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The Myths That Shape the Way We Think
The Norse Myths that Shape the Way We Think
A fresh look at the stories at the heart of Norse mythology, exploring their cultural impact up to the present day.
This brilliantly original and accessible guide explores how Valhalla and its Valkyries have inspired our cultural landscape, from Wagner to the Marvel Universe. Carolyne Larrington’s elegantly written retellings capture the beauty of the original myths, while also delving deeper into the history of their meanings, offering the reader an intelligent and up-to-date take on these powerful stories.
A ruggedly handsome blond man swings his huge hammer. Gaunt-faced figures with icicle crowns and frost-rimmed cheekbones march from the north through an endless winter. These strange supernatural figures might sound familiar—and also like creatures of myth and legend. Yet they haven’t stepped straight off the vellum of ancient manuscripts. Rather, these compelling characters are contemporary reimaginings of mythic figures from Old Norse mythology. All speak to our contemporary hopes and fears, bridging the gap between a vanished medieval past and a vibrant, living present. Larrington guides us on an enchanting journey through centuries of heroism, cruelty, and magic, while also exploring how these stories speak to the enduring human condition. This book is for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of Norse mythology and its cultural resonances through the centuries.
This brilliantly original and accessible guide explores how Valhalla and its Valkyries have inspired our cultural landscape, from Wagner to the Marvel Universe. Carolyne Larrington’s elegantly written retellings capture the beauty of the original myths, while also delving deeper into the history of their meanings, offering the reader an intelligent and up-to-date take on these powerful stories.
A ruggedly handsome blond man swings his huge hammer. Gaunt-faced figures with icicle crowns and frost-rimmed cheekbones march from the north through an endless winter. These strange supernatural figures might sound familiar—and also like creatures of myth and legend. Yet they haven’t stepped straight off the vellum of ancient manuscripts. Rather, these compelling characters are contemporary reimaginings of mythic figures from Old Norse mythology. All speak to our contemporary hopes and fears, bridging the gap between a vanished medieval past and a vibrant, living present. Larrington guides us on an enchanting journey through centuries of heroism, cruelty, and magic, while also exploring how these stories speak to the enduring human condition. This book is for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of Norse mythology and its cultural resonances through the centuries.
363 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 2, 2023
25 people are currently reading
549 people want to read
About the author
Carolyne Larrington
52 books110 followersCarolyne Larrington is a Tutorial Fellow in English at St. John's College, Oxford.
Dr. Carolyne Larrington teaches medieval English literature in the college, ranging from the earliest Old English to the beginning of the Renaissance period.
Dr Larrington's research interests are in Old Icelandic literature, medieval women's writing, European Arthurian literature, and, most recently, medieval emotion. She has published on Old English and Old Icelandic wisdom poetry, compiled Women and Writing in Medieval Europe: A Sourcebook and edited two collections of essays on the Old Norse Poetic Edda. Her revised and expanded translation of the Poetic Edda, just published, is the standard. Her most recent monograph is King Arthur's Enchantresses: Morgan and Her Sisters in Arthurian Tradition which appeared from IB Tauris in June 2006. Her book on sibling relations in European medieval literature, and a new popular book on British folklore, The Land of the Green Man will be published in 2015; a BBC Radio 4 series based on the folklore book has also been commissioned. She is currently editing a collection of essays on emotion in Arthurian literature, and a Handbook to Eddic Poetry. She has been until recently editor-in-chief of the journal Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, and the President of the Viking Society for Northern Research, the British scholarly society for Old Norse study.
(from https://www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/945-714/Dr-C...)
Dr. Carolyne Larrington teaches medieval English literature in the college, ranging from the earliest Old English to the beginning of the Renaissance period.
Dr Larrington's research interests are in Old Icelandic literature, medieval women's writing, European Arthurian literature, and, most recently, medieval emotion. She has published on Old English and Old Icelandic wisdom poetry, compiled Women and Writing in Medieval Europe: A Sourcebook and edited two collections of essays on the Old Norse Poetic Edda. Her revised and expanded translation of the Poetic Edda, just published, is the standard. Her most recent monograph is King Arthur's Enchantresses: Morgan and Her Sisters in Arthurian Tradition which appeared from IB Tauris in June 2006. Her book on sibling relations in European medieval literature, and a new popular book on British folklore, The Land of the Green Man will be published in 2015; a BBC Radio 4 series based on the folklore book has also been commissioned. She is currently editing a collection of essays on emotion in Arthurian literature, and a Handbook to Eddic Poetry. She has been until recently editor-in-chief of the journal Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, and the President of the Viking Society for Northern Research, the British scholarly society for Old Norse study.
(from https://www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/945-714/Dr-C...)
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
did-not-finish
April 17, 2025This was fine and interesting, just not what I expected narratively when I picked it up on vacation.
July 14, 2023
Really solid exploration into the evolutions of the way we use and view the norse myths. I would have like more depth in some areas but also recognise she's trying to cover a huge amount therefore it's giving more of an overview and ideas of where to start when looking into them further. Lots and lots of books gone on to my tbr from this, both for scholarship and fiction. Exploring the ways different novels use the Norse Myths has inevitably led to spoilers tho 😅 (especially American Gods). Also, it is a good indication of what not to read and the negative/harmful ways the Norse Myths have been adopted by certain groups. The wealth of illustrations and images from different periods of history in this book is amazing. Very well stocked with pictures to reference both in the plate pages and throughout the chapters. Even pulled out the odd point that I can use in my research.
July 8, 2023
This is a brilliantly researched and written book about the Norse myths and the effect they have on modern stories and even events.
Each chapter is set out with a brief summary of the myth at the beginning, and then go on to tell the story of how those myths have been used in different texts and sources as wide ranging as Wagner operas and the marvel movies. The illustrations in this book are very clear and useful and allow the author to talk about the impact the myths have had on the visual arts as well. I was pleased to see the inclusion of modern writers such as Joanne Harris and Genevieve Gornichec bringin the text right up to date.
I really enjoyed this book and I certainly learned a lot about a subject I felt I knew a fair amount about already.
It is written by Carolyne Larrington who also wrote The Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Heroes. Which would make a brilliant accompanying text to this book.
Thank you to the publisher for a readers copy of this book.
Each chapter is set out with a brief summary of the myth at the beginning, and then go on to tell the story of how those myths have been used in different texts and sources as wide ranging as Wagner operas and the marvel movies. The illustrations in this book are very clear and useful and allow the author to talk about the impact the myths have had on the visual arts as well. I was pleased to see the inclusion of modern writers such as Joanne Harris and Genevieve Gornichec bringin the text right up to date.
I really enjoyed this book and I certainly learned a lot about a subject I felt I knew a fair amount about already.
It is written by Carolyne Larrington who also wrote The Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Heroes. Which would make a brilliant accompanying text to this book.
Thank you to the publisher for a readers copy of this book.
August 17, 2023
The Norse Myths That Shape the Way We Think by Carolyne Larrington is a fantastic book that discusses how Norse mythology has changed our culture and how it continues to influence it today. This is not a book teaching the old myths but is quite fascinating for anyone familiar with that lore. As an author of Nordic-inspired fantasy, I highly recommend it for anyone passionate about this subject.
May 4, 2025
more like The Way We Think That Shapes The Norse Myths
mannnn, modern interpretations are so lame i cringed every time the author dived into gaiman (imo the author grants him waaayyy too much attention), or marvel, or etc
but i still appreciate insight into some lesser known legends/sagas that were nee to me
mannnn, modern interpretations are so lame i cringed every time the author dived into gaiman (imo the author grants him waaayyy too much attention), or marvel, or etc
but i still appreciate insight into some lesser known legends/sagas that were nee to me
Read
May 7, 2023Rating and more in-depth review to come later, maybe. I'm mulling over the postscript and not in the best way. It was enjoyable in the first half, not gonna lie! I picked the book up after watching the Dr. Larrington speak on Dr. Jackson Crawford's channel on YouTube.
August 6, 2023
this book took me forever i’ll tell you that. lovely lovely writing and use of words. i highlighted a lot of passages just because i liked the way they were written. really interesring and informative but i got a little bored at times. overall recommend
November 25, 2023
Interesting, insightful and easily accessible about Norse mythology in our time, especially how it is portrayed in popular culture. For anyone who has read Gaiman, Tolkien or Martin to name a few, or watched Game of Thrones or The Vikings, there is something to be gained here.
November 1, 2024
Dat '...shape the way we think' komt er niet helemaal uit, het boek vertelt vooral hoe de mythen door de geschiedenis heen bewerkt zijn (met wel heel veel aandacht voor Wagner, maar dat is misschien ook wel logisch). Maar wel een mooi overzicht, en erg informatief.
June 26, 2025
no fault of the author but i was just incredibly confused the whole time. probably because everything was so hard to pronounce it took up all my brain cells. other than that, this was actually pretty interesting!! thanks father for the recommendation 🙏
January 18, 2024
Norse Myths part = interesting
Shaping the way we think part = sort of lacking
Shaping the way we think part = sort of lacking
November 29, 2024
非常有意思的知识补充。
June 1, 2025
An engaging analysis of Norse myths and motifs.
September 14, 2024
This is a decent reference book for those interested in the storytelling tropes in Norse mythology. Each chapter reviews a common myth or character and traces its literary lineage from the Eddas to modern-day adaptations. The writing is very approachable for novice readers and acts as a very approachable introduction for those who are new to Norse mythology.
January 4, 2024
This book is truly the best thing to read if you want to learn about Norse mythology. She somehow fits everything important and the small little details that aren’t into this.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews