Tales of Valhalla Norse myths & legends
Book - 2018
Valhalla and its pantheon of gods and heroes have always fascinated readers, whether it is how these tales illuminate the Viking world or influence cultural touchstones like J. R. R. Tolkien, whose Middle Earth is heavily indebted to Germanic and Norse mythology, as well as Hollywood and comic-culture. In Tales of Valhalla, the Whittocks have dramatically retold these rich stories and sets them in context within the wider Viking world. Including both myths--stories, usually religious, which explain origins, why things are as they are, the nature of the spiritual--and legends--stories which attempt to explain historical events and which may involve historical characters but which are told in a non-historical way and which often include super...natural events. Tales from Valhalla is an accessible and lively volume that brings these hallmarks of world literature to a new generation.
- Subjects
- Genres
- Nonfiction
- Published
-
New York, NY :
Pegasus Books
2018.
- Language
- English
- Main Author
- Other Authors
- Edition
- First Pegasus books hardcover edition
- Physical Description
- xii, 276 pages ; 24 cm
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- ISBN
- 9781681778464
- Introduction
- 1. Who were the 'Norse'?
- 2. The impact of Christianity on Norse mythology
- Part 1. Norse Myths
- 3. The origins of the world
- 4. The order of things
- 5. Loki the trickster and his children
- 6. The goddesses of the Asyniur, the valkyries and the wife of Freyr
- 7. The cunning of Loki and the adventures of Thor
- 8. The killing of Baldr and the punishing of Loki
- 9. The kidnapping of Idunn and the origins of poetry
- 10. Adventures in Giantland
- 11. Stories of gold and of gods
- 12. The sayings of Odin
- 13. The rivalry of Odin and Frigg over the sons of King Hraudung
- 14. The conflict at the ferry place
- 15. Thor and Tyr fetch a giant cauldron from Giantland, and Loki insults the gods and goddesses in the hall of Aegir
- 16. Thor dresses as a woman in order to retrieve his hammer from the giants
- 17. The 'history' of gods and people, The Seeress' Prophecy
- 18. Ragnarok and the end of the world
- Part 2. Norse Legends
- 19. The Saga of the Volsungs and the story of Sigurd, the dragon-slayer
- 20. Legendary rulers of men
- 21. Ynglinga Saga and the 'history' of gods and kings
- 22. The magic sword called Tyrfing
- 23. The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki
- 24. Journeys to Vinland
- Notes
- Select Bibliography
- Index