The Viking Spirit: An Introduction to Norse Mythology and Religion

by Daniel McCoy

The Viking Spirit is an introduction to Norse mythology like no other. As you’d expect from Daniel McCoy, the creator of the enduringly popular website Norse Mythology for Smart People, it’s written to scholarly standards, but in a simple, clear, and entertaining style that’s easy to understand and a pleasure to read. It includes gripping retellings of no less than 34 epic Norse myths – more than any other book in the field – while also providing an equally comprehensive overview of the fascinating Viking religion of which Norse mythology was a part. You’ll learn about the Vikings’ gods and goddesses, their concept of fate, their views on the afterlife, their moral code, how they thought the universe was structured, how they practiced their religion, the role that magic played in their lives, and much more. With its inclusion of the latest groundbreaking research in the field, The Viking Spirit is the ultimate introduction to the timeless splendor of Norse mythology and religion for the 21st Century.

Genres: Mythology, History, Nonfiction, Religion, Spirituality, Paganism, Historical

317 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[John W. Leys · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is intended as a introduction to Norse/Viking Mythology and culture for the layman. It is written in a fairly accessible style and contains a plethora of information and retells many of the best known tales from Norse Mythology. He also includes many footnotes and a large bibliography if one is inclined to read deeper about these topics. However, there are some pretty substantial flaws in the book that a potential reader should be aware of:

1) The author presents his own theories about Norse Mythology as almost undisputed fact. The two cases that leap to mind are (a) his theory (Which I personally agree with) that the goddesses Frigg and Freyja were originally the same figure. While this is a valid theory, he doesn't spend nearly enough time discussing why he came to this conclusion or presenting the opposing viewpoint that they are two separate figures. The other (b) is his theory that the idea of Norse Cyclical Time (ie, that the world renews after Ragnarok) is a late Christian influenced addition. There may in fact be merit to this theory, as there is identifiable Christian influence in some of the written versions of the myths that have come down to us (especially in Snorri's Edda), but he makes his case in a few sentences and quickly dismisses the traditional interpretations of the myth, even adding a snarky comment to the end of his rendition of Ragnarok that anyone who believes in the rebirth of the world doesn't understand what has gone before.

2) The author is condescending. I am used to reading both academic and popular books on religion and mythology and often the authors, especially in academic works, take on a voice of authority that can be off-putting. This author, however, often condescends to the reader and disparages any interpretation of the myths that is not his own. When faced with contradictions in the source material, instead of just appreciating that Nordic culture wasn't monolithic, he often dismisses anything that doesn't fit with his own vision of Viking society as being either Christian embellishments, or being made up fictions by Snorri.

3) The second half of the book contains retellings of many tales from Norse Mythology preceded by a short note on each story. The notes are helpful, but often he mentions having used two sources for his version, but doesn't mention what he changed or what he took from each source. He presents two versions of Baldr's death (one based on Snorri's Prose Edda and one based on Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum) and pretty well dismisses the Eddic version as being not "authentic" due to supposed Christian influences on Snorri (These could be valid, but he doesn't give any kind of balanced argument for this) and states that, while they could just be regional variations, it is more likely to him that the Gesta Danorum version is more "authentic," without mentioning that this version is a Euhemeristic retelling of the Norse myths that is near contemporaneous with the writing of the Prose Edda and that Saxo himself was likely a Christian and possibly clergy. I don't personally know enough about Saxo or his work to know what may have influenced his writing or what he sources were, but these things are never mentioned in this book.

4) These classic Norse Myths are retold is a very simple style, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Simplicity can make tales such as these more accessible for a modern reader. However, these simply retelling retain none of the charm or style of the Eddic originals and can be fairly bland and boring (I had trouble muddling through the last half of the book). For a modern retelling of these tales I much preferred Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology.

In short, this book contains a lot of interesting material and some basic retellings of Norse Mythology, but potential readers should be aware of the above flaws before reading or accepting what the author says as accurate.

[Kaleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Viking Spirit is divided into two sections. The first section is about culture and daily life of the Norse people during the height of Norse paganism. There are 10 chapters in this section; each one dedicated to a certain aspect of Norse Religion. A few examples are fate, magic, places of worship, rituals, and perception of time. This was my favorite section because the myths are relatively popular. It also has information on the culture of the norse people which is harder to find. I have yet to find a book with this much factual information on this subject that was also entertaining enough for me to enjoy reading.

