Myths of the Norsemen From the Eddas and Sagas

The myths of the Norsemen are darkly romantic, heroic and tragic. For sheer adventure and high drama, they are without equal. These stirring tales are as powerful now as they were a thousand years ago. Less well known are the stories themselves, stories with all the classic qualities of a long-lost age: valor, nobility and a triumphant greatness of spirit. These were the human attributes the medieval Norsemen admired most. What dazzling inspirations for young Viking warriors must these tales have been, vividly told beside blazing fires on dark, and frozen nights. The preservation of these myths, from the oral tradition to the prose sagas that have been handed down to us owes much to the Norse colonization of Iceland. On these northerly shores, the learned men who were proud of their pagan past adapted the art of storytelling to the written word. This book provides an enjoyable digest of these ancient sagas, along with a running commentary and an invaluable glossary of a multitude of characters.