Customer Reviews

D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I remember having this book read to me when I was a child. It was only when I saw a photograph of some of the illustrations in a book review of the NYRB reprint that I ordered a copy for myself and devoured it. All through my childhood, I knew of Odin the One-Eyed, duplicitous Loki, and the willowy Freya -- but I had not recalled where it was that I learned about them.

One of the things that most struck me about the wooing and fighting gods of Asgard was that they were mortal. The world tree, Yggdrasil, was threatened by a dragon in Niflheim that gnawed at its roots; and the giant wolf Fenris was hogtied by a magic cord. Around the same time, both of them cut loose and attacked. What ensued was Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods.

Why the old Norse peoples should have killed off their gods was always a question in my mind. Did it happen before or after Olaf Tryggvason, the Kind of Norway, was converted to Christianity around the year A.D. 1000? It does make some sense to establish the new religion by dusting off the old.

This book has stayed with me for the better part of a lifetime. As a parent, I think you can certainly do worse than sharing this memorable book and its glowing illustrations with your children.

One little footnote: Last Christmas, I sponsored a wolf at the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in Ramah, NM whose name is Fenris. Look out, world!

Several years ago my husband and I were disappointed to find that the d'Aulaire's book had gone out of print. (We wanted to be able to read it to our children.) We found a very used copy and bought it because, despite this copy's poor condition, the book was very hard to find. Now we will be able to replace it with a copy that is in one piece.

The stories are well researched and well told. The illustrations are great--if you are familiar with other works by the d'Aulaires you will know what I mean. This is a great Norse mythology for children.

It is impossible to over-recommend this book. It fired my young daughter with a love of literature that has lasted her through grad school and beyond. This book is my standard present for every newborn among my family and friends. "Start reading it to him at two years," I tell them. "You'll think he's too young, but he won't be." The illustrations are perfect for little children, their apparent roughness disguising their artistry, and the stories are kid-fun. A great book, and a great start to a life of loving books.

When I was a kid I was put off by Norse mythology after Loki killed Balder, so I never introduced it to my own children. Now that my oldest grandchild is heavily into myths, someone suggested that I send her this, as a companion to the D'Aulaire book of Greek mythology.
Almost-eight-year-old Alex found it, read it in one sitting, and then sighed "I'm so sorry I finished- it's like saying goodbye to a dear friend."
Like all the D'Aulaire stuff it's beautiful, engaging, and totally bearable to adults to read, even as it is appealing to kids. Unlike the others though, it is usually totally unfamiliar to them. Everyone knows the Greek stories, but these are far less well known, and therefore all the more worth discovering.

The tales are well written and beautifully, lovingly illustrated. However, the volume itself is printed on cheap paper--experience tells me that in a few years this kind of paper begins to yellow, especially around the edges, and some years later, to fall apart. I was hoping this would be a more permanent addition to my collection. I would rather have paid more and had better quality; I feel as if the publisher has short-changed me and didn't do justice to this wonderful work.

Sure, the Norse Gods book ends like an Eden, with the new men loving "The Almighty God". True.

I am one of those pagan/witch/Wiccan/Asatrus (whatever label you want to give me is fine, to me it's all religion). I got this book to learn more about the Norse pantheon in a way that stimulating to me via nostalgic childhood artwork. I love this book. I can bypass the Christian stuff in the front and back of the book (I mean, Christians are the majority religion in this country, so I assume most people are ok with how the stories are). What I am left with is a great group of stories I can enjoy and share with my kids someday. The more graphic bits are watered down as not to scare off younger kids (though they are Vikings and Thor is constantly warring with a giant or some other person or thing). Even the story of Freyja's necklace is written in a way where the main part of the story is intact without getting too suggestive for young kids.

I love the pictures and learning they were made with stones. I look forward to getting the Greek Myths in this series too. I think Christian and Pagan alike would get a lot out of this volume.

D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths is one of the best books of Norse mythology that I've ever read. While it is intended for young readers, adults will be equally charmed with its clear, concise writing and unsophisticated (yet memorable) illustrations. My kids hung on every word as I read this too them, and loved looking at the illustrations. The only flaw this book contains is a rather tacked on ending that trys to reconcile Norse mythology and Christianity. A great companion to this book is D'Aulaires' Book of Trolls.

I haven't bought this edition of the book yet, but soon will. I just wanted to express my true love for this book, and gratitude that it's finally back in print. When I was ten or eleven years old, my mum borrowed the original edition of this book from the library for me. I had always enjoyed Greek mythology, but this...I just fell in love with. (Particularly, I fell in love with Loki.) Ever since then, I've been collecting Norse mythology books, but this one remains the one that I love the most of all. I have always thought back to it, always wanted to own my own copy.

If you enjoy reading folktales and mythology to your children, please buy this book for them. Or, if you're an adult who enjoys mythology, buy it for yourself. The tales are retold charmingly, and the artwork is astounding. I love all of the books by the D'Aulaires, but this one is, without a doubt my favourite. I can promise with 99% certainty that you'll really enjoy this book.

my children enjoyed this book very much. they were interested as they had heard that Tolkien had based Lord of the Rings on Norse myths and they wanted to read them. My teenagers and preteens were the age that enjoyed these stories.

I first knew & loved this book as D'Aulaires' Norse Gods & Giants, checked out of a local library many times while homeschooling years ago. While this title is a most worthy companion to D'Aulaires' Greek Myths, it mystifyingly remained out-of-print, & any used copies were extremely high-priced. Now, happily, it is back in print. I ordered my family's copy through Amazon & while I would rather have it than none, it was very disappointing to see the poorer quality of this edition, both in paper & printing: the text annoyingly fades in & out throughout the book. The illustrations do not seem to have suffered too badly, but still are not as sharp or vibrant as in my old copy of their Greek Myths. I suspect that if I had both an earlier & a present edition in front of me now, disappointment in the later would escalate. I will continue my search for an affordable copy of one of the earlier editions.