The second section has 35 chapters and each one is a different norse myth. I liked that before each story there was a small paragraph that cites the source of the story and explained how authentic it is. This is needed because many of these myths were written down by Christian scribes, so some stories were changed or completely reworked to make them more Christian. The stories themselves are fun and interesting.

The book is relatively short, just 290 pages, and a few chapters are a bit scholarly making them slower to read. Things that a reader might find find distasteful in the book are the talk of murder, sacrifices (human and other) and some sexual themes. However the author handled all these topics professionally making them purely academic. Overall this is a great book to introduces a reader to Norse Mythology and history. It's intriguing and has a great wealth of information. I would recommend this book to those who like ancient mythology or a introduction to Norse Paganism.

“The Vikings put their vibrant religious conceptions into practice in a number of ways. Over the course of the past several chapters we’ve noted some of them: hallowing weddings and oaths with a symbolic Thor's hammer, casting a spear over an enemy host to offer them as a sacrifice to Odin, constructing farmsteads in imitation of the spatial layout of the otherworld, and many other things” (ch. 9, pg. 104).

“The Norse Gods and Goddesses were none of these things. They weren't “supreme” they weren’t particularly benevolent, and they has personalities as rich and multifaceted as those of the most complicated humans, which could not be reduced to any simile formula like “god of x” without expressing only a fraction of the deities character and sphere of influence” (ch2,pg25).

[Alicia Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most readable books that is of scholarly value on the Norse religion and mythos that I've read. I enjoyed the author's attempt to apply some imagination to what it would have been like to live in the ancient stretches of northern Europe. It's well-done and well-reasoned. The endnotes are a bit strange, he doesn't always include the excerpts of poems and sagas that he references - requiring a bit more work for the reader than most endnotes do. I do feel like it's a "beginner's" book for studying the Norse -- but a solid foundation nonetheless.

[Jason Donoghue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well researched, loved it.

[J.M. (Joe) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one's tough because the first half gave me high hopes. I like that the author presented so many Norse myths, all with brief introductions at the beginning before the summaries of the myths themselves—or their best translations. After finishing the book, I downgraded it from four to three stars largely because I was expecting more of an introspective narrative regarding the Viking-centric cultures that adhered to the specific myths and cosmology, even if it is more authorial conjecture than any kind of accepted norm. he does give us a little here and there, mainly to say how everything's been Christianized by medieval sources. McCoy seems satisfied to have said all he wanted to say in the first half of the book. I guess I was hoping for just a smidge more than I gleaned from it. Still, a worthy addition to my library. I'm happy to have read it.

[moi, k.y.a. · Rating 4 out of 5]

yine kütüphaneme ekleyeyim dediğim güzel biʼ kaynağın baskı yok...

[Katharine Wibell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Viking Spirit by Daniel McCoy is an exceptional book for those who are interested in Nordic life and its effect on mythology. McCoy breaks the book into two parts. The first educated the reader on the culture, society and mentalities of the Viking peoples at the time they believed their myths. He explains how the Norse ideology embodied the core values, beliefs and ideals those people had and how that mutually affected the lure of Nordic Mythology. Why did Thor represent the ideal man? Why Loki was looked down upon? Why did Odin champion the aristocratic class?

The second part goes into the Norse mythology. Here McCoy helps readers tease out what aspects of the myths were authentic to Viking culture and what has been added, influenced and changed over the years by others, especially Christians. Overall, this was a fascinating read in terms of mythology as well as history and culture.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this book and got a lot of good information out of it, I recommend not reading it AFTER Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology (or at least not in close proximity). The myths presented in this book feel like a synopsis of a longer piece. Admittedly, this is because the author goes to lengths to present the most accurate Viking-era version of the myth, which sometimes means paring away details that were added later.

Still, it's a good read, especially the first half which has some excellent world building on par with good historical fiction.

[James Arseno · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're new to norse paganism (which is a very complex field) or Asatru in general, this is THE book I highly recommend to neophytes. Not only does it touch on all aspects of the mythology in well versed, pragmatic manner, but also on many cultural aspects that are equally if not more important to put things in perspective and have a better view & understanding of not only the Lore, but culture as well.

