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The Myths of the Norsemen by H.A. Guerber




This books which is composed of 29 chapters is a great introduction to Norse Mythology. Each major deity has a chapter dedicated to him or her. The first chapter introduces the reader to the creation myths and the battle of Bor and Bestla's sons against the giants. There are also separate chapters about the fairies, dwarves and giants.

The reader will be disappointed however if he is expecting a sort of chronological retelling of the tales leading to Ragnarok. The stories where each god is involved is included in the chapter about him.

There is however a comprehensive chapter of the Sigurd Saga. It is an advantage to the reader that the details come from various sources. There is also a short introduction and analysis of what the myths symbolized.

The only thing that is missing is an introduction of the cultures which made up these myths. It is important for readers who are new to Norse mythology to understand the kind of people who made up these stories, although the author did explain that the environment played a huge role in shaping the myths.

The last chapter was written badly. It is a comparison of Norse to Greek mythology. I was expecting a more scholarly type of analysis but he just listed down some names and events which have similarities to the latter. Other than that  this book still serves as a good introduction.

I'm giving this book an 8 out of 10 rating.
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