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The Norse Myths (The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) Paperback – July 12, 1981

by Kevin Crossley-Holland (Author)

151 customer reviews

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Here are thirty-two classic myths that bring the Viking world vividly to life. The mythic legacy of the Scandinavians includes a cycle of stories filled with magnificent images from pre-Christian Europe. Gods, humans, and monstrous beasts engage in prodigious drinking bouts, contests of strength, greedy schemes for gold, and lusty encounters. The Norse pantheon includes Odin, the wisest and most fearsome of the gods; Thor, the thundering powerhouse; and the exquisite, magic-wielding Freyja. Their loves, wars, and adventures take us through worlds both mortal and divine, culminating in a blazing doomsday for gods and humans alike. These stories bear witness to the courage, passion, and boundless spirit that were hallmarks of the Norse world.

Part of the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library

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

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Product Details

Series: The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Pantheon; Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library edition (July 12, 1981)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780394748467
ISBN-13: 978-0394748467
ASIN: 0394748468
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (151 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Mythology & Folk Tales > Fairy Tales
- #9 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Comparative Religion
- #15 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Folklore & Mythology

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Customer Reviews

151

4.7 out of 5 stars

5 star		80%
4 star		14%
3 star		3%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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246 of 248 people found the following review helpful

An in-depth introduction

By Richard A. Weaver on September 3, 2000

Format: Paperback

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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103 of 105 people found the following review helpful

Comprehensive and Contemporary

By unraveler on July 23, 2001

Format: Paperback

The book brings Northern mythology to life. Kevin Crossley-Holland retells the myths in a flowing, easy-to-follow, contemporary style. This is also a very comprehensive collection of myths that includes thirty two stories, some of which cannot be found in more slender volumes. The book also contains an introduction, notes, glossary, bibliography, and index.
The introduction is probably the most helpful of all introductions I found in books on Northern mythology. It starts with the role of geography in the shaping of Northern myths and proceeds to explain the cosmology and the pantheon of the ancient Anglo-Saxon peoples. It even contains a graphical representation of the mighty world tree Yggdrasill, which is very helpful in understanding the structure of various realms of the world of Northern mythology.
I cannot tell enough good things about the myths themselves. And the only way to appreciate them is to read them. The first myth in the book is the myth of creation, and the last myth is, of course, Ragnarok. The notes complement the tales and can be read after you are done with all the myths. I find many notes enlightening. I highly recommend this book

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57 of 58 people found the following review helpful

Invaluable in the study of Norse Mythology.

By A Customer on February 10, 1999

Format: Paperback

I bought this book as a part of an analysis of Norse Mythology, and found it more than useful. Not only does the author show the myths in a new light, but also includes and in-depth background of each myth and an informatve introduction. The bibliography has seperate headings for each topic of research, and the glossary is useful for those who have trouble keeping track of the often confusing names.

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43 of 44 people found the following review helpful

A Guide to Life: Pagan-Norse Style

By Plotinus on February 15, 2004

Format: Paperback

There really isn't any other book of Norse Myths like this on the market today. This book is the product of an attempt to bring the myths from various sources together into a coherent whole and at the same time imbue them with tough earthy Anglo-Saxon diction. Dr. Holland has brought his lifelong fascination for the Norse world into this book and shared it out to all his readers. There still is a very real 'Norse' or 'Anglo-Saxon' element in the English-speaking world's mentality and this book helps us access it. In my case, I came across this book in my early Twenties and I liked it so much I read it again and again, reading one of the thirty-three myths every day. There is something about the courage of the Norse outlook that I found and find appealing seeing how our lives are so fraught with silly worries and artificial fears. I really do think that the Northern spirit of bravery and the desire to seek out challenges for the sake of reputation and the ability to tell a good tale has played a large role in the development of science and of our civilization, and these Norse cultural ancestors of ours are the ones who gave us these qualities. This book helps us access these qualities and bring them into our lives.

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42 of 45 people found the following review helpful

Strange and disturbing stories we think we know.

By A Customer on April 14, 1998

Format: Paperback

Adult retelling of stories we think we know from the surviving original sources. Reading Crossley-Holland's book is like reading the real Grimm's Fairy Tales -- they are much stranger and more disturbing than you remember from the kiddie show about Thor and his hammer. The Aesir are a doomed race of flawed, violent, sometimes cruel but ultimately heroic gods. Odin is not always a benevolent father, but also is obsessed with knowledge and willing to kill, deceive and suffer intensely to get it. Freya is not only a war-goddess but a kind of personification of sex. The stories cover the building of Asgard, an ur-War between the Aesir and the ultimately allied Vanes, struggles between the gods and the Frost Giants, the mischief and ultimately evil of Loki, and an array of malevolent dwarves and monsters with names like Niddhog (the worm that gnaws the root of the world-tree Yggdrasil, Fenris the wolf of the end of the world. Incidentally, Tolkien got many of the names of his characters from the sources. Highly recommended.

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38 of 41 people found the following review helpful

Entertaining while educating....

By Kathryn A. Rudzena on December 11, 2000

Format: Paperback

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

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Great stories, readable translations, interesting commentary. Very...

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? Read more

Published 3 days ago by LAM

Five Stars

Great introduction to the Old Norse mythology and worldview, and very entertaining for both scholar and layman.

Published 4 days ago by Jeretical McD

Five Stars

Heard most of this before - filled in some holes

Published 11 days ago by Jerry

skoal

I absolutely love this book! It came in like new condition although now the cover is all faded and the pages are worn and mead stained from many hours of enjoyment.

Published 17 days ago by lena Hendrickson

Five Stars

One of the best retellings of the Norse Myths.

Published 20 days ago by Amazon Customer

A Great Read

This is a compilation of translated/assembled Norse mythology. There's quite a few different stories, and this will give you some insight into Norse culture and religion. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Kam Domber

Great find!

I am recently into Norse mythology because of listening too much to Amon Amarth. They allude names, scenes, and viking culture to almost all of their songs and I find it hard to... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Amazon Customer

Five Stars

An excellent and easy to follow book detailing the stories of the Norse gods and other beings.

Published 2 months ago by Zach E.

Four Stars

i like the book, though i ordered and paid for hard cover, and got paper back...

Published 2 months ago by tal rotem

I love this book!

This is an awesome book for anyone interested in the Norse myths and is very easy to read when you compare to other books of the subject. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Kenneth McLean

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