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Myths and Legends #14
Odin: The Viking Allfather
From the Thorsdrapa to the Marvel Thor and Avengers movies, Odin, the dark and mysterious lord of Valhalla, looms over all of the ancient tales of the Vikings. With his brothers, he formed the world from the body of a giant and then went on to seek greater wisdom by sacrificing himself on a tree and trading one of his eyes with a witch. With this vast wisdom, he sits upon his throne, peering into the nine worlds, seeking anything that might threaten his people. He rides over the battles of mortal men, deciding who shall live and die, and collecting worthy souls to come feast in his hall until the war at the end of time. This book retells the greatest of Odin's stories, and then places those stories within their historical and mythological context. It follows the figure of Odin through the centuries, showing how different times and cultures reinterpreted him, and explores the reasons why he is still such a popular figure today.
- GenresMythology
80 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2015
51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 17, 2017
The colour Osprey Adventures are normally superb and this is no exception. Including an overview of the other Norse Gods (and Giants) this book deals with Odin the Myth, Legend and today's imaginings of him, plus the resurgance in the West of older religions.
A great read for anyone interested in Mythology, and a superb reference book for those with a particular interest in Norse.
A great read for anyone interested in Mythology, and a superb reference book for those with a particular interest in Norse.
January 8, 2018
ODIN! What other reason do you need to read this book and hat covers the history of the Odin legends and the myths of his powers and abilities.
March 27, 2019
Excellent
January 3, 2017
Still waiting for that must read
While not a bad little tome it suffers from a familiar problem in the still young myths and legends line. The books in this series seem more caught up in a reciting the stories than any real study of the subject, that is not to say this book is bad. To the contrary it is fast overview of Odin and you get a taste of his character and a slight idea of his place in society, I was just hoping for more insight and analysis.
While not a bad little tome it suffers from a familiar problem in the still young myths and legends line. The books in this series seem more caught up in a reciting the stories than any real study of the subject, that is not to say this book is bad. To the contrary it is fast overview of Odin and you get a taste of his character and a slight idea of his place in society, I was just hoping for more insight and analysis.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews