To the gates of valhalla, i deconstruct a thriving nation of people and the beliefs, rituals and myths that helped them become a formidable force in europe after 800ad. Valholl hall of the slain is an enormous and majestic hall in asgard, headed by odin. The oseberg ship, the sarcophagus of a royal woman buried in south. The vikings conversion to christianity norse mythology. This is an unfortunate reflection of a womens role in ancient norse society. Jun 24, 2014 odin on his eightlegged horse, sleipnir. The connection between iceland and norse mythology. Old norse valholl, the hall of the fallen 1 is the hall where the god odin houses the dead whom he deems worthy of dwelling with him. Of particular relevance is the th century manuscript, prose edda written by one of iceland s most famous poets and. Norse mythology, gods and goddesses guide to iceland. It did what it set out to do, show the influences on icelandic sagas and how they were. Norse mythology is primarily attested in dialects of old norse, a north germanic language spoken by the scandinavian peoples during the european middle ages, and the ancestor of modern scandinavian languages.
Odins women goddesses ignored, forgotten and denied. Manual of mythology greek, roman, norse, and old german and egyptian mythology a mury 1893. Myths of northern lands, narrated with special reference to literature and art h. From asgard to valhalla is a book that will intrigue and delight anyone with an interest in how the norse myths have so profoundly shaped the western cultural heritage. Tolkien, whose middle earth is heavily indebted to germanic and norse mythology. Memorial essay on some phases of the maritime life of france and england directly traceable to the vikings o. Valhalla is depicted as a splendid palace, roofed with shields, where the warriors feast on the flesh of a boar slaughtered daily and made whole again each evening. A really interesting survey of the impact norse mythology has had on culture from the time it was first written down in iceland onward to the present day or at least the date of publication, earlier this century. Munchs handbook of norse mythology, which first appeared in 1840, was originally written as a supplementary volume to a school text on the history of norway, sweden, and denmark. A lecture on the discovery of america by the northmen a davis 1839.
The prose edda was written in the thirteenth century by the icelandic scholar snorri. Descendants of norse colonists in that country maintained a strong interest in their heritage even after becoming christian. Explore the open waters with me, and ill take you on a journey through the best viking tales. A picture from a 17thcentury icelandic book, showing heimdall guarding the doors of valhalla. From vikingage stories of ice and fire to the epic poetry of. Similarly, myths can be seen as encoding if not the religious. Just the thing for the literate fantasy lover and the.
The book is gaimans retelling of several stories from norse mythology. A major source of information about norse mythology is a book called the poetic edda, sometimes known as the elder edda. Valhalla is an important concept of norse mythology and religion of the vikings. Modern knowledge of norse mythology stems from medieval texts, most of them written in iceland. What we as a contemporary culture know of the pantheon of norse gods can be found almost exclusively in the icelandic sagas, written records of the oral tradition that spanned back to the germanic tribes of scandinavia. It draws from norse mythology to retell the story of the the death of odins son, balder, instigated by the. The characters in norse mythology by neil gaiman are the germanic gods and goddesses that form the basis of norse mythology as set down in iceland s poetic and prose edda. In the norse myths, the moment odin sat high on the throne of asgard, he became allknowing and ever powerful, as written by snorri sturluson in the prose edda. Details about 260 norse viking mythology books on dvd valhalla runes thor odin asgard gods 40. In it, odin s valkyries preside over all those warriors which were slain in battle, and deeemed worthy to attend. A vivid retelling of norse mythology that explores these legendary stories and their significance and influence on the viking world. Valhalla and its pantheon of gods and heroes have always fascinated readers, whether it is how these tales illuminate the viking world or influence cultural touchstones like j. In echoes of valhalla, jon karl helgason, a professor of icelandic and. Snorri wrote many generations after norse paganism had given way to christianity and ceased to be a living tradition, and he often went out of his way to artificially systematize the disparate material in his sources many of.
According to ancient icelandic sources, odin, king of the norse gods, rules this magical place in the spirit world where the fiercest warriors go to prepare for ragnarok after death. The norse mythology, preserved in such ancient icelandic texts as the poetic edda, the prose edda, and other lays and sagas, was little known outside scandinavia until the 19th century. The 10 best norse mythology books norse mythology for smart. With the widespread publication of norse myths and legends at this time, references to the norse gods and heroes spread into european literary culture, especially in scandinavia, germany, and britain. The children of odin norse mythology audiobook thor, loki, asgard, valhalla. The poetic edda by unknown, the saga of the volsungs by anonymous, the prose edda by snorri sturluson, norse mythol. The magician of storytelling metamorphosis brings a characteristic playfulness to this fresh and vibrant reincarnation the ice and fire tales of valhalla. Tolkien, whose middle earth is heavily indebted to germanic and norse mythology, as well as hollywood and comicculture. Its visual form, when described or depicted at all, varies considerably from source to source. Echoes of valhalla is a unique account of modern adaptations of the icelandic eddas poems of norse mythology and sagas ancient prose. Norse mythology is primarily attested in dialects of old norse, a north germanic language spoken by the scandinavian people during the european middle ages and the ancestor of modern scandinavian languages. A concise dictionary of old icelandic r cleasby 1910. During helgis voyage to iceland, he called upon thor for protection, as he often did when he found himself in an especially tricky, trying situation. The afterlife of the eddas and sagas helgason, jon karl, appleton, jane on.
The ultimate guide to vikings and norse gods in iceland. Valhalla simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Heather odonoghue considers the wider contexts of norse mythology, including its origins, medieval expression and reception in postmedieval societies right up to the present. The only old norse source that provides a direct statement about how people gained entrance to valhalla is the prose edda of snorri sturluson, a thirteenthcentury icelandic scholar. Valhalla is first mentioned in chapter 2 of the prose edda book gylfaginning, where it is described partially in. Unlike most ancient norse symbols, it doesnt seem to continue reading the. The entire norse pantheon, including dwarves and giants and demons, plays out as vividly as a novel or film. In norse mythology, gaiman brings voice to the old myths so viscerally that listening to the audiobook every night for a week, i thought my bedroom might explode into valhalla.
The 10 best norse mythology books norse mythology for. Echoes of valhalla by jon karl helgason from reaktion books. The 10 best norse mythology books odin riding sleipnir detail from the tjangvide runestone there are so many books on norse mythology out there, especially at the beginner level, that if you were to make a pile with one copy of each it would probably reach all the way up to asgard itself. From asgard to valhalla is a book that will intrigue and delight anyone with an interest in how the norse. In norse mythology odins daughters and wives are rarely mentioned. As a book for students and as a work of general reference it has maintained its popularity.
A guide to the gods, heroes, rituals, and beliefs by. In this illustration from a 17thcentury icelandic manuscript, heimdall is shown guarding the gate of valhalla. A lecture on the discovery of america by the northmen. A picture from a 17th century icelandic book, showing heimdall guarding the doors of valhalla. Valhalla in icelandic, translation, englishicelandic. According to the old norse poem grimnismal the song of the hooded one, the roof of the goldbright valhalla. Jackson crawford is instructor of nordic studies and n. Rare books on dvd norse viking legend mythology gods thor. Norse mythology has been processed in just this way, but in fact most of the work had been done for modern editors and storyretellers by the thirteenth century, in iceland, by an icelandic antiquarian and scholar called snorri sturluson.
The daulaires book of norse myths by ingri and edgar parin daulaire. In norse mythology, valhalla or valhall is a giant hall. Helgason follows the trail of 12thcentury icelandic literature and norse gods, heroes, and. In norse mythology, valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in asgard, ruled over by the. The children of odin norse mythology audiobook thor, loki.