Norse Epic Myths: Bibliography and Resources:
The Seattle Storytelling Guild is joining the Nordic Museum in Ballard, Washington, celebrating their new facility and the opening of an exhibit on the Vikings by sharing Norse stories and myths with a Epic storytelling event. The tellers are coming from as far as California and Canada to share myths from these tales.
- Norse Myths Epic Full Page Flyer - Norse Myths Epic Half Page Flyer
Norse Mythology at Nordic Heritage Museum: The Storytellers and the Myths
Some Sources for The Myths at Norse Myths Epic
Norse Myths Pronunciation GuideA Norse Gods Glossary and History of the Myths - A Handout for the Event.A Norse Myths Slide Show in Powerpoint
The Storytellers and Audio Files from the Program
- Bergith Kayyali – Creation, the Tree of Yggdrasill and the Nine Realms
- Mary Gavan - Rebuilding the Wall of Asgard . . . also titled The Master Builder and The Giant Builder
- Barry McWilliams - Odin and the Two Wells Also titled How Odin lost His Eye or The Eye in Mirmir's Well, includes the Duel with Vafthrudnir
Break
- Jennifer Ferris - The Binding of Fenrir Also titled Loki's Children
- Barbara Fankhauser – Idun and the Golden Apples Also titled Kidnapping of Idun or The Apples of Youth
- Sandra Niman - The Fairest Feet Also titled Skadi's Choice or Njord and Skadi
- Holly Robison – Sif and her Golden Hair Also titled The Treasures of the Gods
Break
- Judith Alexander –Frey and Gerda
- D. J. Hodgson - The Lay of Grimnir Also titled Ordeal of the Hooded One
- Eli Baltuck-Garrard - Thor & Loki's Journey to Utgard
- Naomi Baltuck – Thor Recovers His Hammer Also titled Freyja's Unusual Wedding or Thor the Bride
Break
- Philomena Jordan - Thor and Geirrod Also titled In the Giant's House
- Leslie Slape - The Death of Balder
- Allison Cox – Who Owns The Land Also titled The Lay of Hyndla or Hyndla's Poem
The storytelling program which will be held in the morning and afternoon on November 10th, 2018 will have fourteen tellers drawing from quite a variety of sources. Here are some:
The Norse Myths: Traditional Tellings
- The Children of Odin by Patrick Colum (35 Stories) (Numerous printings, Also available as on Kindle and as an e-book) This is a good basic text for the event. Also includes the Volsungs Saga of Sigurd.
- Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki by Kevin Crossley-Holland and Jeffrey Alan Love Candlewick Studio (September 28, 2017) (240 pages - Twenty Tales) An overview of the essential stories in Norse mythology. Each one is written as a simple narrative, so that it feels like a collection of nighttime stories, rather than an academic text. The art compliments the stories well.
- The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland (The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library July 12, 1981) (Thirty Two Tales - 320 pages) And introduction to Norse Mythology that brings the Viking world vividly to life. The mythic legacy of the Scandinavians includes a cycle of stories filled with Gods, humans, and monstrous beasts engaged in prodigious drinking bouts, contests of strength, greedy schemes for gold, and lusty encounters. Odin, Thor, Loki and Freyja.
- Tales of the Norse Gods and Heroes (Oxford Illustrated Classics) by Barbara Leonie Picard. (1980) 324 pages The author uses the Norsk Names for the Characters. Available on Kindle, and used.
- Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman Sets out to create his own versions of the myths with his own hybrid tellings drawn from the Prose and Poetic Edda's.
- Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas by Helen A. Guerber (Dover Publications) (465 Pages) A reprint of an 1895 book of myth and folklore assembling a rich collection of Northern mythology as preserved in the Eddas and sagas of Iceland. Arranged like a dictionary of Characters and Places. (Abridged versions and a Kindle version available)
- In The Days Of Giants by Abbie Farwell Brown (1902) Sixteen retold Norse myths, this classic children's fairy tale book was originally published in 1902 (Various editions and E-book Available)
- Treasury of Norse Mythology: Stories of Intrigue, Trickery, Love, and Revenge by Donna Jo Napoli - Reviewers say this writer has a clear negative bias towards the Norse and an obvious disdain for their myths. Illustrated, part of a series on the mythologies behind Rick Riordan's Magnus Chase.
