laurenjpegler's review against another edition
2.0
Original Rating: 2.5 stars.
Norse mythology (you know, Odin, Thor & Loki) has interested me for a while now. But I've recently been watching History Channel's Vikings and my interest has peaked. Listening to them talk of such stories had me searching for a book on their myths. I came across this one; it's highly praised, so I ordered it immediately. Now, my average rating has nothing to do with Kevin Crossley-Holland's retelling of the myths; I actually think he was really good at capturing them. It's more about the myths themselves.
To break that down for you: I enjoyed the first few myths (up until about page 80), but, after that, I kind of lost interest in the stories until the very end one. To begin with, I appreciated their eccentricity and complete lack of sense, but I grew bored of it very quickly. It's so weird to think this belief was once held in such high esteem; that people looked towards such unjust and uncivil gods (when I said that, I mean murderers, sadists and incestuous gods). However, at the same time, this is really fascinating to me. It's a weird one. But, yeah, I grew bored of the random nature of the stories, and how they often made no sense at all.
Despite this, I did enjoy some of the myths. I particularly enjoyed 'The Creation' and 'Ragnarok'. They were so unusual, yet so fun to read. The former story was so brutal and discomforting to read, especially as I am so familiar with the Christian's belief on creation. However, it was truly interesting to see how Vikings believed the world was created, and how everything contained within this was created. I liked the idea that a giant crow sits at the end of the Earth, and when he blows it creates wind. As I said, it was unusual. Moreover, the latter story was utter mayhem and chaotic, but it was really fun to read. It was also fun to imagine (and I'm glad I don't believe in this otherwise I would be so terrified of Ragnarok actually happening to focus on anything meaningful).
Other than that, my only criticism is the potential Crossley-Holland had with the stories. I know he was re-telling the ancient poetry, and so probably wanted to stick as close to that as possible, but there was definitely room for him to explore more. He could have painted the stories so much more vibrant and fun instead of describing them so dull and plain. He could have made them more engaging and not taken away from their authenticity.
Anyway, I'm glad I read this. I now know more about norse mythology, so whenever I'm watching Vikings or Thor (even though Marvel's Thor is completely different to 'Prose Edda' Thor) I can appreciate what they're saying.
Norse mythology (you know, Odin, Thor & Loki) has interested me for a while now. But I've recently been watching History Channel's Vikings and my interest has peaked. Listening to them talk of such stories had me searching for a book on their myths. I came across this one; it's highly praised, so I ordered it immediately. Now, my average rating has nothing to do with Kevin Crossley-Holland's retelling of the myths; I actually think he was really good at capturing them. It's more about the myths themselves.
To break that down for you: I enjoyed the first few myths (up until about page 80), but, after that, I kind of lost interest in the stories until the very end one. To begin with, I appreciated their eccentricity and complete lack of sense, but I grew bored of it very quickly. It's so weird to think this belief was once held in such high esteem; that people looked towards such unjust and uncivil gods (when I said that, I mean murderers, sadists and incestuous gods). However, at the same time, this is really fascinating to me. It's a weird one. But, yeah, I grew bored of the random nature of the stories, and how they often made no sense at all.
Despite this, I did enjoy some of the myths. I particularly enjoyed 'The Creation' and 'Ragnarok'. They were so unusual, yet so fun to read. The former story was so brutal and discomforting to read, especially as I am so familiar with the Christian's belief on creation. However, it was truly interesting to see how Vikings believed the world was created, and how everything contained within this was created. I liked the idea that a giant crow sits at the end of the Earth, and when he blows it creates wind. As I said, it was unusual. Moreover, the latter story was utter mayhem and chaotic, but it was really fun to read. It was also fun to imagine (and I'm glad I don't believe in this otherwise I would be so terrified of Ragnarok actually happening to focus on anything meaningful).
Other than that, my only criticism is the potential Crossley-Holland had with the stories. I know he was re-telling the ancient poetry, and so probably wanted to stick as close to that as possible, but there was definitely room for him to explore more. He could have painted the stories so much more vibrant and fun instead of describing them so dull and plain. He could have made them more engaging and not taken away from their authenticity.
