The Norse Myths

Fülszöveg

$24-95 (CAN. $33.95)
THE NORSE MYTHS

Gods and goddesses; mighty heroes and indomitable women; dragons, serpents and cosmic wolves; the great World-Tree, inhabited by magical and monstrous creatures The Norse myths speak to us as vibrantly today as when they were told in Viking halls centuries ago. Originating in ancient Scandinavia and Iceland, they were recorded in sagas and poems, and in the (less approving) accounts of medieval Christian writers. Archaeology also gives us tantalizing depictions of Viking ships, eight-legged horses, and titanic battles on runestones, metalwork and carvings. Through Carolyne Larrington's vivid new translations from the Old Norse we meet the inhabitants of this rich mythological cosmos face to face.
Beginning with an account of the Norse myths' origins and survival, the book continues by introducing the principal gods and goddesses—63inn (Odin), Loki, borr (Thor), Freyja, Heimdallr and the rest—before examining the gods' powerful... Tovább

Fülszöveg

$24-95 (CAN. $33.95)
THE NORSE MYTHS

Gods and goddesses; mighty heroes and indomitable women; dragons, serpents and cosmic wolves; the great World-Tree, inhabited by magical and monstrous creatures The Norse myths speak to us as vibrantly today as when they were told in Viking halls centuries ago. Originating in ancient Scandinavia and Iceland, they were recorded in sagas and poems, and in the (less approving) accounts of medieval Christian writers. Archaeology also gives us tantalizing depictions of Viking ships, eight-legged horses, and titanic battles on runestones, metalwork and carvings. Through Carolyne Larrington's vivid new translations from the Old Norse we meet the inhabitants of this rich mythological cosmos face to face.
Beginning with an account of the Norse myths' origins and survival, the book continues by introducing the principal gods and goddesses—63inn (Odin), Loki, borr (Thor), Freyja, Heimdallr and the rest—before examining the gods' powerful adversaries, the giants of ice and fire. According to the Norse creation myths, the world was born, and continued, in violence; two chapters are devoted to the {mis)adventures of the men and women of heroic legend and their sometimes unsettlingconceptions ofheroism and sacrifice. The last chapter is, fittingly, dedicated to ragnarok—the final conflict in which most of the gods will die and the world come to an end, with a hint at the possibility of rebirth.
The Norse Myths offers fresh retellings of the vivid, often funny, almost always bloodthirsty tales of the Norse gods and heroes, and a satisfying exploration of their meaning and significance, past and present. The old stories have found new life in the work of Wagner, William Morris and J. R. R. Tolkien, and even in the reimagining of the fimbulwetr, or "Mighty Winter," in Came of Thrones.
(Front, clockwise from top left): Loki bound; sacrifice scene; Fenrir devours 63inn; OSinn riding Sleipnir; Viking warship; trampling horse. {Back, clockwise from top): P6rr and giant Hymir fishing; Vikings; monstrous serpent; Hjadningavlg warriors, jacket artwork by Alex Wright based on images from: Austers stone, Gotland; Kirkby Stephen stone, Cumbria; Stora Hammars 1 stone, Gotland; Thorwald's Cross, Isle of Man; Tjangvide stone, Gotland. © Thames & Hudson Ltd, London.




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Carolyne Larrington is Professor of Medieval European Literature, University of Oxford, and official Fellow and Tutor, St John's College. Her recent books include Winter is Coming: The Mediei^al World of Game of Thrones (2015), The Poetic Edda: Essays on Old Norse tVlythology (with Paul Acker) and a revised and expanded translation of The Poetic Edda (2014). She wrote The Land of the Creen hAan: A Journey through the Supernatural Landscapes of the British Isles (2015) and presented BBC Radio 4's accompanying series The Lore of the Land, exploring British folklore.
Other titles of interest The Celtic Myths
A Guide to the Ancient Cods and Legends Miranda Aldhouse-Creen 82 illustrations
The Egyptian Myths A Guide to the Ancient Gods and Legends Carry J. Shaw 95 illustrations
The Greek and Roman Myths A Guide to the Classical Stories Philip Matyszak 95 illustrations
Thames & Hudson
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THE PERFECT INTRODUCTION TO THE VIKING AND SCANDINAVIAN LEGENDS
The World-Tree Yggdrasill • the Norse gods, the /Es\r and Vanir, proud and quarrelsome • their leader, one-eyed OSinn, protector of human followers, but treacherous when their death-hour comes • mighty, hammer-wielding Porr, battler of giants • the goddess Freyja and her dwarf-wrought Brisinga men neck-ring • trickster Loki, who both averts trouble and causes it • Loki's monstrous children, Fenrir the wolf and Jormungandr the world-serpent, fated to destroy the gods • dragons and giants, enemies of the /Esir • the doomed love affair between Sigur9r and the Valkyrie Brynhildr • the Viking heroes Sigmundr, Ragnarr
Shaggy-breeches and StarkaSr • cross-dressing Viking Hervor, the girl who defies the dead • the death of shining Baldr, heralding ragnarok, the end of the world

thamesandhudsonusa.com $24.95 (can $33.95) ISBN 978-0-500-25196-6 Vissza