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/lit/ - Literature

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1507602 No.1507602 [Reply] [Original]

Norse mythology: where should I start? Or does it not really matter?

>> No.1507613

it does not

>> No.1507630

There isn't much out there. You could get through most of the primary source in a week or two of reading.

So here's the list I post whenever I see one of these threads:

For gods and monsters, read the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturlusson or the Elder (poetic) Eddas, especially the Voluspa. For heroes and lovers, try the Icelandic sagas, especially Hrafnkel's saga and the Volsunga saga. You may also consider the Nibelungenlied or Beowulf for late Norse literature.
Read from all three categories to get a sense of how the culture changed over time. The story of Sigurd is told in the poetic edda, the Volsunga saga and the Nibelungenlied in very different ways. For nonfiction analysis on the subject, try Gods and Myths of Northern Europe by H.R. Ellis Davidson.

>> No.1507638

>>1507630

Thanks. I will hit up the sagas of the icelanders for sure, since Njals saga is one I really want to read. Edda it is, though, for a start.

>> No.1507681

>>1507638

You should read Egil's Saga.

>> No.1507687

Ages of Mythology for the PC.

Play as the Norse.

Waste weeks of your life away.

>> No.1507703
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1507703

If you read the poetic edda, read the Bellows translation. It's in my opinion, the best.

The Icelandic Sagas are indeed great and I'm also gonna second Egil's Saga.

If the language used in the original Eddas is too antiquated for you, check out a book called The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland. I gave it to my kids and they love it (it's by no means a children's book, though)

Good reading!

Also this picture.

>> No.1507712

>>1507703

Also, you might check out the ebook collection at www.heathengods.com

Ignore the religious bit if it bothers you, they've got a very good collection of books there.