This book review was written by Eugene Kernes
“Despite him being the leader of Æsir and the lord of Asgard, Odin had a penchant for distant and solitary travels. Although some of his quests were inspired by petty whims, most of them were undertaken in search of fulfilling lofty ambitions. Odin was not always the omnipotent God he came to be; he started off as the God of Death, but the rest of his reign was hard won.” – Stephan Weaver, Chapter II, Page 9
“Norse society had three social strata over which the gods and goddesses ruled. The upper class included the rulers and sovereignty; the middle class, the warriors; and the lower class, the farmers and peasants. Odin and Tyr were the rulers of the upper class. There were stark differences between Odin and Tyr. Odin ruled by magic and cunning, while Tyr ruled by law and order. Odin carried a rather discreditable imagery, depicted as the malicious, unfathomable one, whereas Tyr was perceived as the virtuous and sober ruler.” – Stephan Weaver, Chapter II, Page 9
“The Norsemen had quite a lot of heroes and legends, ones
that were idolized and worshiped throughout the whole of Scandinavia. And it was because of these extraordinary
figures that Norse history has come to be this unceasing and timelessly
captivating entity in human recordings.” – Stephan Weaver, Chapter IV, Page 27
Is This An Overview?
Norse mythology has been influential through the acts of
historical leaders and fictional heroes.
Influencing many societies with their norms and customs. The Norse pantheon contained many diverse
characters, and usually part of a conflict.
It was a conflict that reduced the Ten Worlds, to Nine Worlds. It was a death of a giant that made the
middle earth, the land of humanity.
Worlds cosmically tied by a world-tree.
With conflict, there is also peace and how the different groups
interacted with each other. But that is
not to forget the looming fate of Ragnarök.
This is a short book describing the power of the gods, the types of
worlds, the different types of beings, and historic events and fiction that
propagated the myths.
Caveats?
This is a short introductory book to
Norse Mythology. It does not contain a
systematic analysis. Just a short description
of the major gods, beings, heroes, and worlds.
