Product Description

Wonderful collection of age-old tales assembled by noted scholar and folklore expert. Myths tell of the creation of the world; the deeds of such gods and heroes as Odin, Thor and Siegfried; the machinations of the evil Loki; and more. Entertaining and readable, these tales offer a striking presentation of the ancient Germanic and Scandinavian myths that have helped shape the literature and cultures of the modern West.Introduction. Index of Poetical Quotations. 64 illustrations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2283006 in Books
• Published on: 1993-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 480 pages

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable if inaccurate
The original publcation date of 1909 would explain why many of the tales are watered down and a Victorian morality imposed on them. The style is charming and readable, and there's a wealth of information to pursue. Guearber does some editorializing here and there, and the final chapter which attempts to draw parallels to Greco-Roman mythology was a waste of time. One clue that Guerber did not spend much time doing actual research is that she used Roman names for the "Greek" gods in that final chapter. I'm not familiar enough with Norse mythology to point out errors there, but several reviewers here on Amazon were outraged by Guerber's inaccuracy ... I consider this a good book to start a study of Norse mythology; it's an easy read, and if nothing else at least it tells you what to look for as you continue your reading elsewhere. This should NOT be your _only_ book about Norse myth. Definitely further research is needed since Guerber is not a completely reliable source herself.

A Must and a Classic
This book gives you something other books on Norse mythology do not. It contains 64 superb black and while illustrations which, for those who love mythology, are worth the price of the book alone. Also, this volume contains the most dramatic and compelling retelling of Ragnarok I have ever found.

In this book, the myths are partly stories and partly explanations of what stories and their characters mean. So it does not feel that you are actually reading tales. For a more "direct" reading of the tales I use Crossley-Holland's "The Norse Myths."

Also, I thought that too much was made of similarities between Greek and Northern mythology at the end of this book. Some comparisons feel artificial and strained. But one should keep in mind that this book was originally written in the 1920s, when linguists were very impressed, some would say "scandalized," by the apparent common origin of most European and some Asian languages. These languages, which today include all but three European languages, belong to the so-called Indo-European or Indo-Aryan group. It does appear that a number of characters in the Greek and Northern myths had a common Indo-Aryan prototype, but as already said, some similarities are farfetched and artificially constructed. The book contains a comprehensive index.

Fairy Tales
Having basic knowledge of Norse mythology, I found this book to be an abysmal excercise in disinformation. Not only it provides an overly simplified view of a very complex religion, it also censores many myths, not providing the full picture of characteristics of the gods. It seems like this book is aimed at younger audiences which could not handle adult subject matter, and is used to the iconic perceprion of mythology in general.
If you are seriously interested in this subject, I would stay away from this book.