Tales of Valhalla
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 comics culture.In Tales of Valhalla, the Whittocks have dramatically retold these rich stories and set 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 may involve historical characters but are told in a non-historical way and often include supernatural events—Tales of Valhalla is an accessible and lively volume that brings these hallmarks of world literature to a new generation.
1128016216
Tales of Valhalla
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 comics culture.In Tales of Valhalla, the Whittocks have dramatically retold these rich stories and set 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 may involve historical characters but are told in a non-historical way and often include supernatural events—Tales of Valhalla is an accessible and lively volume that brings these hallmarks of world literature to a new generation.
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Tales of Valhalla

Tales of Valhalla

by Martyn Whittock
Tales of Valhalla

Tales of Valhalla

by Martyn Whittock

eBook

$12.99 

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Overview

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 comics culture.In Tales of Valhalla, the Whittocks have dramatically retold these rich stories and set 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 may involve historical characters but are told in a non-historical way and often include supernatural events—Tales of Valhalla is an accessible and lively volume that brings these hallmarks of world literature to a new generation.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781681779126
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Publication date: 09/04/2018
Sold by: SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format: eBook
Pages: 288
File size: 2 MB

About the Author

Martyn Whittock has written numerous educational and history books, including titles on Viking and Anglo-Saxon history. He has been a consultant for the BBC, English Heritage, and the National Trust in the UK, and has written for Medieval History magazine and other historical journals. In addition, as a commentator and columnist, he writes for several print and online news platforms, and has been interviewed on TV and radio news programs exploring the impact of history on current events in the USA, the UK, and globally.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

1 Who were the 'Norse'? 1

2 The impact of Christianity on Norse mythology 11

Part 1 Norse Myths

3 The origins of the world 19

4 The order of things 29

5 Loki the trickster and his children 41

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

7 The cunning of Loki and the adventures of Thor 55

8 The killing of Baldr and the punishing of Loki 69

9 The kidnapping of Idunn and the origins of poetry 80

10 Adventures in Giantland 89

11 Stories of gold and of gods 98

12 The sayings of Odin 114

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

14 The conflict at the ferry place 130

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

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

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

18 Ragnarok and the end of the world 173

Part 2 Norse Legends

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

20 Legendary rulers of men 199

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

22 The magic sword called Tyrfing 217

23 The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki 228

24 Journeys to Vinland 248

Notes 263

Select Bibliography 267

Index 269

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