Meeting the Other in Norse Myth and Legend

Meeting the Other in Norse Myth and Legend
Author: John McKinnell
Publisher: DS Brewer
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2005
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781843840428

Close examination of the significant theme of other-worldly encounters in Norse myth and legend, including giantesses, monsters and the Dead. A particular, recurring feature of Old Norse myths and legends is an encounter between creatures of This World [gods and human beings] and those of the Other [giants, giantesses, dwarves, prophetesses, monsters and the dead]. Concentrating on cross-gendered encounters, this book analyses these meetings, and the different motifs and situations they encompass, from the consultation of a prophetess by a king or god, to sexual liaisons and return from the dead. It considers the evidence for their pre-Christian origins, discusses how far individual poets and prose writers were free to modify them, and suggests that they survived in medieval Christian society because [like folk-tale] they provide a non-dogmatic way of resolving social and psychological problems connected with growing up, succession from one generation to the next, sexual relationships and bereavement.

Norse Mythology

Norse Mythology
Author: Mary Litchfield
Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
Total Pages: 424
Release: 2018-01-16
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1788883535

The myths and legends of the Norsemen have entertained both old and young alike for hundreds of years. This fascinating collection contains stories retold from the Icelandic Eddas, the principal sources of knowledge of Norse mythology, and the Sagas of the ancient world of the Vikings. Following the deeds of the powerful Norse gods, such as Odin, Thor and Loki, and filled with a host of fantastic creatures and objects containing magical properties, the tales in Norse Mythology will conjure up a world of heroism and romance that will enthrall readers.

Myths, Legends, and Heroes

Myths, Legends, and Heroes
Author: John McKinnell
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2011-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0802099475

In Myths, Legends, and Heroes, editor Daniel Anzelark has brought together scholars of Old Norse-Icelandic and Old English literature to explore the translation and transmission of Norse myth, the use of literature in society and authorial self-reflection, the place of myth in the expression of family relationships, and recurrent motifs in Northern literature. The essays in Myths, Legends, and Heroes include an examination of the theme of sibling rivalry, an analysis of Christ's unusual ride into hell as found in both Old Norse and Old English, a discussion of Beowulf's swimming prowess and an analysis of the poetry in Snorri Sturluson's Edda. A tribute to Durham University professor John McKinnell's distinguished contributions to the field, this volume offers new insights in light of linguistic and archaeological evidence and a broad range of study with regard to both chronology and methodology.

Norse Mythology: The Illustrated Edition

Norse Mythology: The Illustrated Edition
Author: Neil Gaiman
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2024-11-12
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1324089407

The #1 New York Times bestseller—a “gripping, suspenseful” (Washington Post) retelling of Norse myths—now with spectacular illustrations. In this dazzling, illustrated edition of the instant classic that has sold more than a million copies, award-winning illustrator Levi Pinfold brings Neil Gaiman’s bravura rendition of the Norse gods and their world to life. Bursting off the page with breathtaking, full-color art are tales of fierce battles with giants, storied quests for knowledge, and the gods in Asgard: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong, yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki—son of a giant—blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator. Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that takes us from the genesis of the legendary nine worlds to Ragnorak, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time. Through his epic storytelling and Pinfold’s enthralling images, these gods emerge with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, breathing vivid life into these long-ago myths. “Who else but Neil Gaiman could become an accomplice of the gods, using the sorcery of words to make their stories new?” —Maria Tatar, translator and editor of The Annotated Brothers Grimm “Gaiman brings rakish mischief and severe glamour to the Norse canon.” —The New Yorker “Remarkable. . . . Gaiman has provided an enchanting contemporary interpretation of the Viking ethos.” —Lisa L. Hannett, Atlantic “A lively, funny and very human rendition of Thor the thunder god, his father Odin and the dark-hearted trickster Loki (plus countless other gods and monsters).” —Petra Mayer, NP

Influences of Pre-Christian Mythology and Christianity on Old Norse Poetry

Influences of Pre-Christian Mythology and Christianity on Old Norse Poetry
Author: Andrew McGillivray
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2018-10-08
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1580443362

The Eddic poem Vafþrúðnismál serves as a representation of early pagan beliefs or myths and as a myth itself; the poem performs both of these functions, acting as a poetic framework and functioning as sacred myth. In this study, the author looks closely at the journey of the Norse god Óðinn to the hall of the ancient and wise giant Vafþrúðnir, where Óðinn craftily engages his adversary in a life-or-death contest in knowledge.

