Get the Ricochet app
Ricochet will work fine in a browser on your mobile devices, but for the best experience please download our app.
Norse mythology has become a big part of popular recent culture. Books, games, and movies with Norse themes abound, with flavors running from high epic fantasy to slapstick humor, and just about everything in between.
“Norse Mythology, The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook: From Vikings to Valkyries, an Epic Who's Who in Old Norse Mythology,” by Kelsey A. Fuller-Shafer, illustrated by Sara Richard, offers a gateway into Norse legend. It provides both the original myths and background and describes popular modern alterations to the mythology. It is broken into four parts.
The first part provides the historical background to Norse mythology, including the basic story arcs. It describes the times in which they arose, and the basic elements and beliefs of Nordic culture. This includes the structure of the mythical Norse world, including its basic parts. It also introduces the primary original sources of these legends and discusses how pop culture has altered the mythology.
The second introduces the gods and goddesses of the Norse pantheon. This includes profiles of each, their characteristics, and the main stories about them. The Aesir and Vanir make up what we consider the “good guys,” although they are revealed as having sketchy elements in their original forms.
The third presents the adversaries of the Aesir and Vanir. These include the giants (or Jotun) and various monsters with which the Norse gods fought. Among them are the Midgard Serpent and the Fenris Wolf. Loki numbers among these, too.
The fourth turns its focus to the human heroes of Norse myth. These include both mythical figures and actual historical figures whose deeds have been embellished into legend. Among the fictional heroes are the Volsung, Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons, and Hrolf Kraki and his Champions. King Harald, a historical figure who united Norway, is an actual individual braided into myth.
The book was written by an academic, but is far from dull. It offers a lively presentation of the players with many interesting sidebars and lots of unexpected information. This book is highly illustrated. The illustrations are not necessary to understand the content, but add to the reading experience. If you get an e-version you might want a reader capable of rendering the drawings in color.
“Norse Mythology” a useful guidebook for those interested in Norse myth. Whether you seek a readable introduction to it or are seeking a quick reference guide, it is worth reading.
“Norse Mythology, The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook: From Vikings to Valkyries, an Epic Who’s Who in Old Norse Mythology,” by Kelsey A. Fuller-Shafer, illustrated by Sara Richard, Adams Media, 2023, 240 pages, $16.99 (hardcover), $10.99 (e-book),$14,95 (audiobook) $29.99 (audio CD)
This review was written by Mark Lardas, who writes at Ricochet as Seawriter. Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, historian, and model-maker, lives in League City, TX. His website is marklardas.com.
Discussion (7)
CHARTER MEMBER
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
Academics don't have to be devoid of personality. From my first math prof, who defected along with the MiG he was flying, to the Classics prof who would don the guise of a priest of Apollo to prophesy football scores, a few were actually interesting.
CHARTER MEMBER
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
The tricky part in this area is that the narrative-level sources are all Christian at least a generation or two removed from anyone with an authentically pagan world view. And, of course, as with the Golden Bough, there are local variations in time and place. Sometimes Tyr is top dog, sometimes Odin. Thor appears to have been a frequent top dog in Julius Caesar's day. One suspects that, in their earlier oral forms these stories would have made the original Grimm's Fairy Tales look like an episode of Barney.
CONTRIBUTOR
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
They do mention all of that in this book. The big surprise for me was that in pagan times, Odin was the god of thunder, not Thor.
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
Interesting. We had a Norse expert here for awhile in @JacksonCrawford, but I think he moved on from Ricochet.
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
Do you suppose he would return if we made a post detailing the obvious homosexual subtext in the Loki/Thor relationship which was always a part of Norse culture until the Crusaders came and rewrote all the myths? Or would we have to be more provocative?
You're seeing five of seven comments. Sign in, or join for just $5 per month, to read them all and add your own.