[Zandt McCue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited going into this book to learn more Norse Myths. The excitement quickly died when I was introduced to Daniel's writing style. It was very flat-line. The myths themselves, which you don't get to until past a hundred pages in the book, have brief introductions to them which are better than his telling of the myths. Two stars are only given for the few myths I didn't already know.

[arturo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!
This book is all you want as an introductory book to the Norse World. It's divided in 2 sections. The second part (yes, let's begin with the 2nd part) collects almost all the well know myths of the Norse Mythology. If you like the Norse world, you may know almost, if not every, myth told there, from the reason Odin has only one eye, the construction of Asgard wall to the Mead of Poetry, Thor the Bride and more.

The 1st part, and the one I liked the most, Daniel McCoy really gives a brief but deep introduction on the Norse culture - religion, social classes, rites, practices and more. If you are into the Vikings lore, this is a must.

[Nic Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was my first on the vikings so I was a complete novice. All I can say is for anyone who is starting out or just wants a good read I very much recommend this book. So easy to read and Daniel McCoy writes very well and informative as well. I'm now on a new book and new topic and I very much miss this book as I had so much fun reading it. I'm still to find a book that has more mythology in it with a combination of Norse history. He has a brilliant website that goes hand in hand with his book.

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple, yet academic, book that is of great interest to those of us who believe we have Viking ancestry if we came from Anglo-Saxon families. I could see the personalities of some of my family in a few of the Viking marauders!!!!

The chapters about Viking beliefs, customs, culture, and religion are great. It made me realize how seriously we take the World around us at the moment. The stories in the second half of the book are like fables or legends, and I found them very informative. All in all, a great read!

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive. However, I thought that McCoy's retellings of the myths were lacking in life and detail.

I did appreciate the epilogue though. He asserts that myths and storytelling evolve over time, and while finding and following old sources are important, embellishing and crafting the old tales into new myths is also extremely valuable. Perhaps this is why his retellings are so sparse- to encourage his readers to fill in the details with our own stories.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

This book is one of the easiest to read and most engaging ones on the Viking age that I have read. For that I’m really thankful. This book is for you if you’re starting out on your Viking journey and want an easy to read but informative and engaging story.

It lost .5 stars for me as you can get the Viking myths from anywhere and I would have liked more analysis on the myths and less re-telling in the second half.

Nevertheless, I do recommend it!

[Mushfiqul Siraji · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author goes a great length to give his creation both an artistic and scholarly value. A lot of trivial facts were pleasantly described about the Norse mythology with enough references. This book tells the old stories while relating them to human civilization. The origins and roots of the Norse mythology become crystal clear by the well-articulated author.

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

One subject this book really hammers home is the concept that the Norse religion was a varied one, with different traditions and interpretations within it. Vikings living in Iceland might have a different version of Thor than those living in Denmark, and Vikings living in 800 might have different poems about Odin than Scandinavians living in 1300, as Christianity was taking over.

All of this might seem obvious, but it's not something I thought about much. Our modern culture is used to codified faiths, where everything is either canon or apocrypha, with little in between. Myths from ancient and medieval cultures are often retold in modern books in this way, with a set canon of stories, in the style of the Abrahamic faiths. While this is more fitting to our modern, logic-seeking minds, it does stifle the living, breathing aspect of pagan faiths that made them so vibrant. Odin was known to the barbarians of ancient Germania, just as he was known to Icelanders in 1300 who had begun to accept Christianity as their new religion. Such an ancient deity changed and evolved as stories about him were told and retold.

Credit to McCoy for emphasizing and illuminating this topic. Having read several books on Norse Mythology, I'm pretty familiar with most of the stories, but I've never read much on this subject before this book.

One critique I wish to highlight is that, while McCoy adequately retells the various stories that have been passed down to us from the Vikings, I felt that I've read better retellings of several of the stories in other books. 4/5 stars

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, it's a highly readable rendition of Nordic Mythology, although I still prefer Neil Gaiman's (which, now that I think about it, I should re-read :P)

If your knowledge of the theme comes from the popular rendering of the main protagonists, well, this is a nice point to begin to understand that they aren't who you think they are :P

I liked the first chapters the most. This first part, which is about Viking culture and the different aspects of their religion is, to me at least, the most interesting.