Anyway, I'm glad I read this. I now know more about norse mythology, so whenever I'm watching Vikings or Thor (even though Marvel's Thor is completely different to 'Prose Edda' Thor) I can appreciate what they're saying.
lukija's review against another edition
3.0
Nykyproosaksi taivutettua mytologiaa pohjoisesta viikinkien ajalta. Tekemisen meininkiä, jumalia ja jättiläisiä, rakkaussuhteita, seikkailuja, taisteluja ja petoksia. Maailman luomisesta maailmanloppuun. Jumalat inhimillisiä ja ihmiset inhimillisempiä. Hyvä ei ole aina hyvä ja paha ei ole aina paha. Kunnian vahva rooli toiminnassa. Nauratti helposti hermostuva, simasieppo ja ratkaisuvalinnoiltaan hieman yksioikoinen Thor, joka oli valmis huiskimaan vasarallaan ennen kuin mietti asiat loppuun asti. Seikkailukuvausten joukossa muutama tragedia ja yllättäen muutama humoristinen pala. En ajatellut kertomusten monipuolisesti opettavan kuulijaansa tai lukijaansa muuhun kuin urhoollisuuteen, rohkeuteen ja kunnian suojelemiseen (näissä jo paljon). Joukossa muutama aktiivinen ja sanavalmis nainen tai naisjumaluus, joten ei pelkkää miehistä voimainmittelöä. Loki ristiriitaisuudessaan oli kenties kiinnostavin hahmo: paikoin traaginen hahmo ajautuessaan ikäviin tilanteisiin, joista selviää vain vilunkipelillä ja toisaalta ilkeä juonittelija, joka tekee muiden jumalien, jättiläisten ja ihmisten elämästä hankalaa.
Kirjoittaja on alan akateeminen asiantuntija ja se näkyy kirjan toimitustyössä ja hyvässä johdannossa näiden myyttien maailmaan, tekstien syntyhistoriaan, kontekstiin ja niin edelleen.
Kirjoittaja on alan akateeminen asiantuntija ja se näkyy kirjan toimitustyössä ja hyvässä johdannossa näiden myyttien maailmaan, tekstien syntyhistoriaan, kontekstiin ja niin edelleen.
pakramsnukas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
fieldofhats's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Spoilers for the story structure and myths.
The structure of this book is brilliant because it uses the structure of the Prose Edda (with the exception of the prologue) as a base, with Gylfi disguised as Gangleri going to Asgard to question the gods about their stories, although Kevin Crossley-Holland’s version is much more dramatized and entertaining than the medieval literature style of Snorri Sturluson. It changed the reason for him going, but it makes more sense within the context; in the Prose Edda, the story of Gefjun creating Zealand is thrown in at the very beginning with seemingly zero connection to the rest of the narrative. I also love the addition of Gylfi to the last chapter. It makes sense and it brings the mythological stories together very well.
There are a multitude of myths in this volume, much more so than in others like it (such as Neil Gaiman’s anthology). Crossley-Holland tells the stories in a manner that’s witty and easy to understand. He keeps the vibe of the original myth and adds his own flare. His version of the myths are very accurate. He takes some liberties and adds some details to make the tale fit a modern audience better, as well as puts in his own interpretation when the given information is sparse, but he rarely discards story bits from the original sources. The only times he seems to do this are when the tale becomes particularly gruesome (Thor’s murder of Heimir’s host at the end of Thor’s fishing expedition is missing, for example) or for continuity’s sake (Kvasir is missing from the story of the capturing of Loki). Other than things like that, these tales are very accurate.
This anthology of Norse myths has every famous tale and many of the obscure stories only found in the Prose Edda. It evens has the Otter’s Ransom story, which involves the gods heavily but is actually the start of the Volsunga Saga. There are a few myths that are missing, however; Freyja’s dalliance with the dwarves to get Brisingamen and Loki’s Taunts are notably absent, although both are mentioned. I think these were omitted due to the family-friendly nature of this book. I understand the motive behind making these tales digestible for young audiences, and I love that it’s accessible, but I still would have liked to see the missing stories in some capacity.
