressive university record as Stephen Flowers and his basis in Germanic history and language provide an excellent background for his work in the Northern historical and esoteric fields. His list of published works is impressive considering the quality of the materials he has presented.

Northern Magic is one of my personal favorites of his works as Edred Thorsson. Along with Futhark: A Handbook of Runes it has lead me far in my path. Any serious Odian should at least give this one a look.

As one further note, the Kindle edition is lovely! The layout is excellent. The pictures are clear and easy to view. I highly recommend it to any Kindle-owning Runer!

Not my favorite
I picked this up because Thorsson is widely acknowledged as an authority on modern esoteric runeology and the northern path but I didn't get that impression from this book. It wanders off into places that feel silly or irrelevant to the subject and most of the sources he cites are his own previous works. The section on hex signs was interesting but really is not part of the northern path and would be better published as it's own book. There is some good stuff in the rest of the book but you have to work to sift it out and you could find much of the same information elsewhere.
If you are a fan of Thorsson's work you will probably like this as well but I think I'll pass.

Excellent Book on the Revivification of Norsk Viking Magick
A few people gave trashy reviews of this fine book.The bottom line is that no one can say for sure, what the original runesters did.Edred 'Stephen Flowers' Thorsson presents an interesting modern interpretation of the ways of the scandinavian pagans of yesteryear.Many of the old building structures of northern europe,have those 'Hex-signs' highly displayed still.The christian romanisation of Scandianavia incorporated the symbols into the catholic church.And later the protestants left the symbols there,because it was so apart of their social identity.If Sweden and Norway had embraced Russian communism,the physical Hex-signs would have been removed and destroyed.I think most literate pagans would agree,this is a valuable book on the revival of the Norsk Shamanisic beliefs and traditions.

Operant Hexology
I give this book 5 stars not for its information on runes or norse mythology, but for the small chapter on the Pennsylvania Dutch Hexsigns. I am very interested in Hexology and Powwow, and read anything I can get my hands on about it. Mr. Thorsson has given the reader a basic introduction to Hexology, examples of Hexsigns, and pretty good history too. I cannot speak about the rest of the book, but buy it for the hex information if for nothing else.

Great source for younger futhark runes
Edred Thorrson is perhaps the most trusted modern authority when it comes to the Runes and Northern occult tradition.

This book is a great introduction to many practices rooted in the Northern way, including a fascinating section on the only system of unique colonial American magic that I have come into acquaintance with, Pennsylvania "Dutch" Hex-signs.

Very informative and suitable for beginners as well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Pinta tu aldea y serás universal
El insigne escritor ruso Fiodor Dostoievski alguna vez dijo "pinta tu aldea y serás universal". Y que mejor que esta frase para sintetizar este tarot. Este deck está basado en la mitología de los antiguos vikingos y sorprende sus analogías con el simbolismo tradicional de los arcanos. Las imágenes son sugestivas pero algunos arcanos mayores son demasiado despojados, coartando un poco a la interpretación. El clima logrado en cada carta invita a investigar la religión asatrúar.

This book is great
I read the book in one sit down and recomend it to all norse mythology enthusiasts.i really liked its comprehensive ans semi-reader friendly view on norse mythology.i give it one thumb up beacuse of all the thingsit covers and its one of the only norse mythology books that gave me acrucial fact, that i'll let the reader discover for him/herself ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
From runic inscriptions to sagas, this book introduces readers to the colourful world of Old Norse-Icelandic literature. It covers not only mythology and family sagas, but also looks at less well-known areas, such as oral story-telling, Eddaic verse and skaldic verse. An introduction describing the language and culture of the first settlers in Iceland helps readers to appreciate the background against which this literature was produced.

The book acts as an introduction not only to Old-Norse Icelandic literature, but also to its reception through the ages and its influence on literature written in English. The author shows how a whole range of authors from Chaucer to Seamus Heaney have been influenced by this body of work, pointing out that even King Lear and Hamlet appear in Old Norse texts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a useful tool
As an amateur linguist interested in ancient Germanic languages and cultures I took up this book to revise my knowledge of Icelandic literary output.

This short book has been written by a competent academic and it has an academic approach to the topic: I can see its worth for an undergraduate student very well, while a general educated reader might -just might- find Dr O'Donoghue approach a little dull: her writing is not witty, nor meant to be such, and requires therefore a little dedication.

That said she summarizes -the book is barely over 200 pages, bibliography included- the context of Norse literature development in Iceland and outlines the genres of Norse-Icelandic literature, keeping its relationship with the continental one clear but distinct and short.
In the second half of the book she analizes the influence of Norse-Icelandic literature on some relevant English -especially modern- writers.

This makes this work useful to both students of philology and English literature: translations are provided everywhere together with careful explanations aimed at those who do not understand Norse.
Then again this book is not meant to be an anthology nor a literature history: it is just a short introduction to its appreciation as clearly stated in the title.

This most useful read has some minor flaws, at least to my eyes.

The philological introduction is very clear but also very short: I assume English literature students who probably will never read linguistics handbooks could have welcomed a more extensive introduction to the history of the language.

While the author's conciseness is nearly always a good thing it is hardly so in the pages dedicated to skaldic poetry which looked a bit hurried and not always clear.

While distantiation from the topic may be good in general, especially to avoid baking ready made conclusions for the lazy student, I would have welcomed a more personal and identifiable interpretation of the literary works. Such interpretation might have been singled out typographically if the author was so unwilling to influence her reader.

Last but not least a bit of summarizing at the end of each chapter would probably have made life easier to undergraduates, even the non lazy ones. ... Read more