The Routledge Research Companion to the Medieval Icelandic Sagas

The Routledge Research Companion to the Medieval Icelandic Sagas
Author: Ármann Jakobsson
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 377
Release: 2017-02-17
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 131704147X

The last fifty years have seen a significant change in the focus of saga studies, from a preoccupation with origins and development to a renewed interest in other topics, such as the nature of the sagas and their value as sources to medieval ideologies and mentalities. The Routledge Research Companion to the Medieval Icelandic Sagas presents a detailed interdisciplinary examination of saga scholarship over the last fifty years, sometimes juxtaposing it with earlier views and examining the sagas both as works of art and as source materials. This volume will be of interest to Old Norse and medieval Scandinavian scholars and accessible to medievalists in general.

Cycles of Norse Mythology

Cycles of Norse Mythology
Author: Glenn Searfoss
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited
Total Pages: 600
Release: 2019-04-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1789820693

These stories are old, old as the Behmer Wold and seldom in life has there been such a brewing... Cycles of Norse Mythology captures the passion, cruelty, and heroism of an ancient world. Encompassing Odin's relentless pursuit of wisdom across the nine worlds, Gullveig's malicious death at the hands of the Æsir that sparks a brutal war with the Vanir, Thor’s battles against the giants of Jotunheim, the tragedy of Volund, the many devious machinations of Loki, and the inescapable events of Ragnarök, this lyrical re-imagining of the Norse myths presents the gripping adventures of the Norse gods and their foes in a style to delight modern readers of all ages. A detailed glossary provides a quick reference to the meaning behind names and terms used in the book. A Source Reference is included for persons who want to delve deeper into the study of Norse mythology.

More than Mythology

More than Mythology
Author: Catharina Raudvere
Publisher: Nordic Academic Press
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2012-01-07
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 918712131X

Written by distinguished scholars from multiple perspectives, this account widens the interpretative scope on religious life among the pre-Christian Scandinavian people. The religion of the Viking Age is conventionally identified through its mythology: the ambiguous character Odin, the forceful Thor, and the end of the world approaching in Ragnarök. However, pre-Christian religion consisted of so much more than mythic imagery and legends and has long lingered in folk tradition. Exploring the religion of the North through an interdisciplinary approach, the book sheds new light on a number of topics, including rituals, gender relations, social hierarchies, and interregional contacts between the Nordic tradition and the Sami and Finnish regions.

The End of the World in Scandinavian Mythology

The End of the World in Scandinavian Mythology
Author: Anders Hultgård
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 474
Release: 2022-09-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0192692844

The End of the World in Scandinavian Mythology is a detailed study of the Scandinavian myth on the end of the world, the Ragnarök, and its comparative background. The Old Norse texts on Ragnarök, in the first place the 'Prophecy of the Seeress' and the Prose Edda of the Icelander Snorri Sturluson, are well known and much discussed. However, Anders Hultgård suggests that it is worthwhile to reconsider the Ragnarök myth and shed new light on it using new comparative evidence, and presenting texts in translation that otherwise are available only to specialists. The intricate question of Christian influence on Ragnarök is addressed in detail, with the author arriving at the conclusion of an independent pre-Christian myth with the closest analogies in ancient Iran. People in modern society are concerned with the future of our world, and we can see these same fears and hopes expressed in many ancient religions, transformed into myths of the future including both cosmic destruction and cosmic renewal. The Ragnarök myth can be said to be the classical instance of such myths, making it more relevant today than ever before.

Old Norse Folklore

Old Norse Folklore
Author: Stephen A. Mitchell
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Total Pages: 309
Release: 2023-12-15
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 150177347X

The medieval northern world consisted of a vast and culturally diverse region both geographically, from roughly Greenland to Novgorod and culturally, as one of the last areas of Europe to be converted to Christianity. Old Norse Folklore explores the complexities of thisfascinating world in case studies and theoretical essays that connect orality and performance theory to memory studies, and myths relating to pre-Christian Nordic religion to innovations within late medieval pilgrimage song culture. Old Norse Folklore provides critical new perspectives on the Old Norse world, some of which appear in this volume for the first time in English. Stephen A. Mitchell presents emerging methodologies by analyzing Old Norse materials to offer a better understandings ofunderstanding of Old Norse materials. He examines, interprets, and re-interprets the medieval data bequeathed to us by posterity—myths, legends, riddles, charms, court culture, conversion narratives, landscapes, and mindscapes—targeting largely overlooked, yet important sources of cultural insights.