Tales of Valhalla : Norse myths & legends / Martyn Whittock and Hannah Whittock.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Whittock, Martyn, 1958- author.

Whittock, Hannah, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mythology, Norse.

Gods, Norse.

Legends--Scandinavia.

Legends.

Scandinavia.

Physical Description:

xii, 276 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First Pegasus books hardcover edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Pegasus Books, 2018.

Summary:

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 mythsstories, usually religious, which explain origins, why things are as they are, the nature of the spiritualand legendsstories 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 supernatural eventsTales from Valhalla is an accessible and lively volume that brings these hallmarks of world literature to a new generation.

Contents:

1 Who were the 'Norse'? p. 1

2 The impact of Christianity on Norse mythology p. 11

Part 1 Norse Myths

3 The origins of the world p. 19

4 The order of things p. 29

5 Loki the trickster and his children p. 41

6 The goddesses of the Asyniur, the valkyries and the wife of Freyr p. 48

7 The cunning of Loki and the adventures of Thor p. 55

8 The killing of Baldr and the punishing of Loki p. 69

9 The kidnapping of Idunn and the origins of poetry p. 80

10 Adventures in Giantland p. 89

11 Stories of gold and of gods p. 98

12 The sayings of Odin p. 114

13 The rivalry of Odin and Frigg over the sons of King Hraudung p. 122

14 The conflict at the ferry place p. 130

15 Thor and Tyr fetch a giant cauldron from Giantland, and Loki insults the gods and goddesses in the hall of Aegir p. 139

16 Thor dresses as a woman in order to retrieve his hammer from the giants p. 153

17 The 'history' of gods and people, The Seeress' Prophecy p. 161

18 Ragnarok and the end of the world p. 173

Part 2 Norse Legends

19 The Saga of the Volsungs and the story of Sigurd, the dragon-slayer p. 181

20 Legendary rulers of men p. 199

21 Ynglinga Saga and the 'history' of gods and kings p. 205

22 The magic sword called Tyrfing p. 217

23 The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki p. 228

24 Journeys to Vinland p. 248.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781681778464

1681778467

OCLC:

1049151848

Publisher Number:

99977765826