Overall, this was an absolutely wonderful collection! The myths are told beautifully, and in a way that is accessible to all ages, which I think is a very good thing. This is also a fantastic companion piece to Gaiman’s book since this one has more stories than Gaiman’s and fills in some gaps.
The structure of this book is brilliant because it uses the structure of the Prose Edda (with the exception of the prologue) as a base, with Gylfi disguised as Gangleri going to Asgard to question the gods about their stories, although Kevin Crossley-Holland’s version is much more dramatized and entertaining than the medieval literature style of Snorri Sturluson. It changed the reason for him going, but it makes more sense within the context; in the Prose Edda, the story of Gefjun creating Zealand is thrown in at the very beginning with seemingly zero connection to the rest of the narrative. I also love the addition of Gylfi to the last chapter. It makes sense and it brings the mythological stories together very well.
There are a multitude of myths in this volume, much more so than in others like it (such as Neil Gaiman’s anthology). Crossley-Holland tells the stories in a manner that’s witty and easy to understand. He keeps the vibe of the original myth and adds his own flare. His version of the myths are very accurate. He takes some liberties and adds some details to make the tale fit a modern audience better, as well as puts in his own interpretation when the given information is sparse, but he rarely discards story bits from the original sources. The only times he seems to do this are when the tale becomes particularly gruesome (Thor’s murder of Heimir’s host at the end of Thor’s fishing expedition is missing, for example) or for continuity’s sake (Kvasir is missing from the story of the capturing of Loki). Other than things like that, these tales are very accurate.
This anthology of Norse myths has every famous tale and many of the obscure stories only found in the Prose Edda. It evens has the Otter’s Ransom story, which involves the gods heavily but is actually the start of the Volsunga Saga. There are a few myths that are missing, however; Freyja’s dalliance with the dwarves to get Brisingamen and Loki’s Taunts are notably absent, although both are mentioned. I think these were omitted due to the family-friendly nature of this book. I understand the motive behind making these tales digestible for young audiences, and I love that it’s accessible, but I still would have liked to see the missing stories in some capacity.
Overall, this was an absolutely wonderful collection! The myths are told beautifully, and in a way that is accessible to all ages, which I think is a very good thing. This is also a fantastic companion piece to Gaiman’s book since this one has more stories than Gaiman’s and fills in some gaps.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
sabregirl's review against another edition
4.0
Liked this one more than the previous one I read just because there seemed to be more depth to the stories. And it was more graphic.
omipotent's review against another edition
3.0
It looks like I skipped loads but I just didnt read the introduction because (viking britain) or the index because I was bored and have heard some of these before on audiotape: Neil Gaiman.
"Aragorn road out to Midgar and then had to slay the Midgarzormar to get past the mountain to Junon and Asgard but he had to summon Odin to restore the ring to Frodi who live in middle earth" I can see how much these myths have been milked by authors and writers. Although these are timeless and funny, I honestly preferred the Celtic ones because they were much more obscure. These sound like I'm read extracts that Tolkien didnt feature.
"Aragorn road out to Midgar and then had to slay the Midgarzormar to get past the mountain to Junon and Asgard but he had to summon Odin to restore the ring to Frodi who live in middle earth" I can see how much these myths have been milked by authors and writers. Although these are timeless and funny, I honestly preferred the Celtic ones because they were much more obscure. These sound like I'm read extracts that Tolkien didnt feature.
katymul's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love teaching out of this book. I work with a couple different ones in my Western Mythologies class, which I teach every other summer. I've cycled through a couple variations for the Norse mythology, and I appreciate that Crossley-Holland doesn't feel the need to tamp down either the wacky, the off-putting, the violent, or the "inappropriate" pieces of the stories. All of the things that other versions try to "refine" for modern sensibilities are preserved here and let me tell you -- it's what the students want. Especially coming after the oversaturated stories of Greco-Roman mythology, the novelty of tone and structure and message always makes my students react, usually with joy and always with fascination.
redheadorganist's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Most of the 32 myths are only a few pages long, however some of them still drag. Lots of difficult names. There are notes discussing the sources and history of each myth, however they are at the end, so you could read the stories without those. There is a balance between the academic portion and storytelling but overall not an engaging read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Confinement, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content