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The Viking Gods
The books in this series contain short texts from the original stories from Viking Age. These new translations unlock the treasures of the Classical texts and will make a valued gift for friends, relatives or business associates.The Viking Gods contains excerpts from Snorri Sturluson's Edda, which was written around 1220 and is the most important source on the gods of the Vikings. It's the story of the mythical kingdom of Asgard, ruled by the all-mighty god Odin, with Thor, Loki, Balder and the Valkyries.
77 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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225 people want to read
About the author
Snorri Sturluson
421 books304 followersSnorri Sturluson (also spelled Snorre Sturlason) was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He was the author of the Prose Edda or Younger Edda, which consists of Gylfaginning ("the fooling of Gylfi"), a narrative of Norse mythology, the Skáldskaparmál, a book of poetic language, and the Háttatal, a list of verse forms. He was also the author of the Heimskringla, a history of the Norwegian kings that begins with legendary material in Ynglinga saga and moves through to early medieval Scandinavian history. For stylistic and methodological reasons, Snorri is often taken to be the author of Egils saga.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 20, 2020
Beautiful little book. It's just a taste of the stories, with illustrations on every page.
It's conversational, as though Snorri was your grandpa telling you stories before sending you off to refill his cup. Your eloquent grandpa. Here's a bit:
My favorite is the Bragi and Idun story, which also tells about Kvasir, who was so wise he could answer any question and spent his life traveling far and wide to teach men wisdom. Idun keeps the box of apples the gods eat when they grow old, to make them young again.
The illustrations are watercolors: drawings by a Danish painter, Lorenz Frōlich, who was most famous for illustrating Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales, with the watercolor added by Eggert Pétursson. At the end is biographical information about Snorri Sturluson, full of interesting tidbits - for example, it says his wealthy family started a civil war between the six clans of Iceland that enabled Norway to take control of the country in 1262.
Jean I. Young's translation of the stories was first published in 1954.
It's conversational, as though Snorri was your grandpa telling you stories before sending you off to refill his cup. Your eloquent grandpa. Here's a bit:
Some dwarfs, the sons of Ivaldi, made Skidbladnir and gave the ship to Frey. It is so big that all the Æsir with weapons and armor can find room in it and, wherever it is going, a breeze springs up as soon as its sail is hoisted. Moreover, it is made of so many things and with such cunning that when it has not to go to sea, it can be folded together like a cloth and kept in one's pouch.
My favorite is the Bragi and Idun story, which also tells about Kvasir, who was so wise he could answer any question and spent his life traveling far and wide to teach men wisdom. Idun keeps the box of apples the gods eat when they grow old, to make them young again.
The illustrations are watercolors: drawings by a Danish painter, Lorenz Frōlich, who was most famous for illustrating Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales, with the watercolor added by Eggert Pétursson. At the end is biographical information about Snorri Sturluson, full of interesting tidbits - for example, it says his wealthy family started a civil war between the six clans of Iceland that enabled Norway to take control of the country in 1262.
Jean I. Young's translation of the stories was first published in 1954.
June 30, 2013
This English translation of Snorri's Prose Edda is based on the edition by Holtsmark and Helgason and therefore suffers from the same defects that their text suffers from, incompleteness.
The translation is good but the work only contains the Prologue, Gylfaginning and selections from Skaldskaparmal. The Skaldskaparmal selections only include the prose and Eddic verse, the Skaldic verse is totally omitted, plus hattatal is completely omitted. This means that some of the best Skaldic poetry that is only preserved in Snorri's Edda is missing, no Haustlöng, Thorsdrapa or Ragnarsdrapa. For a work originally composed to function as a manual on poetic techniques, this translation comes across more as a manual on mythology than poetry due to the omissions of the poetry.
For those wanting to explore Snorri's mythological stories, this is a great little translation. For those who want a more accurate and fuller picture of Snorri's Edda, I would go for the complete Antony Faulkes translation or his edition of the Norse texts.
The translation is good but the work only contains the Prologue, Gylfaginning and selections from Skaldskaparmal. The Skaldskaparmal selections only include the prose and Eddic verse, the Skaldic verse is totally omitted, plus hattatal is completely omitted. This means that some of the best Skaldic poetry that is only preserved in Snorri's Edda is missing, no Haustlöng, Thorsdrapa or Ragnarsdrapa. For a work originally composed to function as a manual on poetic techniques, this translation comes across more as a manual on mythology than poetry due to the omissions of the poetry.
For those wanting to explore Snorri's mythological stories, this is a great little translation. For those who want a more accurate and fuller picture of Snorri's Edda, I would go for the complete Antony Faulkes translation or his edition of the Norse texts.
