Nordic Gods and Heroes

Buy and read a copy to you grandchildren; They will remember the experience forever. I actually reference back to this book when I do studies on philosophy and religion. There is much more here than meets the eye, and the stories have survived for millenia.

A little background on myself: I have a degree in Folklore, and as such, I have far more than a passing familiarity with the Norse myths. Looking for a refresher course, I picked up Padraic Colum's NORDIC GODS AND HEROES.I was utterly enchanted.What Padraic Colum has written is a far cry from the dry overviews typical of books with similar titles. Rather, he has rewritten several of the major Nordic myths in a style reminiscent of the Eddas themselves. This is not a translation of the songs sung by the ancient Norsemen - it is a reinvention of them. A reinvention that captures their lyric beauty and makes it fresh.What the reader is left with, then, is the stories themselves, stories that are no longer ancient and musty, but timeless and magical. The characters leap off the page (with the help of Willy Pogany's intricate, dynamic illustrations) as would characters from any classic fantasy novel. Odin, Thor, Loki, et. al. are no longer relegated to the basement of a museum as artifacts, but are vital and alive as they ever were.This book is not just recommended as an introduction to Norse mythology - although it certainly works very well as such. This is recommended as an entertaining story for anyone, most especially, I mention these days, to those who are fans of Tolkien's original LORD OF THE RINGS novels. (Remember, Tolkien was trying to write a new Norse saga, after all.) Reading Colum's take, you'll discover Tolkien was branching off an incredible source.

I liked this book because it is very accessible. For childeren and young adults this may be the best introduction to Nordic mythology. This book contains no bibliography, index, or glossary, yet its emphasis on the basics is also what is makes it attractive. Every story is preceeded by a black and white graphic that represents the main idea or characters of that story.The book is divided into four parts. The first is concerned with the stories about the Nordic pantheon and the daily interaction betweens gods and giants. The second part focuses on Odin and his travels and accomplishments. The third part focuses on Locki, the most crafty off all dwellers in Asgard. The fourth and final part sets up for the twilight of the gods and presents a resolution at Ragnarok. I definitely recommend this book.

It all happened before the world began, and the gods involved are all dead, to boot. Odin, and Thor, and Freya - the whole lot of them - are gone, long gone. But still, we do have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday...It is probably best, when talking of the gods and heroes of a people, to elevate one's tone a bit. And yet the tales must retain drama, and some humanity must stick to these wraiths, or there is no story. So the language cannot be too reverent or the whole thing becomes plodding and foreign.Padraic Colum strikes just the right note, it seems to me, in these connected tales that lead up to the world-destroying-and-recreation event of the Northern peoples, the Fimbul Winter and the Twilight of the Gods. His words are evocative and rhythmic, a bit old-fashioned, and he slips in, matter-of-factly, the strangeness of that world of heroes, giants, and dwarfs, where not only the people but their things have proper names. But contributing equally to the telling are the illustrations - particularly the line drawings - of Willy Pogony. (As Alice says, what is the use of a book without pictures?) And these pictures match and amplify the text so well because they seem limnings of a magical reality, suggested in a sparse vocabulary of line that lets imagination have free play.The whole book is lovely. It's a Dover book, with creamy pages, good binding, and a combination of print and display faces that add to the effect of the illustrations and prose. And it is a tale, really, not a reference work of Nordic myths, thanks be to Odin!

I first read this in elementary school, and I always had fond memories of it as it was my introduction to the subject (plus a few Thor comic books). Colum gives a straightforward presentation of the Norse myths. There are no mind-numbing discussions on the culture behind the stories or "the power of myth", just enjoyable tales, including the Ring saga. Pogany's many illustrations are primarily done in clear and crisp linework. 4 "plates" are included, basically color paintings from the early editions, but here in black and white - as a result, they look very cloudy, but nice nonetheless.