Sagas and Beliefs of Norse Mythology - A Concise Guide to Gods

I loved this book before I had only a vague idea about Norse mythology and I now understand all off the important concepts and more about the most major gods. However I think any one under 13 might get bored.

This was an amazing short journey into the wonderful world of Norse mythology. I've started several books on the subject but became bored with confusing details and bogged down descriptions. Don't let the size of this book fool you. The author covers all aspects that I have found in other anthologies but with a straight, to the point writing style that was informative yet not overbearing. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Norse culture. Also a big plus are the links to extended information on websites that really do prove worthwhile.

Much better than some of the other low-cost/free Norse mythology books out there. Clear writing, actually goes into some detail of the stories (the best part of the mythology!). Also, it is truly concise -- a very quick read. Perfect primer on the topic.

It is a concise survey of various facets of Norse mythology, but it suffers from poor organization and documentation. The author relies almost exclusively on web sources and frequently makes assertions without any evidence or reasoning to support them. I would like the author to expand on the influence their mythology had on Norse culture. The bok also could be better edited; there are several misspellings, incorrect words, and several of attributions and acknowledgments are clumsily inserted in the middle of passages.

This is meant to be a very, very basic introduction to Norse Mythology . . . And it is not bad, but there are a couple of small problems. The first is that the author seems to have very little or no knowledge of the Old Norse language, and as a result uses transliteration from several different systems to represent Norse names and words - not terrible, but it does give a disjointed feel to the whole thing, as some names and words are straight from Old Norse, and others are highly Anglicized in various ways. Also, there are a few blatant factual errors in the book - e.g. that Odin is the Norse version of Wodan, a GREEK (sic!) god! Nope! Still, it does present some of the basics fairly well.

it's not the fault of the author that I am not a fan of this book. It's the subject matter. Sorry, but the tales of Norse mythology in this book seem really stupid to me. You can counter that our own religions are pretty stupid as well, and I don't need to argue that point. It's just that as I'm reading these ridiculous stories, I'm wondering what idiot wrote them. What idiot came up with Norse mythology? Just because it used to be the foundation for someone's religion doesn't mean I have to respect it. I don't. It's really stupid. Don't tell me what I have to respect. In order to be politically correct, must I pretend that some moronic stories are anything but moronic? I'll be satisfied with the truth, and forget about political correctness.

The dead good guys will go to Valhalla where they will continue to practice their arts of war. When Ragnarok comes, the big battle, the big Armageddon, all the good guys will rush to fight in it, will get wiped out, and then another cycle will start. That's nice. Whose nightmare was that? And what's the point? I don't get any point out of it, just some dope making up some dopy story.

You could counter that any other religious book or "mythology" book is just some dope making up some dopy story too, but I don't see it that way. There are moral values discussed. Not here. Here, it's a religion devoid of moral values. The culture just valued violence. The only virtue was courage. I don't accept courage as being the only virtue. I don't accept the moral values of the marauding Vikings. In fact, I don't see much courage being displayed when Vikings raid a monastery in England and murder a bunch of nuns and monks in order to steal their stuff. I find their mythology to be empty and stupid.

Keep in mind that today's religion is tomorrow's mythology. The ancient Greeks didn't consider their religion (Zeus, Athena, etc.) as just a "mythology". Jews don't consider Yahweh to be just a character in mythology. Christians don't consider the trinity to be characters of mythology. It's very dismissive to apply the term "mythology" to someone's religion, as if today we know the truth and the ancients were a bunch of dopes.

I enjoyed this book very much. A thorough summary or overview of Norse religious beliefs that leads you to wanting more. And Mr. Carlson gives us more by inserting links to websites that contain an expansion of the particular subject matter at hand. We learn the Norse creation myth, their god and goddesses and the nine worlds. Nine is an important number throughout the mythology as we discover later. Discussion continues with Valhalla, Ragnarok and the Nordic sagas.

One the more interesting parts, for me, was the section on the influence of Norse mythology on our lives today. I was unfamiliar with much of this and found it intriguing. In conclusion Mr. Carlson outlines the circular nature of the Norse outlook as opposed to the linear approach used by the Christian world.

All in all an excellent overview.

this digest of the life and times of the Norse gods was a quick way to familiarize oneself with the most prominent gods and their origins, duties and responsibilities, who they wed, their off spring, etc. There are so many Norse gods and they are so intricately entwined in daily life it's no wonder the Vikings were warlike, because I certainly would also be. The author is adept at getting right to the point, highlighting the key aspects of each god and their relationship to the others.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and makes me feel more knowledgeable about the gods of the Vikings.

Norse Mythology; A Concise Guide to Gods......

Chapter Two….ah, the people looking for proof of Aliens among early civilizations will love this chapter!

Well-structured writing allows the author to include vast numbers of names the Gods wore, and without too much confusion in the mind of the American reader. The concise wording keeps the reader’s interest and adds gutsy life to the tidbits of actions the Gods are known for.

