Norse Myths: Viking Legends of Heroes and Gods

by Martin J. Dougherty

The stories of Thor, Odin and Loki are familiar to most of us. Many people know that the Norse gods fought against giants and were ultimately betrayed by Loki the trickster. The end of the world and the death of the gods in a grim battle called Ragnarok has also found its way into popular culture. Ideas taken from Norse mythology are frequently found in modern fantasy and science fiction – such as elves, dwarfs and undead warriors rising from an unquiet grave, for example. Norse mythology is rich in adventure and ideas about creation, death and the afterlife.
Norse Myths takes a wide-ranging approach, examining the creation stories of the Norse world, the monsters and the pantheons of the deities, including such figures as Heimdall, Freya and Baldr. It looks at the sagas and the Prose and Poetic Eddas, which tell of real and imagined people, featuring both heroic tales and humorous escapades. The book also examines how Norse myths were interpreted in a Christianized Europe and how their motifs influenced medieval German writers and, in turn, were used in the modern world in very different ways, by the likes of composer Richard Wagner and in the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Illustrated with 180 colour and black-&-white artworks and illustrations, Norse Myths is an engaging and highly informative exploration of a rich mythology that still resounds today.

Genres: Mythology, Reference, History, Nonfiction, Folklore

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2016

About the author

Hailing from northeast England, Martin J Dougherty is a professional writer specialising in military history. He has been at times a games designer, an engineer, a self-protection instructor, a teacher and a defence analyst. Martin has published a range of books covering topics as diverse as self-protection, medieval warfare and space flight, and has addressed international conferences on anti-shipping missiles and homeland security issues.

Martin's interests include martial arts and fencing. He has coached Fencing, Ju-Jitsu, Self-Defence and Kickboxing for many years at the University of Sunderland, and has competed to national level as a fencer. As a martial artist he holds black belts in Combat Ju-Jitsu, Nihon Tai-Jitsu and Self-Defence. Martin is a Senior Assessor with the Self-Defence Federation and an IL1 instructor/assessor with the Britsh Federation for Historical Swordplay, specialising in the Military Sabre and the Smallsword.

Reviews

[Dakota · Rating 4 out of 5]

freyja please answer my dms

[Susan Jo Grassi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most of us, I know the Marvel versions of the legends of Odin, Thor and Loki. I was interested in getting a better understanding of the real legends. This books was very informative and easy to read. The only thing I could wish for is that a pronunciation of names was given. I hate going blah-blah-blah.

[Jon Dalvy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference for those seeking visual aides while navigating Norse mythology. Would definitely recommend as a solid introduction for anyone looking for a launching point into the intricacies of Norse religion, practices, and how both incorporated into their daily lives.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes books about mythology can be dry and boring. This one was really well written and interesting.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

As pictorially illustrated as you could wish, this is still pretty much an adults-only telling of the Norse myth. It establishes what a Norseman is, and then cracks on with what one would have believed, with the whole geography of the Nine Realms questioned and portrayed as best we can get. Further to that is more or less a gazetteer of all the characters, godly and humanoid and from places somewhere in between. We see the Eddas summarised, in a way that makes them feel dry and uninteresting, unfortunately, before drifting through the sagas to other tellings, notably Wagner's – and even the riffs on Norse we find in Tolkien and many other fantasy writers.

Throughout, the book is careful to cover all bases, as to whether the details it gives are original Norse or something invented and tweaked by Christians centuries later – as well as adamant it is spelling Valhalla correctly and nobody else is (it has it as Valhol, even if one of the visuals spells it Valholl). It does act as a worthwhile read, however – it certainly taught me many things, even if they may not last in the memory. Certainly the Volsunga Saga just went on too long, but you can't shoot the messenger that the old beliefs and legends were a confusing mess. Coming across Thor as a bride, and then facing tests of strength and consumption, are like revisiting old friends, and that's only to increase the 'wordfame' of those who created these tales. This for the interested is a potentially excellent read – showing no let-up in depth and knowledge, and giving a lot of details of this civilisation.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an in-depth overview of the Norse Myths and legends. It describes the world of the gods, the characters and their relation to one another and then it briefly describes some of the most popular stories. I found the chapters relating to the written sources the most fascinating, how the Norse mythology that we know today are actually taken from Icelandic Medieval texts so they contain Christian influence. There is a chapter on Ragnarok and then end times and then the final section of the book looks at how Norse myths influenced literature and culture.

Part of the reason I chose this book is because a lot of recent fantasy and romantasy has ideas taken from Norse mythology. I recommend this book if you want a brief overview of the tales and characters. If you want a more detailed insight then I recommend reading this book alongside Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, the audiobook is brilliant. There are photographs of archeological finds, carvings, tombs and paintings throughout this book that help explain the finer parts of the mythology.