And I like that there is a big bibliography offered, in case you are willing the delve deeper into the theme.

All in all, informative and interesting enough. And the narration was really good, which made it even more accessible to those who are accessing these myths for the first time.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most efficient and enjoyable way to get an in-depth look and some understanding of norse myths and the history behind how we got them here today. The tales are told well but they are also given their own historical background and context. I bought it eBook originally but it earned itself a place on my physical shelf as well. An excellent read.

[Alexander Ratajek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It is definitely one of the best, most readable scholarly books on the subject on Vikings history, their stories, Norse mythology and most definitely their worldview perspective on life which serves as a really good dissertation into a “Viking spirit”.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

[zar (hozier's version) · Rating 1 out of 5]

q pajazo la verdad. un poco libro dentro d la misoginia y prejuicios. la segunda parte zzzz

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. The first part of the book was more interesting than the second, which was another retelling of the major Norse myths.

[Riobhcah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even when I disagree with or dislike an author's approach, I try to see things from his or her point of view, as is only fair. We often learn the most from people who think differently. But the scholarship in this book was so lacking that this book receives the distinction of being one of the very few books that I put on my "not worth the time to read" shelf. I was turned off by this author's tone from the very beginning, however, not being one to give up easily on a book, I persisted.....until, at 22% of the way through the book he states that "Kabbalah-like or chakra-like schemes are nothing more than New Age fantasies." If he truly knew anything about Qabbalah, he would be aware that in the book "Sefer Yetzirah," thought to be one of the oldest books in the world, the very thing that he is denying the antiquity of is described in detail. If the author is that ignorant of such well-known works of antiquity, I just cannot find the time right now to waste on reading his un-scholarly writings.

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Badly researched. Deeply biased toward a thoroughly debunked view of Viking Age peoples as hypermasculine, monstrous brutes and ONLY hypermasculine, monstrous brutes. Deliberately shuffles myths about goddesses in an attempt to prove they're all the same person - even in myths where the vast majority of establishment scholars agree who it is being written about.

The author reveals himself an armchair historian who clearly learned all he "knows" from television, and yet deigns to "teach" his views with manufactured authority on a website aimed at "stupid people." Charming.

Even the Victorians, bound by their inability to see past their own worldview, did not write so disastrously on the subject. Part of me wonders if this is some sort of attempt at "trolling" people who actually care about evidence-based research. The only more poorly researched documentation of the subject that I've encountered has come from Stephen Flowers' glorified cult or the German nationalists of the early 20th century from which Flowers drew his inspiration.

[Emma Harkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend read

Those who have any interest in Norse mythology (and indeed players of the most recent God of War game wanting to know more of the adventures set within it)this is a must read. I read the book within a few days, totally immersed in the realm of the gods and the stories behind them. The ideas that the gods were very flawed and far from perfect makes them very relatable to us mere mortals. The author captivates you from beginning to end and the book is very well paced, detailed and a joy to read.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-paced and informative without being overly dense. This is a great book for obtaining a basic understanding of both Viking and culture and religion, at least to the extent that the historical record is sufficient to give us that understanding, as well an overview of the basic Norse myths. Discussions about what elements from the myths are likely authentic versus Christian implants are also very helpful.

[Fundinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I didn't know that much about Norse mythology; Daniel takes your hand through the whole process, while still remaining quite throughout and concise.

My only gripe, which was probably not the books intention is that since it tries to follow source material as much as possible I found the text to be incapable of taking a leap into more exciting prose. It just didn't feel organic.

[Ezri K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to Norse mythology. First half covers the cultural aspects of Vikings, and how it reflects their beliefs. Second half has the stories with a synapses on where the story was pulled from.
Only downfall is that it would have been really helpful to have transliteration for the norse words. Either next to the word when it first appears or at the end of the book.

[Alexandra R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

McCoy completely sidesteps the academic controversies. For instance, he automatically conflates Frigg and Freya, though many scholars have argued that they have always been separate deities. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who takes mythology seriously, though the book is fine as far entertainment value goes.