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Fiction. Mythology. HTML: Introducing an instant classicâ??master storyteller Neil Gaiman presents a dazzling version of the great Norse myths. Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman fashions primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds; delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants; and culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people. Gaiman stays true to the myths while vividly reincarnating Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin's son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki, the son of a giant, a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator. From Gaiman's deft and witty prose emerges the gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to dupe others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.… (more)
User reviews
There are several caveats I should like to raise. The "Marvel Universe" has a need to sell comic books, and so the general thrust of their publications is the use of "Loki", the God of intelligence, and mental agility as a far more Satanic and Christian Devil figure. In my reading of the earlier translations of the Norse Canon, he is far more of a "Trickster God", a deity like “Coyote” in North American Native fables, or like "Anansi" the Trickster God of West Africa...far more likely to do things out of boredom, than from a plan dedicated to the destruction of "Goodness" and order. Gaiman seems to draw Loki as a deliberate plotter, rather than a "What if?" kind of guy.
Also, telling these myths in a roughly chronological order is not the way in which they were presented to their original audience. Mythic information comes to its hearers on a "Need to Know" basis. The question comes up and then the Skalds provided suitable information from the stories they themselves had heard from other skalds, or sometimes, possessed by the spirit of Loki, they made stuff up. This produces a mythology that, if you have more than one source, you have differing accounts, as parts of one myth are shifted from tale to tale, and new elements are added to existing stories to explain new phenomena, or to provide new stories to suit new circumstance, including political purposes. To move to another cultural matrix, the Greek Travel writer Pausanias, moving from temple to temple in the Hellenic world of the second century AD. heard quite different stories about the same Pagan God, to explain the same questions, differing from one temple to another temple of the same God somewhere else in the Roman Empire.
We need to see the Norse corpus in the same light, because the Christian Icelandic writer Snorri Sturluson, author of the "Prose Edda" and the "Poetic Edda", and the “Heimskringla" was looking to transform the Norse theological whirlwind into a coherent theology on the lines of the Christian Theology that had framed his education. When Snorri collected and tried to codify those stories it had been two hundred years since Christianity had been adopted as the Icelandic official religion. It is difficult to believe that the materials Sturlson collected and chose to pass on were unchanged in the two hundred years.
There exists differing materials, found quotes in Sagas not written by Sturluson, but in other Teutonic poetry and tales, like Scandinavian inscriptions, and in the stories of Siegfried, and the other Nibelungs. This body of work is often at odds with Sturluson quotes. Thus, while Stan Lee's world and Sturlson's works are possible versions of what the pre-Christian Scandinavians heard, and possibly tried to live by, they are very likely not, in Christian terms, "Gospel Truth." Lacking a divine Canon of irrefutable truth's given in a clear revelation, the Nordic Myths do not have a bias towards the rigidity found in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic theologies. The Norse, in this case, had a far more Hindu attitude to religious diversity than Saint Augustine, or Saint Dominic. But Gaiman is looking for coherence and a plot line rather than an accurate version to preach from. Thus, we have what is a Neil Gaiman Edda, rather than an exacting collection of Norse myths
It is also a pretty good time for the reader and contains a bang-on version of Thor, the God of Thunder.
If your only experience with the Norse gods has been the reinterpretations of Thor, Loki, and Odin from the Marvel Cinematic Universe then do yourself a favor and pick up this book. These are not Stan Lee's gods of Asgard. Did you know that Sif is married to Thor? Did you know that Hel is the daughter of Loki, or how Loki plays an important role in Ragnarok? All of these legends are brought to life in the amazing way that only Neil Gaiman can do it.
Through Gaiman's retelling of the old legends (he did a lot of research on the stories and blended some of the legends together to make his own interpretations) I learned a lot about the Norse gods. I learned how Loki, trying to save his own skin, caused the greatest treasures of the gods - including Mjolnir - to be created. I learned about the adventures of Thor and Loki, and how Thor created the tides as part of a drinking contest. One of the biggest things I learned - and it really shouldn't have surprised me - was how much the gods of Asgard were really a bunch of a-holes. They really were. They were bullies and thugs on a good day, and generally did whatever they wanted, slew anybody who ticked them off, and generally acted like they owned the place. Which they did, in a sense. But it is a hard juxtaposition when your only frame of reference for the gods of Asgard has been what the MCU has churned out.
I highly recommend this book to anybody with an interest in mythology, old tales, or just a really good story. And I very much recommend that you get it as an audiobook. (I checked the book out from my local library.) Neil Gaiman, as usual, does a wonderful job of narrating the stories he has crafted. I really can't think of actually "reading" a Gaiman story anymore as having him read to me is so much better.
I thought this book was going to be a novelized
Overall, though this wasn't what I expected, I enjoyed it. I gave it four stars because it's a short book, and $25.95 is too much for the content. Still, highly recommended. I hope that Gaiman considers doing a "sequel" and imagining his own tales for those gods whose stories didn't get passed down through the Eddas.
Gaiman clearly loves these stories and tells them with enthusiasm. Even after reading this book, I don't share his excitement about Norse mythology, but I think this is a serviceable collection for those who do.
Looking at
As an adult this book didn't particularly work for me story wise, the writing was far too simplistic and felt a bit too “jokey” for a lack of a better word and there was a lack of mystery or true power of the gods and their magic. There were a few chapters that captured this feeling, the ending one dealing with Ragnarok in particular, but overall I felt let down.
As I said, as a story, I felt let down by this but as an introduction to a not very well understood mythology I feel this was an admiral job and I would recommend this to fans of Neil Gaiman and young readers interested in mythology. Someone looking for deeper stories about the Norse gods can pass on this easily and not miss much.
Recommended highly.
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A new Neil Gaiman book is always an event. He is one of those authors where I
This is a book to savor slowly letting each story wrap itself around you before moving on to the next one.
Somehow he captures the tradition of story telling that our ancestors must have experienced sitting around the campfire. (5 stars)
This is a terrific distillation & novelization of the Norse epics "The Prose Edda" & "The Poetic Edda" for those who would like to read the root mythological backgrounds of characters such as Thor, Loki, Odin, Heimdall, Lady Sif, etc. who appear in
The personifications & characterizations by the present-day actors are now getting so embedded in our consciousness that it is almost a shock to read that Thor had red-hair or that Loki wasn't his brother or even half-brother (but is Odin's blood brother). There are some contradictions in the Edda chronology as well, being that it is likely from several divergent original anonymous bards and saga poets but Neil Gaiman has smoothed this over well in the inexorable march to Ragnarok.
This book is a VERY short presentation of about
Still love the Norse Myths; still love Gaiman. Read in story snippets rather
I imagine that the Norse myths must provide a wealth of study material for the anthropologist. There is a lack of cohesion in the form behind the stories. There are many times when the Norse gods seem almost human. Early on, Odin is so desperate to drink from Mimr’s well, recognised as a source of wisdom and foresight, that he is prepared to sacrifice one of his eyes. Zeus or Apollo could have generated a hundred new eyes at the drop of a hat if they had so wished, but Odin was condemned to remaining one-eyed from then onwards. At other times, however, the gods seem capable of changing form and size.
Loki, steeped in mischief and mindless evil, has to borrow the goddess Freya’s falcon suit in order to fly, but in the same incident can suddenly turn another character into a hazelnut. Tyr, god of war, loses his sword hand while trying to subdue Fenris, the monstrous wolf, and is left to fight left-handed thereafter.
Gaiman writes these compelling stories in a simple, straightforward manner, bringing out their charm and an essential humour – there is, after all, a boyish camaraderie between Thor and Loki … at least, when Thor isn’t threatening to kill Loki. Gaiman also reflects, however, the grim side to the myths which resonate with the underlying tragedy of existence. Everything the gods do is set against their awareness of the approach of Ragnarok, the final battle between the gods and the giants, which would mark the end of the world. The gods knew that, like mortal men, they too might be doomed, and passed their time in Asgard knowing that their time was gradually, relentlessly, ticking away.
This is an excellent introduction for anyone yet to discover the Norse myths, and an enjoyable reworking for any old hands such as myself.
This Norse mythology was what I wanted to read: