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Reviews tagging 'Blood'
The Saga of the Volsungs: The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer by
2 reviews
scoobygirl93's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, Alcohol, Infidelity, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, Animal death, Blood, Death, and Murder
fieldofhats's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
I feel like I need to rate these two sagas separately because they are extremely different in quality and tone. The Saga of the Volsungs is a solid 4 stars; the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok is 2 stars. Of course, Iâm glad both of these texts exist and Iâm glad to have read both of them for research and Pagan purposes, but that does not change the fact that Ragnarâs saga was awful. Especially when compared to the Volsunga Saga, or any other mainstream saga. The total combined rating for this volume is 2.5 stars, rounded up because I love the Volsunga Saga.
The Saga of the Volsungs is incredible. The characters are fascinating, and each of them have distinct flaws that become their ruin in the end. The emotional turmoil of the story is palpable, especially with the death of Sigurd and everything around that. I will say, though, that I prefer the Poetic Eddaâs version of this saga, but it is nice to have this version to compare and contrast.
The saga of Ragnar Lothbrok is a sorry excuse for a sequel to the Volsunga Saga, and not a very good story in general. The very beginning, the cinderella-like story with the spear-point, was fantastic, but the rest was extremely lacking. Itâs a story about death, avenging that death excessively with raids, and then more raids just for the fun of it. Itâs a very stereotypical Viking saga, which I guess is why itâs so popular, but compared to the emotional intricacies of the Volsunga Saga, itâs just plain bad.
I think the crucial difference between the two sagas are with the characters, specifically the main characters. Sigurd is a good man who only makes war when heâs obligated to. It talks about him going out with Gjukiâs sons, but thatâs never the focus of the story. He is a man of love, regret, shame, and strength. He is complex, and so are most of the other characters in that saga. Ragnar, by contrast, simply is not. He isnât particularly wise, he loves war, and he rapes his wife⌠As his son, Ăvar, says, â[Ragnar] is too proud and deals unrighteously with othersâ and is thus âshamefulâ. And his sons are, arguably, worse. His wife, KrĂĄka/RandalĂn, is an independent and outspoken character (and is one of the two most interesting characters because of that), but doesnât actually get any development. Ăvar is sort of like RandalĂn in that he has some depth, but not a whole lot of development. Heâs clever, and that trait stands out; but heâs still bent on murder and revenge, as we see in the last few chapters of the saga. And furthermore, none of the other characters have any distinct traits. They all blend together.
If youâre looking for something fun to read, the Saga of the Volsungs is entertaining, engaging, and emotionally impactful. The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok is the opposite of that. If youâre a Pagan, both sagas have a lot of references and allusions that are worth reading for, so it would probably be good to read. Otherwise, stay away from Ragnarâs saga.
The Saga of the Volsungs is incredible. The characters are fascinating, and each of them have distinct flaws that become their ruin in the end. The emotional turmoil of the story is palpable, especially with the death of Sigurd and everything around that. I will say, though, that I prefer the Poetic Eddaâs version of this saga, but it is nice to have this version to compare and contrast.
The saga of Ragnar Lothbrok is a sorry excuse for a sequel to the Volsunga Saga, and not a very good story in general. The very beginning, the cinderella-like story with the spear-point, was fantastic, but the rest was extremely lacking. Itâs a story about death, avenging that death excessively with raids, and then more raids just for the fun of it. Itâs a very stereotypical Viking saga, which I guess is why itâs so popular, but compared to the emotional intricacies of the Volsunga Saga, itâs just plain bad.
I think the crucial difference between the two sagas are with the characters, specifically the main characters. Sigurd is a good man who only makes war when heâs obligated to. It talks about him going out with Gjukiâs sons, but thatâs never the focus of the story. He is a man of love, regret, shame, and strength. He is complex, and so are most of the other characters in that saga. Ragnar, by contrast, simply is not. He isnât particularly wise, he loves war, and he rapes his wife⌠As his son, Ăvar, says, â[Ragnar] is too proud and deals unrighteously with othersâ and is thus âshamefulâ. And his sons are, arguably, worse. His wife, KrĂĄka/RandalĂn, is an independent and outspoken character (and is one of the two most interesting characters because of that), but doesnât actually get any development. Ăvar is sort of like RandalĂn in that he has some depth, but not a whole lot of development. Heâs clever, and that trait stands out; but heâs still bent on murder and revenge, as we see in the last few chapters of the saga. And furthermore, none of the other characters have any distinct traits. They all blend together.
If youâre looking for something fun to read, the Saga of the Volsungs is entertaining, engaging, and emotionally impactful. The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok is the opposite of that. If youâre a Pagan, both sagas have a lot of references and allusions that are worth reading for, so it would probably be good to read. Otherwise, stay away from Ragnarâs saga.
Graphic: Misogyny, Gaslighting, Sexism, Murder, Slavery, Death, Blood, and Emotional abuse
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