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

You can never learn enough. Knowledge is power and I love knowledge and learning. As an asatruer, I want to know all I can about the past and the people in it. This was a great bookto get started with

I ordered this book hoping to get what is pictured, that beautiful mint green and gold cover. What I got is a paperback textbook like item. While I stil enjoyed reading it, I was expecting the beautiful cover. The seller did give me a refund, but beware if you are ordering this book expecting to get the fancy version you probably won't.

Norse Myths was written by Kevin Crossley Holland. It is a book that retells the old norse lore in a way where the reader can understand them if they aren’t familiar with the older version, which is actually more complicated to read. There’s some problems I have with the book in general.

I feel that the author was very strange in inputting how Freya’s breasts would go up and down when she got mad, I felt it was an unnecessary add on to the story that played no real significance. There was also a lot of moments in the first part of the book where he had her crying, it was almost all she did. Certain points made me feel like the author was a bit sexist and had a poor understanding of norse culture. He didn’t seem to respect the fact that the religion was once a very real and living culture that should be respected for someone else’s beliefs. He used terms such as evil, which I know are included in some translations, but I just don’t think it was good for a retelling. He also added in things that didn’t happen in the original lore, details that added on more to what was there, which depending on how you see things, can be good or bad. While many people recommend this book for a good source, it isn’t exactly a great source, but it does have some positives.

What I liked was the easy read, I could clearly understand the words being used. The add-ons to the retelling wasn’t to bad, a lot of it made it seem more real than just the snippets of events that we often get in the original lore. As the book goes on, the retellings get better and better. The first part is absolutely horrible in a lot of areas, but when you get further in, it starts to get really interesting and more acceptable. The author stops making up weird things like breasts rising and seems to stick to a historical basis but adds on things that add more detail to a situation, which I feel tells the story in a very interesting way.

The big question is: Should you get this book?

Because of the lack of good books out there about the subject, I would suggest that you do! While there are a lot of things I don’t like about this book, it’s still better than nothing. If anything, you should get it for the retelling and easier understanding overall.

This is more of a scholarly paper. Not easily read with many, many Icelandic names with the characters changing their name several times with each 4 page myth. Several short stories that reflected events in the life of the gods with no meaning or moral to the stories. I enjoyed the history in the forward (about a quarter of the book) much more than the myths. I've read about half of the myths and just can't force myself to read any more

I had never read any norse myths before this point. Sure, I had heard of Ragnarok and the death of Balder but never with so much depth. It isn't often that the end notes transport you to another time. These truly give context to the stories that are being told and give the reader a sense of the scope of the culture and the narrative importance of these myths. It was a pleasure to read and a fascinating and informative experience.
In all Crossley-Holland utilizes a number of historical texts primarily sources from the 10th to 12 centuries across the nordic countries. Primarily though he focuses, and defers to the writings of 12th century Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson, author of the Prose Edda. As these myths are sourced from a strong oral tradition, the writings of Sturluson and others like represent a small fraction of what must have been out there. Where different sources of the time give complementary accounts of stories he combines them, flushing out myths to make them more three dimensional. Where there is dissonance in the narrative of a myth he explains his rational for which source he chose from and why, giving a fascinating insight into the historical scholarly process. So often when reading such a book we forget that what we are reading is one version of many and in so doing we lose some of the cultural dimensionality of a piece. All in all this work was so carefully and beautifully done that it was a true pleasure to read.

This is a beautiful book. The illustrations are colorful and earthy; they ignite your imagination at any age.
However, I made a mistake when I bought this book on another website. After reading the reviews on this site, I assumed the book I had bought was the same as had been described. After receiving the book from the UK, and realizing it was not, I was very frustrated. There are different publications for 'The Norse Myths' by Kevin Crossley-Holland. This one is a newer publication that only includes 15 of the original 32. It also excluded the notes and the introduction into Norse Mythology. The edition that is being described, is the 1981 publication by Pantheon.
Again, this really is a wonderful book in itself, and it is less expensive than the other. I just wanted to receive the item I assumed I had bought.

A great study on Scandinavian culture and religion before Christianity. The author explains how he tried to find the most original sources he could when re-telling these myths. This gives the reader the best picture of who Odin, Thor, Loki, and all the rest were portrayed before modern re-tellings. You will also learn some methods cultures with no written languages used to pass down knowledge orally. The challenge faced by the author was that most Scandinavians converted to Christianity and so the oral tellings of these myths stopped and were mostly lost within a generation. The author collected and studied the surviving written accounts and synthesized them into a coherent and chronological order. There are gaps and some contradictions, but the author offers extensive notes explaining each myth based on the information available.