Aspiring authors would do themselves a favor reading this book, as it is full of potential stories to be had for the making. The author of this book has done a thorough job creating the strong bones and it is up to the reader to flesh out the action and motives into exciting novels or daydreams (or even night dreams).

This was a fun read, not boring.

Rober Carlson provides lots of insight on the Norse legends and sagas. He explains how those myths were created. Very short material, just enough to find out for the curious hearts who would like to know about Norse mythology… the very things the Vikings believed and talked about in everyday of their lives. Great material for those who don’t like to read vast materials that are overloaded with the information, and have a little time and patience at their hands.

Very self-explanatory and brief. Enter the realm of giants, and gods.

This is a valuable book, particularly for someone who reached adulthood in the years before Hobbits were household words, and before the first Harry Potter book appeared -- like this reviewer! It's increasingly clear to me, as someone who was raised in an exclusively Judeo-Christian tradition, where "history" might have alluded to Norse mythology but little more, that I missed a whole lot on the way in. Young people today have circumvented -- largely due to the efforts, scholarship, creativity, etc., of Tolkien (by the way, an Anglican) -- the constricted views of ancient history my generation was limited to, and tend to be fairly familiar with the material in this book by the time they are in seventh grade. (As an indication how familiar they now are, I'm reminded that the familiar OMG interjection in online conversation can, in some circles, be replaced for a time by OMGAG (Oh My Gods And Goddesses).

One paragraph from the book shows the influence this material had:
"In terms of literature, Norse mythology was the inspiration for the brilliant fantasy novels The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien and surely also played a part in the Harry Potter books by J K Rowling. Music too, particularly opera, would be much poorer if Richard Wagner had not submerged himself in his Nordic heritage and produced that thrilling, stupendous and lushly orchestrated score for Der Ring des Nibelungen. Edvard Grieg also composed a fabulous score for his opera about Olaf Trygvason in 1870. Norse mythology has also been popularized by Marvel comics, movies and video games, pinball machines in gaming arcades and of course computer games, not to mention in strategy games in management training "

While I see this book from the perspective of an older adult trying to make up lost time in learning about Norse mythology, I can also see it as useful to younger people who may want a very convenient place to quickly look up some Norse mythological creature or event in its context. As I read this book I could not help but be reminded of the current presidential campaign season in the United States, although I doubt the author had that in mind.

I'm glad to have had the opportunity to read this book, and I wish I had been exposed to this material decades ago. Definitely worth reading!!

Norse mythology is such a wonderful, complicated subject to try and communicate to others. This book manages to do so, not only quickly, but easily. It was an easy read that helped me really gain an understanding of Norse mythology, where most books are too detailed for me to really keep track of. A must read for any fan of Norse mythology, especially for those who are trying to start their journey into things like this. 10/10 would recommend!!!

A good solid 3. Sorry I reserve 4 and 5's for great books like Les Miserables or A Tale Of Two Cities .

I throughly enjoyed this introduction to Norse mythology. The links are something I will check out next. For a short tome, this book packs a decent, but not an overwhelming, amount of information. Provides a jumping off point for more independent reading.

This book was very useful to me and this book was very interesting. I would recommended this book to anyone who is interested in enlarging their knowledge on the fascinating topic of Norse mythology. It covers a range of topics including the gods, the heavenly worlds and the tales. So why not the fifth star? Maybe a bit more info on less well known gods. Still very good.

I have wanted to get a greater understanding of Viking / old Norse culture since reading Tim Severin's excellent 'Viking' trilogy, and this e-book is just what I wanted. It provides a reasonably simple, easy to absorb overview of the ancient Norse creation story and the various gods, mythologies and theologies of these legendary folk. A great read if you want to get to grips with this fascinating subject.
The writing style is quite relaxed - and you feel you could quite happily sit and chat with Robert Carlson about what you learn from him in this book.
Now I am hungry for more knowledge!

An uncomplicated and easy to read intro to Norse mythology without the usual density of names and entangled events. Signposts offered for further reading too, which is useful and thoughtful. A well executed project that does the job. Thank you

A solid 4&1/2 stars, pretty well written account of an ancient belief system that some ascribe to even in this day and time. Man, it seems, has always sought to believe in something greater than one's self, making me ever more thankful of my Christian faith. My faith is not founded within the confines of modern day beliefs, but rather can be traced back to the Great I Am of ancient Hebrews, and fulfilled through the sacrifice of My Father's Son, Jesus Christ, on the Cross, for all of mankind. A simple gift that we cannot bargain for or pay for through any means of our own. Sadly there are people who place their faith in a mythology such as the Norse narrative. Still in all, Norse Mythology is an interesting subject which gives an insight into one group's quest for something greater!

This is a great little read to recommend to anyone not familiar with Germanic and Norse paganism, from tales of old, to modern day followers of the path and where to find them. Thank you for sharing this work, it is a kindness to share ,especially when it empowers and enlightens.