In summary, I really enjoyed this book and it taught me more about a subject that I knew a little about. It also got me thinking more about retellings of stories and how maybe it isn’t always a bad thing to make classical stories more contemporary as long as we still preserve the original. Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books for allowing me to review this book.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was bought and read with a purpose. That if a light reading text that further brought knowledge of the Norse Gods and the umbrella of their religion to this reader. This was an odd book to read because some chapters flowed like water down a hill and others went in circles. The chapters that went in circles tended to be the ones that covered the Sagas and more in depth aspects of the religion. Interesting it actually came to my mind multiple times wondering if the book had an editor and how was it published with these circles in the paragraphs of information. It was not eve to retell an aspect but circling back and simpler stating in a different way the some info? However it only happened a few times and I enjoyed the book over all.

[WorldconReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

In addition to sharing additional anecdotes about well-known mythological figures such as Thor, Odin, and Loki, "Norse Myths" by Martin J. Dougherty provides delightful detail on Norse history, culture, and mythological beliefs. I appreciated that this book builds on concepts that most people have passing knowledge of, such as Ragnarok, Asgard, and Frost Giants. The book continues to describe new anecdotes, concepts, and details that may not be so familiar to the average reader. The illustrations and pictures also made the material approachable.

I thank the publisher and author for kindly providing a temporary electronic review copy of this work.

[Literary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very repetitive. However, it was still very informative. My hand was cramping, I was taking so many notes. But of course, I realized halfway through that I was writing down a lot of the same thing.

There’s a whole index for references and such, which tells me the author of this book did a great deal of research, at least on the images placed in the pages.

I won’t lie, this was a great visual journey, as well. The pictures were beautiful.

[Raven Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great beginner book for learning about the Norse. Various points are repeated, but for a beginner on the topic, it is a good reminder among the vast amount of information presented in the book. Like another review stated, I am slightly wary of the author’s background on the topic. There were a few instances I’d need to research further from experts in the field. For those just starting out, it’s a great reference to have on hand.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative with lots of images that keep readers (especially those unused to non-fiction books) engaged. Non-biased, with small bits of humour injected throughout.

[Cs Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written. Kept my attention and had some fantastic pictures.

[Elizabeth Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Often redundant, seemingly uninspired summary and boring tone.... Decent intro to Norse mythology, though.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great and simplified way to understand the often overly complex of the workings of Norse myths and legends.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good overview of Norse mythology

[Andrea Stoddard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did learn some new things and sparked my imagination. However was repetitive and not sure how credible actually author is in the field other then a well informed enthusiast.

[JestersRaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s easy to read I definitely recommend this to people who are interested in Norse mythology

[Nico · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was good and had a wide arrange of the Norse myth's plus it did touch upon some of the stories

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well-informed book on the subject, packed with information and illustration. This is definitely one of my favourite books on the subject.

[Bitsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book with some great illustrations. Would recommend to anyone willing to learn a bit more about Norse mythology.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not realize how confusing their myths and legends were. So many different names for the same person, chaotic story lines, but also some very interesting stories.

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book last year. I rather enjoyed how the author pointed out some of the modern day distortions of Nordic history/myths. Such as how the vikings were viewed as the "noble savage" and romanticized (Valkyries who were once gruesome hags, were transformed into beautiful shield maidens or how vikings were suddenly depicted as having wings on their helmets) in Victorian times. In contrast to the noble savage, is the how vikings are portrayed as violent "psychopaths" who wore "horned" helmets (vikings did not wear horned helmets) is not an accurate account by any means. Vikings were fearless explorers who settled in new worlds (Iceland and in Newfoundland, Canada), who traded in foreign lands, who were farmers, tradesmen and fearless warriors whom are often overlooked in history as being nothing more than a brutish people. The viking contribution to history is quite a real one and one that can still be felt today, one just needs to look at our days of the week to movies by Marvel "Thor" and "Thor: Darkworld" to the hit tv series "Vikings." This book is a decent read, it presents the information in a respectful tone, particularly when discussing neo-paganism. An interesting side note that the author did not touch on, was how modern day Iceland paganism has been gaining momentum with the building of a pagan temple dedicated to the old Norse Gods.

[Kevin Warman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid three stars. The author does a good job of introducing readers to Norse mythology and displaying both in the context of history and pop culture. However, he exhausts the word "inimical." Likewise, chapter five was painful to try and get through.

Going beyond the words and phrases the author wrote, I could not help but feel that crafting of Norse religion and mythos involved something like "sure, why the heck not." The possibilities and mysteries are fabulous.

[Cameron Bower · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Very repetitive which I guess is good for remembrance. Usually I wouldn't want to learn about a subject that is so difficult to get accurate credibility sources and info on , but I probably should have known that since it is on the Vikings religion. At least Martin was upfront about when details could be varied. I found the details about Christianity's effects on the Norse myths interesting.

[Omar Bravo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy ameno el libro y la estructura de los capítulos ayuda bastante a la comprensión de lo expuesto, además de que las ilustraciones son muy buenas, entre fotos de yacimientos y cuadros de la mitología de estos pueblos.

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written book on the history of Viking Age Myths