Although I love reading books, I also like to play video games, and I can't help but notice all the references to Norse Mythology in video games nowadays. Odin makes consistent appearances in the Final Fantasy Series, the game Valkyrie Profile deals with readying for Ragnarok. Ragnarok is often the name of spaceships (FF8) or swords (FF6). Freyja and Fenrir appear in FF9. And so forth.
As this is my first book that I've read on Norse Mythology I am by no means an expert as to how good it stacks up against other books of the same subject. But I can tell you that this book reads very fast and is often VERY entertaining, as it reads more like a novel.
The book starts off with the introduction, which goes into the Norse World, the different sources that Kevin Crossley-Holland used for his translations, etc. What struck me most interesting about the introduction was that it mentions Ibn Fadlan. If you've heard that name before then you've probably been reading Michael Crichton's Eaters of the Dead, which is partially based on Fadlan's manuscript.
After the introduction, we get down to the stories themselves, starting with the Creation and ending with Ragnarok. As far as I can tell, KCH tried very hard to put the stories in some sort of chronological order, but every now and then you'll come across a story that seems a little out of place. The stories are not all verbatim translations, but rather retellings. In short, KCH found all the different versions of the same story and decided what was the most accurate version.
Poetry lovers will love KCH's use of alliteration in these stories, lines like: "An axe-age, a sword-age, shields will be gashed: there will be a wind-age and a wolf-age before the world is wrecked (pg. 173)."
In addition to the beautiful writing, there is a GREAT deal of humor to be found within the pages of this book. For example, ". . . the best you could say about Arrinefja's nose was that it was homely . . . (pg. 20)." Or the time when the trickster Loki tells Freyja that she looks rather ugly when she's bald. The time when a man and his wife tell their sons, " 'Your brother Otter is dead.' 'Dead?' exclaimed the brothers, leaping up. 'Dead. And what else do you think? His murderers are our guests for the night.' (pg. 137)."
The characters in the Norse Myths are easily recognizable and each have their own personalities. To my mind, though, the most interesting is Loki. Towards the beginning of the book, you can't help but like the guy. He cracks jokes and gets the gods into all sorts of trouble and then gets them out of it. Then, towards the end of the book, closer to Ragnarok, we see Loki undergo a terrifying change from trickster to pure evil.
After all the stories are the Notes. Primarily, the notes tell what sources KCH used for his retelling, a few parallels, etc.
Beyond the Notes, there is something that should please all--a glossary. If you ever forget who what'shisface is, just flip back there and the glossary will plainly tell you who he/she/it is and what myths they appear in.
For those of you that can't get enough of Norse Mythology I recommend the following books: "Eater's of the Dead" by Michael Crichton, the "Twilight of the Gods" series by Dennis Schmidt, the Seamus Heaney translation of "Beowulf", and just recently I came across a fantasy novel called "Beyond Ragnarok" (I haven't read it, but it might be worth looking into).

Fantastic book recounting the major Norse myths. Sufficient introduction preceeds a logical and mostly chronological progression of myths from creation to the Ragnarok. The writing style is not archaic, as some mythic renditions tend to be, but, as one reviewer aptly stated, contemporary. The relevant voice of the storyteller engages the reader emotionally with the gods in a frank way.

In addition to a strong writing style the author constructs this work with skillful attention to the elements of prose. As the myths are taken from epic poetry, and translated, necessarily they must be recreated as literary works crafted from the author/ translator's own hand. These renditions spring to life in their own right, fulfilling this translator's vocation.

Over many years of reading and re-reading these myths in this book, I have grown to appreciate more and more the author's endnotes. The discussion of sources, references, cultic traditions, cultural explanantions, and religious semiotics adds richness the reader can drawn on for decades. For example, the cult of Thor and Odin are contrasted in the notes to several different myths in a way that gives a sense not only of the subjects but of what their worshippers might have been like as well.

This book is a must for lovers of the Indo-European pagan traditions. Well done Kevin!

This is a really great resource for anyone interested in mythology or fantasy fiction. The introduction provides invaluable info about the gods, the Norsemen who created them, their environment, and the general historical period of their existence. Mr Holland goes into lengthy, but accessible, detail about the Vikings, often offering insightful commentary about the nature of the gods and the people who created them.

The myths themselves are very faithful to the original sources (which he provides commentary on in the index), and are highly entertaining to read. However, he has also put his own 'spin' on the myths while at the same time preserving the flavor and feel of the originals.

These stories are filled with mysticism, epic adventure, humor, action, and tragedy. Since Norse Myths have been the source or one of the sources for so much speculative fiction (like Tolkien, Rowling, Dan Simmons, etc.), those who like speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, and horror) would most likely enjoy these tales and the background Mr Holland provides.

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.