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August 15, 2020Beautiful book full of little slices of mythos. Very easy to get through thanks to the more modern language.
August 9, 2021
4,75: If you want to get someone interested in Norse mythology this is the book you get them for Christmas.
Sturluson's Edda intimidates me as much as Milton's Paradise Lost or Beowulf in the sense that it is a great literary work that requires close attention, active reading and lots of uncertain glances at the footnotes and the index. Since I was and still am quite scared to pick up the original masterpiece, I thought I would start with this little beauty. It did not disappoint. It is an informative and highly condensed version for readers who are looking for an appetizer, an appetizer with superb illustrations that is. Lorenz Frolich and Eggert Petursson's artistry is brilliant, immersive and has that old mural quality that speaks of centuries past. Illustrations and text are equally fascinating. I did have some trouble with context. I wish there was a bit more detail in the last chapters, The Wager and Verdict. Perhaps it is something to do with translation or perhaps it is Sturluson's intention but I felt like facts were thrown at me, bits and pieces of action here and there with no underlying cause for any of the situations described. I think I read at the back that in Edda, Sturluson leaves things up to the reader's interpretation, even small things. This might be the reason why actions seem disconnected and the narration disjointed. If it is a matter of technique, I am not sure I agree or like it very much but, nonetheless, the condensed version is great for beginners and I am sure the original work is phenomenal too.
Sturluson's Edda intimidates me as much as Milton's Paradise Lost or Beowulf in the sense that it is a great literary work that requires close attention, active reading and lots of uncertain glances at the footnotes and the index. Since I was and still am quite scared to pick up the original masterpiece, I thought I would start with this little beauty. It did not disappoint. It is an informative and highly condensed version for readers who are looking for an appetizer, an appetizer with superb illustrations that is. Lorenz Frolich and Eggert Petursson's artistry is brilliant, immersive and has that old mural quality that speaks of centuries past. Illustrations and text are equally fascinating. I did have some trouble with context. I wish there was a bit more detail in the last chapters, The Wager and Verdict. Perhaps it is something to do with translation or perhaps it is Sturluson's intention but I felt like facts were thrown at me, bits and pieces of action here and there with no underlying cause for any of the situations described. I think I read at the back that in Edda, Sturluson leaves things up to the reader's interpretation, even small things. This might be the reason why actions seem disconnected and the narration disjointed. If it is a matter of technique, I am not sure I agree or like it very much but, nonetheless, the condensed version is great for beginners and I am sure the original work is phenomenal too.
April 24, 2021
A solid little primer for those interested in the Norse gods beyond what they've seen in the Marvel movies. A fair amount of ground is covered from the creation if the universe, the birth of the gods all the way to the end of the world.
Unfortunately, whether it's from the writing style of Snorri Sturluson (author of the original saga) or due to the editor/translator, the text is very clunky, both within sentences such as:
"Skidbladnir is a fine ship, and mighty magic will have been used to get it made like this."
Or between them, where the topic can change line to line like a child's bad school project. It does mean that a lot of information can be fitted into a very short book, but doesn't make it a very enjoyable read. Perhaps something has been lost in translation.
On a more positive note the illustrations are beautiful, though don't always match the details described in the text they do help to brighten up the questionable prose.
Unfortunately, whether it's from the writing style of Snorri Sturluson (author of the original saga) or due to the editor/translator, the text is very clunky, both within sentences such as:
"Skidbladnir is a fine ship, and mighty magic will have been used to get it made like this."
Or between them, where the topic can change line to line like a child's bad school project. It does mean that a lot of information can be fitted into a very short book, but doesn't make it a very enjoyable read. Perhaps something has been lost in translation.
On a more positive note the illustrations are beautiful, though don't always match the details described in the text they do help to brighten up the questionable prose.
September 10, 2023
This short book contains passages from Jean I. Young’s translation of the Prose Edda that mostly pertain to the gods and their artifacts. The Prose Edda itself is not an easy read, but this book makes it very accessible. Before this, I had not read any of Young’s translation, but it seems very readable! Compared to Anthony Faulkes’ translation, which was very literal, Young made an effort to make the stories and descriptions as interesting as he could without veering off from what Snorri actual wrote down. This is by no means a comprehensive anthology of the Prose Edda, but it does exactly what it advertises and more, with absolutely beautiful artwork.
Almost everything in this edition comes from Gylfaginning, the second part in the four parts that make up the whole of the Prose Edda. This makes sense because it tells the creation story, introduces the gods, and recounts Ragnarok and the events that lead up to it. What this book doesn’t get into is Snorri’s convoluted christian explanation for the mythology where all the gods were actually just humans from Troy, which is recounted in the first part of the Prose Edda, the Prologue. I’m not surprised or upset, but it is a funny anecdote and I wish it was at least mentioned in the introduction.
What was weird with this translation was the presence of “Fimbultyr” in the introduction as a god who was present in the beginning, seemingly dictates the creation of the world, and is the ultimate judgement after Ragnarok; he is described as “the god of gods”. I found this suspect because Fimbultyr wasn’t in Faulkes’ translation, and neither is he in the Poetic Edda. I looked into it, and it seems like Fimbultyr is another name for Odin that was mistranslated in the early 20th century. Either that, or the name refers to something outside of our knowledge sphere — but no matter what, he isn’t “the god of gods”, and using that interpretation just christianizes Norse mythology even more than it already is. Still, this was a minor grievance since he is only present in the introduction of the book.
Overall, this was a fantastic little book that’s great for beginners! I would definitely recommend this to someone who hasn’t read the Prose Edda, either in place of it or to get a feel for the vibe of it.
Almost everything in this edition comes from Gylfaginning, the second part in the four parts that make up the whole of the Prose Edda. This makes sense because it tells the creation story, introduces the gods, and recounts Ragnarok and the events that lead up to it. What this book doesn’t get into is Snorri’s convoluted christian explanation for the mythology where all the gods were actually just humans from Troy, which is recounted in the first part of the Prose Edda, the Prologue. I’m not surprised or upset, but it is a funny anecdote and I wish it was at least mentioned in the introduction.
What was weird with this translation was the presence of “Fimbultyr” in the introduction as a god who was present in the beginning, seemingly dictates the creation of the world, and is the ultimate judgement after Ragnarok; he is described as “the god of gods”. I found this suspect because Fimbultyr wasn’t in Faulkes’ translation, and neither is he in the Poetic Edda. I looked into it, and it seems like Fimbultyr is another name for Odin that was mistranslated in the early 20th century. Either that, or the name refers to something outside of our knowledge sphere — but no matter what, he isn’t “the god of gods”, and using that interpretation just christianizes Norse mythology even more than it already is. Still, this was a minor grievance since he is only present in the introduction of the book.
Overall, this was a fantastic little book that’s great for beginners! I would definitely recommend this to someone who hasn’t read the Prose Edda, either in place of it or to get a feel for the vibe of it.
February 4, 2024
Beautiful illustrations and nice short introduction into the Viking gods . Of course for information you find other books but still for who does not know anything it is pretty good . Reading now after I left Iceland more than 6 months ago, nice remembering about their beliefs.
April 15, 2022
Beetje random plots einde. De verhaaltjes waren te kort en abrupt dus snapte er niet veel van. Moet maar is een uitgebreidere versie van dit soort mythen opzoeken.
February 21, 2017
Absolutely stunning book; a pleasure to read.
January 11, 2025
No hay mucho que reseñar de este libro. Me explico; cumple con lo que promete, es una muy buena guía de los dioses vikingos y todo lo que ellos envuelven. Me hizo gracia ver nombres que he visto y leído en un pontón de libros, series y películas, y especialmente descubrir un poquito más de ellos como hijos de, o dioses de.
En cuanto a la edición, es muy bonita, quizá un poco incongruente en cuanto al tamaño de la fuente en algunas secciones, pero por lo general es estéticamente agradable, especialmente con los dibujos a color tan bonitos que aparecen en todas las páginas.
En cuanto a la edición, es muy bonita, quizá un poco incongruente en cuanto al tamaño de la fuente en algunas secciones, pero por lo general es estéticamente agradable, especialmente con los dibujos a color tan bonitos que aparecen en todas las páginas.
July 18, 2012
A nice overview; nothing too detailed . . .
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March 13, 2013It says published in 2002, but I'm pretty sure I bought this in Sweden in 1999.
June 26, 2013
Interesting, but hard to keep up with all the mentioned names.
July 14, 2014
A very condensed collection of stories and information on the Viking gods.
June 22, 2015
Een drie voor de tekeningetjes.
Een kleine introductie.
Een kleine introductie.
July 6, 2015
it was interesting to read stuff about the different Gods of the Vikings. Though, I wish they had also included the children of the Gods.
November 23, 2015
beautiful illustrations
September 13, 2012
Interesting little book with nice illustrations :) (3.5/5)
January 14, 2017
This review is based on the 1995 edition which I found in a charity shop. I am always amazed at how imaginative these people were with their stories of the old gods. It is a shame that a lot of their myths were never never written down. I always wonder where these tales originated from. Some of the stories are so strange that I'm still baffled as well as fascinated by them. This book is suitable for those who want a basic text on Norse mythology. What I love about this book is the quality of the sketches throughout. Well worth the 50p I paid at Oxfam.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews