“The exuberant exaggerations of the Irish sagas are not for the northern gods; Freyja, Thor, Loki have the robust common sense which the Vikings themselves admired hugely,”
― Gods and Myths of Northern Europe
― Gods and Myths of Northern Europe
“Cattle die, kinsmen die, one dies oneself in the same way, but a reputation never dies for the one who acquires a good one.”
― Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs
― Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs
“When in the seventh century King Redwald of East Anglia provided one altar in his church to sacrifice to Christ, and another small one to offer victims to devils,1 he was not behaving childishly, or cunningly hoping to get the best of both worlds, but merely acting according to normal heathen custom, since acceptance of one god did not mean that one wholly rejected one’s neighbour’s deity. This indeed must have been one of the most difficult lessons for the new converts to Christianity to learn, and while they gained in single-mindedness, it is to be feared that they lost much of their old spirit of tolerance. The”
― Gods and Myths of Northern Europe
― Gods and Myths of Northern Europe
“The death of Baldr is one of the most important moments in the mythology.”
― Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs
― Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs
“Men brave and generous live the best lives, seldom will they sorrow; then there are fools, afraid of everything, who grumble instead of giving.”
― The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes
― The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes
Derek’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Derek’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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