One day, I found this book lying around the house. Because I am part Norweigan and enjoy Noweigan music (Emperor, Dimmu Borgir), I thought I'd check it out. Three words describe the stories contained here: "What a trip!" There's rivers made of mestrual blood, hillarious insults ("Freja, you were caught in bed with your own brother and then you farted!"), and some very unexpected plot twists. The myths are very well explained and care has been taken to retain the "oral history" feel they've had for over a millenium. I don't read many books, but I can pretty much guarentee that this is worth your time. Buy it, check it out from the library, do whatever it takes to get it into your hands today and you won't be disappointed! Mr. Crossley-Holland has done an excellent job in making this ancient tales readable by modern people.

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

This book is wonderfully done with a thorough index (I think is important to have) and with long notes about each tale explaining it's meaning. (For MORE indepth meaning I suggest Masks of Odin by Elsa-Brita Titichenell). But this one covers it ALL! Even a glossary showing every Nordic name in the book, it's meaning AND the myth that the name appears in. Easy to read, and flows nicely. You'll be sucked into it! The author does a GREAT job using kennings (different names for the same person) to display the mood of each myth;That is something commonly overlooked, and something that needs to be kept in translation of the myths to show hidden meaning if you can find it. No, you won't be upset if you buy this one. Follow your blood!

Crossley-Holland has done a fine job retelling the Norse myths in language and images that a modern English reader can easily understand. While I have quibbles with some of his interpretations (he rather misreads Loki, for example), he gives ample notes at the back of the book, so the reader can easily trace the primary sources, and draw his own conclusions.
This is the one book every public library with a mythology collection needs to have on the Norse myths. There simply isn't much else that is suitable. It is clear enough to give to a jr. high student with a good grasp of reading, but meaty enough that an adult will also enjoy it. It also belongs in the personal library of anyone with an interest in mythology, Vikings, Scandinavia or Asatru.
For those who simply want a good overview, the extensive notes can be ignored. But, for anyone who wishes to go on to the Eddas, sagas and other rich, but daunting (to a beginner) sources, Crossley-Holland has given excellent pointers. He has managed a very nifty trick - to write a very good introduction to a difficult subject while not ignoring scholarship.

Unfortunately, most Americans rely on Marvel Comics for their interpretation of Norse mythology. Instead, more people should read Kevin Crossley-Holland's The Norse Myths. This book contains 32 myths that form the basis of the beginning, middle and end of lives of Odin, Thor, Freya and the others. And, while Kevin's grasp of the subject matter is encyclopedic, one can tell he also has a love for this mythology, and that passion comes across in his retelling of these mighty tales from our ancient ancestors. But Kevin doesn't stop nor start with the myths. His introduction contains extensive and valuable information about day-to-day life in the Viking Age, as well as the pantheon of the gods. Most importantly, the introduction contains the best dissertation on the relationship between the Norse gods and their antagonists, the giants, suggesting that each side is the opposite of the other, and without one, the other cannot exist and vice versa. And this sometimes-volatile yet necessary relationship between speaks to the true tragedy that is these tales. One last word about the introduction - it formed the basis for much of the research I did for my own viking fantasy-adventure novel! Kevin also includes a voluminous notes section that further offers his detailed and insightful analysis of the myths, which further aid in their translation. If all this weren't enough, there's also a glossary of names for quick reference. In short, if you were ever intrigued by the stories of Odin the one-eyed wanderer or mighty Thor, THIS book is an EXCELLENT place to start!I cannot recommend it enough.

John P. Ribner is the author of Legacy of the Bear (Book I of the Berserker's Saga), a viking fantasy-adventure novel that transcends historical fiction to deliver a hero's journey filled with action, adventure and emotion that resonates with today's readers.

This book is basically a retelling of the lore of the northern gods/goddesses rewritten in a modern very easy to understand story form, targeted for the modern reader. It is accurate, accessible, and enjoyable to read. For anyone interested in Asatru, or Heathenism, or Norse-Paganism, it is a must read. For anyone interested in the gods/goddesses, and mythology of the Vikings this is the book.

I liked this book mainly for it's extensive notes to go along with all of the stories. Western culture is not as well versed in Norse mythos as we are in greek mythos so having the notes and the intro helped me a lot. However, this book probably wouldn't be a good resource for someone who knows a lot about Norse mythology because this is very basic. But on the beginning of my scholarly search this was a good starting point.

This is an excellent and short introduction to Norse mythology, with background notes and a useful glossary in the back of the book. I found many of the tales highly engaging and entertaining, and that overall this seemed to be an excellent introduction to Norse Mythology.

I am familiar with a more simplified version of this book that is suitable (reading) for the Lower Elementary children I work with. However, the book that arrived is way too difficult for them and is suitable for much older readers so of no use for me in the classroom as intended.

