What are
/r/norsemythology's
favorite Products & Services?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
The most popular Products mentioned in /r/norsemythology:
The most popular Services mentioned in /r/norsemythology:
Barnes & Noble
Academia.edu
Audible
The most popular reviews in /r/norsemythology:
The distinction between Æsir and Vanir very likely just rests on a misunderstanding and subsequent mythographical embellishment by Snorri Sturluson. Check out Rudolf Simek - "The Vanir. An Obituary" & Frog & Jonathan Roper - "Verses versus the Vanir: Response to Simek's 'Vanir Obituary'".
Thanks for the recommendation, just found it on Amazon and bought it :)
For anyone reading, link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Norse-Mythology-Neil-Gaiman/dp/1408891956/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Norse+Mythology&qid=1617048947&sr=8-3
The poetic edda is sort of an essential read. It's actually very accessible, especially if you get a good translation, and especially if you already have some idea of what it's about beforehand, and ideally if the book has some notes. I'd recommend Larrington's translation, and to get some idea of what the stories are about before tackling it, I'd recommend reading Crossley Holland's retellings. Of course there are other translations of the poetic edda, and other good sets of retellings as well ...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006WM1H48/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_iftsFbDH5GNKV
One of the posters on the page offers a description of the runes, quote: The runes are: Tiwaz (victory and justice), Ansuz (inspiration and knowledge), and Fehu (wealth and prosperity).
I'm a fan!
If you have time to Google then you have time to look something up in a handbook where topics are arranged in alphabetical order:
Drop 20 bones on this bad boy.
> Also, I’m told the stories of the pantheon involve…
I think it might help you to give these stories a read for yourself, specifically from the source texts. My recommendation is to get this version of the Poetic Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199675341/ref=mp_s_a_1_1) and this version of the Prose Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Edda-Everymans-Library-Snorri-Sturluson/dp/0460876163/ref=mp_s_a_1_1). Give those a read and I’d be interested to hear whether you are inspired to update your theory.
Loki is a particularly intriguing character who may be a hypostasis of Odin according to one theory, may be one of Odin’s brothers who assisted in the creation of mankind according to another, and may be related to common-class folklore about a tricky hero who upsets the order imposed by nobility according to yet another. It’s unclear why he is portrayed as a helpful character and friend to the other gods in certain myths, and as a downright murderous villain in others. I’m personally pretty skeptical about the idea that he could be adapted from Jesus, but far be it from me to discourage out-of-the-box thinking :)
The vast majority of Norse myths come from two books that are surprisingly accessible to modern audiences if you have a good translation. And as it so happens, they are also pretty cheap!
My recommendation is to get this version of the Poetic Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199675341/ref=mp_s_a_1_1) and this version of the Prose Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Edda-Everymans-Library-Snorri-Sturluson/dp/0460876163/ref=mp_s_a_1_1).
This Poetic Edda and this Prose Edda
The Poetic Edda translated by Carolyne Larrington, 2014 and the Prose Edda translated by Anthony Faulkes, 1995 ;)
The vast majority of Norse mythology (including all of the myths you will ever encounter in popular media) is contained in two books: the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda.
The Poetic Edda is a collection of poetry about gods and heroes that was largely composed during the pagan era. The Prose Edda is a medieval scholarly work that recounts ancient myths in an effort to educate people on the references found in pagan poetry. You can read modern retellings, but these invariably alter the source material in ways the original composers of the ancient poetry did not intend. I highly recommend reading the actual sources rather than any modern retellings. Specifically:
This version of the Poetic Edda and this version of the Prose Edda.
You’re graduating, friend. Time to read the two books all these stories actually came from:
Well you're asking in r/norsemythology so I'm going to recommend you get him the two main sources of Norse Mythology: the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda.
Personally I love the Poetic Edda as well. Here is the version I read. It's a little clunky, but the explanations are pretty great and I learned a lot from read it.
I've also read The Age of Vikings by Anders Winroth which does (in my amateur opinion) a good job of going over a number of details of Norse/Viking life, also it doesn't delve into the mythology too much.
Edit: I'm sure there are far more knowledgable people than me who can give you better sources, but as someone who wanted to casually learn about Nordic culture between studying two wholly unrelated subjects I found both of these sources to be excellent.
Johan Egerkrans has a beautifully illustrated book about monsters and beings out of Scandinavian folklore which might be in line of what you’re looking for.
IMO the best Prose Edda you can buy is also available for free here: http://vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/EDDArestr.pdf
It's the Faulkes translation from 1995. If you want to buy a hard copy, you can do that here: https://www.amazon.com/Edda-Everymans-Library-Snorri-Sturluson/dp/0460876163
The drawing was me trying to draw the triquetra that is on the hammer on to paper and I forgot to add that I was trying to figure out what the thing that kind of looks like a small Jormungandr, because I typed a bit to fast for my phone to keep up with speed.
I found Mjolnir with an Arrow Head and an Axe with a Wolf on on side and Crow on the other side. Here's a Link to the three things.
Medieval Belt Pouch Viking Renaissance Leather Coin Pouch Medieval Waist Bag Leather Drawstring Pouch Steampunk Belt Bag Dice Bag LARP Cosplay Costume Accessories for Men Women Brown https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09V7YTJKF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_A0H998HB5ZK0M6QRTHZQ
Probably some much cooler, authentic ones out there but I was on a crunch 😁
Valknut - GuoShuang Stainless steel Nordic viking odin symbol valknut Raven Ring amulet With Valknut Gift Bag https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08MKJTT9C/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_EJ7400DFX89P3GXPZ9Z9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Mjolnir- JewelryWe Biker Men's Ring Stainless Steel Thor's Hammer Signet Ring, for Valentine’s Day https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B076HNGHKZ/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_B1P12ASX9J1YNDPJKQ49?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
This is the book I started reading. It isn't exactly what you're looking for but it is an excellent translation with interpretations and plenty of footnotes about with everything.
It doesn't read exactly like a novel, but each story is pretty self contained and easy to read. Hope it helps :)
I really enjoyed "norse mythology" by Neil Gaiman. Ended up listening twice and buying the hardcover.
This book is really good! Lots of great illustrations and is fun to read for all ages (in my opinion) :)
Norse Gods by Johan Egerkrans https://www.amazon.com/Norse-Gods-Johan-Egerkrans/dp/9132198140 Maybe that's not too much text and information in it, but the illustrations is the point. My personal favourite
This is the advice Hother got about travelling into the frozen north to get from Mimming the sword he could use to kill Balder: Take a sledge with reindeer to pull it as those animals can easily move across snowy ground.
.... according to Saxo Grammaticus's version of the Hother / Balder story.
The picture is one of the ones I made to illustrate my Stories from Saxo book.
Oh right, that's good. Not sure I expected to get the right one!
If you're interested then my English translation of that ballad is included in The Faraway North ... though be warned, that version doesn't include the cross-dressing episode.
Hi all, this is not strictly mythology, but a historical figure who certainly has a lot of myths and legends surrounding him. In this book I discuss if Ragnar Lothbrok was actually a single man, or made up from the stories of many ancient Norse warriors. So I thought this Kindle ebook on might be interesting to members of the community, it's free to download until April 8th.
If you enjoy it, an honest review on Amazon would be appreciated. But if you have any criticism, I would prefer you let me know via PM or leave a message here instead of leaving a negative review, so I can get it corrected right away for future readers.
Thanks!
The link above is for the US Amazon site, for your country's regional equivalent, you can change the URL suffix such as:
Canada - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B06XXWMXRR
The Children of Odin The Book of Northern Myths by Padriac Colum really fits what you're looking for. It's told in a chronological order and it's told like a story. Another thing I like about is the illustrations that go with each chapter.
If I understand what you are looking for correctly, then you might want to check out Ragnarök by AS Byatt: http://www.amazon.com/Ragnarok-S-Byatt/dp/0802120849/ I think that might be what you are after.
Others have suggested the two Eddas, and I can only second that suggestion. But if you are looking for a retelling, then Kevin Crossley Holland's Norse Myths is a good one. It isn't a novel tho': http://www.amazon.com/dp/0241953219