English

Myths of the Norsemen from the Eddas and Sagas

A comprehensive overview of Norse legend and mythology, and a treasure trove of historical marvels, tales of glory and death, defeat and victory. As the author wrote in the forward: “The aim of this handbook is to familiarize the English student with the religion of his heathen ancestors, and to set forth, as clearly as possible, the various myths which have exercised an influence over our customs, arts, and literature. “As Danes, Swedes, Icelanders, Germans, English, and French all came originally from the same stock and worshiped the same gods, so these tales formed the basis not only of their religious belief, but also of their first attempts at poetry.” Drawing upon the rich legacy of the Eddas and Sagas, this work traces not only the full pantheon of the Northern Gods and their foes, but also provides a fascinating insight into the historical origins of some of the main characters—who appear to have been based on real-life characters whose deeds immortalized them into legend—and finally a comparison with classical Greek mythological characters, showing the interrelatedness of the great Indo-European peoples. It also discusses in detail how the early Christian missionaries merg

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