This book represents a very good mix of a scholastic and entertaining retelling of the classic Norse myths. Additionally, the text includes historical and points of interest notes on each myth as an appendix. Readers will find this text enjoyable and informative.

This is an extremely fine book. It has been written in a scholarly way, but is interesting enough to be used for bedtime stories.
Crossley-Holland has based his re-telling of the Norse myths upon the surviving ancient poetry of medieval Iceland. This poetry, called the Eddas, can be very challenging to read. If you read this text first, however, the poetic Edda will come more easily.

This book is truly wonderful! The author captures the spirit of the Norse times perfectly. He keeps the myths true to the originals and manages to make it an exciting read. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Norse mythology and to whoever enjoys a good book.

This book is a great intro to Norse Mythology. The stories are well-written in a style that is easy to understand. The Introduction is outstanding, the sources are clearly stated, and each myth is discussed in the "Notes" section at the back of the book. As for the myths themselves: they are highly entertaining and will appeal to a wide audience. I highly recommend this book.

I liked this book, especially since the author drew from sources beyond Snorri. However, at the same time the author took liberties with the stories by adding conversations between characters that didn't take place in the original versions. That's fine for story telling, but to discuss the text with others you have to be able to recognize the difference between what the author added to the stories and what was in the originals. I was also disappointed that he did not include the complete text of Havamal or Voluspa. Otherwise this was an enjoyable introduction to Norse mythology.

My personal favorite book on the subject. As an Asatruar, it's a good reference guide & folklore collection. It was my introduction to the mythology of my ancestors, & I revisit it frequently. Highly recommended. Hails!

I've read multiple introductions to Norse Myth in other mythology books, and this book is more than "an introduction." It includes all of the important stories, a glossary, a detailed index, notes and sources for each myth/chapter. I don't see how you could get a better grasp of Norse Mythology than this without reading the Eddas.

I had been trying to find a quick, engrossing book so as to learn about Norse mythology. I hoped to find a collection of short, quick stories that I could read when I had a few minutes of spare time. This book is PERFECT for that! Also, the notes are great, providing a great deal of background.

I've just finished Kevin Crossley-Hollands book of Norse myths. It has an introduction with an overview of the myths followed by the myths. I'm not a huge fan of Norse mythology but I thought I would give this book a read anyway considering the immense impact Norse mythology had on fantasy writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert E. Howard.

The main god Odin cuts a striking figure with his wide brimmed hat, blue robe, shoulders each with a raven, and one eye missing. The story of how he hung from Yggdrasill for nine nights to find out what death is like has an obvious parallel to the story of Christ's crucifixion. Crossley-Hollands states that the similarity between the two is a coincidence.

The Norse gods struck me as mean-spirited. They are exactly what I would expect the gods of pirating barbarians to be like. The Vikings were not good people so their gods were not good as well.

The final story of Ragnarok is excellent. Ragnarok or as it is also called, "The Twilight of the Gods", is when the world comes to an end and the gods along with mankind die. After that a new world rises with the children of the deceased gods to govern it.

After reading this book, I think that the Norse myths have their merits, but I still think the myths are too macho and immoral to appeal to me.

I read kevin crossley-hollands book "viking! myths of gods and monster" which contains 17 of the myths from his "norse myths" book. For people looking for good stories this book is fine, and can provide some entertaining moments, but for those interested in learning about norse mythology, this book is utterly useless, and packed with fundamental errors, and i can only presume that the errors from "viking!..", comes from his "Norse myths" book.
The biggest error is that he claims that Hel is the realm of the giants, and Niflheim is realm of the dead. Hel was in fact the realm of the dead (ruled by loki's offspring of the same name), and Niflheim is merely the cold land to the north. Hel might have been placed in Niflheim, but niflheim is not realm of the dead. What might have confused the author is that below Hel, is NiflHel which is where the people that dies in hel, goes. (Nifl means fog).
Another error is that he claims that Bifrost is a flaming bridge, when in fact Bifrost is a rainbow bridge.
he also fails to mention that Jotunheim is home of the giants (the giants are not actually giants. "Jætter" translates better to throlls or orcs) as opposed to hel being the realm of giants. The only one capable of becoming a giant is utgards-loki, by the help of magic as he does in the "thor's expedition to utgard" myth.
All through the book there are errors in the myths and the ones i've mentioned and other errors, may seem unimportant to most people, but if an author wants to retell the myths of the norse, or any other, mythology, the first thing he should do, is to familiarize himself with the surroundings and the realms in which the myths take place, which this author fails miserably at.
It's probably worth noting that im a dane, and have great passion for the norse mythology and ancient religion and as such am more sensitive to such blatant errors.