Customer Reviews

The Northern Path: Norse Myths and Legends Retold...And What They Reveal

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Having Swedish-American ancestry, I have long been interested in the mythology and lore of Scandinavia and Northern Europe and rightly treasure the old stories and poems of the Northern Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes. I remember first discovering the POETIC EDDA and PROSE EDDA and how, reading them, made me feel like I had "come home." Now, unexpectedly, I have re-experienced much of that original excitement. Through over-familiarity, I had forgotten how good these stories are as stories. And how did I recapture old feelings of once new discoveries? I read the new book by Douglas "Dag" Rossman. In this book Dag has preserved in writing his excellent storyteller versions of many of my favorite tales of the Northland, including an excerpt from BEOWULF! That alone would make the book worth reading.

As a writer who has written several novels of my own in a Scandinavian mythos setting, I admire the way in which Dag's clear prose breathes life into the characters who people Northern Lore. For example, In his retelling of how the Thunder God Thor got his Hammer back from the Giants who had stolen it, Thor's reluctance to trick his way into the giant's lair by disguising himself in the clothing of the beautiful Goddess Freya has the appropriate comic touch when the bold and brawny Defender of Asgard complains, "The guys will never let me live it down!" Others of the stories, however, are of course not funny at all. Dag retells the cosmic tragedy of Balder's death in a way that produced for me appropriately strong emotions. But wait, there's more!

The second part of the book is titled "The Northern Path to Wisdom and Balance." And the afterward, "Echoes of Odin--Mythic Survival and Revival," adds yet another reason why I greatly appreciated this book. So! I heartily recommend Dag's new book to anyone young or old who has an interest in the stories and lore of Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Whether discovering these stories and the Northern worldview for the first time or revisiting the tales and concepts of the Northern Path, in my opinion a better book than this one would be impossible to find. Read it yourself. Read it to your children. Give a copy to your local library. And have yourself some important, thoughtful fun!

This is an excellement book that I would recommend to Odinists/Asatruar, simply because it is such an entertaining work, that uses a somewhat modern, often humorous perspective in the retelling of our ancient stories. Dag has been telling these tales to live audiences for years, and uses his experience in doing so to present them in this book. If you are looking for a book to help in relating our sacred stories to children or reciting them before the folk, this certainly has some great ideas and a wonderful format for doing so.

Of course, in my own research I am at odds with some of the stuff in here, such as Hel being Loki's daughter, the cosmology, etc. but this doesn't take away from the overall concept. I often find that most mythologists rely too heavily on the Prose Edda, and don't consider the other sources enough, but in most areas Dag does seem to do his homework. The latter half of the book is also valuable, in explaining and interpreting these stories while showing us how to apply them in our lives. This alone is worth purchasing the book for.

I would say that The Northern Path is worth checking out and would be an interesting and valuable addition to anyone's library. ~Mark Puryear

In the manner of mainstream" thinking, the concept of myth or mythology would immediately bring to mind something false, something untrue or unreal... that which is contrary to accepted logic, history, or scientifically objective" fact. For so many years, the myths of our People had been relegated to a realm akin to something of mere fairytales or fantasy. To no surprise, it has been a long run for the mindset that so many -but certainly not all- scholars held, in which the myths were assigned their role in explanation of natural phenomena and other occurrences that our seemingly dull-witted ancestors simply could not account for otherwise. This, of course stands in contrast to how Heathen (and culturally-appreciative non-Heathen) properly understand the role that our ancestors' mythology served within their society (as it does within our own)- a comprehension that has spread beyond its marginal bounds in recent years especially, and has begun to shift the perceptions of an ever-widening circle of post-modern Thinkers away from the equation of mythology with an idea of primitive misunderstanding".

A living mythology plays a key role in both the preservation and communication of information in a revealing and deeply insightful manner. Through myth, we are afforded a unique perspective into a People's underlying Worldview. It is a means towards a deeper realization, and an honest glimpse into a culture's innermost spiritual realities. As Rossman points out, the value of myth lies in the human attempt to explore and explain those parts of the outer and inner worlds that do not yet -and may never- lend themselves to objective testing. Simply put, science attempts to answer the what" and how" questions of the universe, while the question lying at the heart of myth is why".

Our journey along The Northern Path is one of spiritual exploration and inner discovery. The profound wisdoms of our ancestors which were carefully encrypted within the mythic cycles of the North are skillfully brought to life through Rossman's vivid retellings, in four distinct parts.

The first begins with The Creation, and carries us through The Trials of Odin, to the War of the Gods and the building of The Walls of Asgard. We learn how The Mead of Poetry is won, and of the shaping of the Gifts for the Gods. We are told the tales of The Theft of Thor's Hammer and the wooing of Gerd, and are introduced to Loki's Children. In the second section, we are presented with The Oldest Troll Tale in the account of Grendel and His Mother. In the third, The Ring of Doom looms darkly before us in five episodes- from Otter's Blood Price to the heroic Coming of Sigurd, his epic meeting with the dragon, Fafnir and the awakening of Brynhild, to the eventual tragedy that befalls Sigurd and Brynhild -when Andvari's Curse Strikes Again. Part four opens with Thor's adventures in the realm of the giants: Thor's Visit to Utgard, Thor Goes Fishing, Thor's Duel with Hrungnir, Thor and the Giant Geirröd. The tales of The Apples of Idunn and Skadi's Choice follow, along with the grave misfortune of The Death of Balder, and the subsequent Binding of Loki. Ragnarök, The Doom of the Gods closes both the fourth part, and the first section of the book.

The second section of The Northern Path brings us to an examination of the myths themselves. Here, we are presented with ten chapters that explore those hoary wisdoms and primeval truths so well-preserved within such ageless tales. This leg of our journey appropriately begins with the forward, The Trailhead to the Northern Path, and leads us into an informed study on The Nature and Relevance of Myth. The reader is then presented with the The Sources of the Norse Myths and seven chapters of discussion on Gods, Giants, and even Runes. A short dissertation on dragons is also presented, as well as the closing discussion on Ragnarök and what lies beyond. Rossman is also mindful to present a table of virtues, just before rounding out the main text of the volume with the afterword, Echoes of Odin- Mythic Survival and Revival. As to be expected, Rossman provides ample explanatory footnotes and select bibliography.

The Northern Path is a well-rounded work worthy of serious consideration, and is an asset to any Heathen library. Rossman is a true skáld, who ably follows in the footsteps of the skálds of old, and his skills shine throughout his retellings. Quite comfortable with the myths of his Fathers, he succeeds well in making these noble tales his own", through a flowing style that pulls our mythology out of the pages, into animated spells of carefully woven words. Take a moment or two to read a few of the passages -if not a whole tale or two- aloud as you read along ...let their dynamic quality stir your soul... hear the whisperings of the Gods of our People... let their saga inspire you to walk along The Northern Path.

I love this book! It is such a wonderful retelling of the old Norse Myths, as well as a good introduction to them. I have been reading this book to my wife to give her a good understanding of why I am interested in Asatru and the old Religion of Northern Europe.

This is a good book for you to read to your kids. The Eddas are told with a modern twist and the author is very entertaining. I just finished the 1st part of the book, the actual stories, and have not yet begun to read the author's spiritual applications of the Eddas. As a modern day Skald the author is very good at storytelling; however, this is not an academic rendition of the Eddas, but it is a good book to read to your kids.