- D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths by Ingri d'Aulaire and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire Written for children ages 5-9 in 1967, it contains 30 Norse myths and includes most of the basic stories of the Norse pantheon.
- Myths of the Norsemen (Puffin Classics) by Roger Lancelyn Green (1960) (Puffin Books; Reprint edition - May 2, 2013 - 288 Pages) Green was a British writer of many books of legends and mythology for ages 10 and up. (Kindle edition available)
- The Heroes of Asgard by Annie Keary (1870) Illustrated Stories. 70 Pages. Also available on Kindle.
Guides to Norse Mythology
- The Viking Spirit: An Introduction to Norse Mythology and Religion by Daniel McCoy.
Probably the best introduction and written to scholarly standards, but in a simple, clear, and entertaining style that’s easy to understand and a pleasure to read. It includes gripping succinct retellings of no less than 34 epic Norse myths – more than any other book in the field – while also providing an equally comprehensive overview of the fascinating Viking worldview of which Norse mythology was a part. You’ll learn about the Vikings’ gods and goddesses, their concept of fate, their views on the afterlife, their moral code, how they thought the universe was structured, how they practiced their religion, the role that magic played in their lives, and much more. Published in 2016. Daniel McCoy is the creator of Norse Mythology for Smart People (Norse-Mythology.org), the most-visited website on the mythology and religion of the Norse and other ancient Germanic peoples.
- From Asgard to Valhalla: The Remarkable History of the Norse Myths by Heather O'Donoghue. The Norse myths have resonated from era to era: from Viking-age stories of ice and fire to the epic poetry of Beowulf; and from Wagner's Ring to Marvel Comics' Mighty Thor - Heather O'Donoghue considers the wider contexts of Norse mythology, including its origins, medieval expression and reception in post-medieval societies; and the role of myths right up to the present.
- Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs by John Lindow (384 pages Oxford University Press -October 17, 2002)
The book begins with an Introduction that helps put Scandinavian mythology in place in history, followed by a chapter that explains the meaning of mythic time, and a third section that presents in-depth explanations of each mythological term. These fascinating entries identify particular deities and giants, as well as the places where they dwell and the varied and wily means by which they forge their existence and battle one another.
- The Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Heroes Feb 14, 2017 by Carolyne Larrington An exhilarating introduction to the vivid, violent, boisterous world of the Norse myths and their cultural legacy from Tolkien to Game of Thrones.
- Dictionary of Northern Mythology by Rudolf Simek In compiling this dictionary Rudolf Simek has made the fullest possible use of the information available-Christian accounts, Eddic lays, the Elder Edda, runic inscriptions, Roman authors (especially Tacitus), votive stones, place names and archaeological discoveries. He has adhered to a broad definition of mythology which presents the beliefs of the heathen Germanic tribes in their entirety - an entire history of Germanic religion.
- Norse Mythology: A Concise Guide to Gods, Heroes, Sagas and Beliefs of Norse Mythology
by Robert Carlson. Paperback – February 11, 2016 Part of a series on Mythology, It is a briefer introduction to the subject.
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Sagas of the Norsemen: Viking and German Myth (Myth & Mankind , Vol 5, No 20) by Loren Auerbach
- The Nine Worlds: A Dictionary of Norse Mythology by Douglas A. Rossman (2000) An annotated dictionary of the principal mythological beings, places, and magical implements mentioned in the Eddas--tales of Viking-age Scandinavia. Through his passion for Norse Mythology and his storytelling skills, as the skalds of old retold the Icelandic sagas, Dag has been a featured storyteller at folk festivals and summer camps; he has written stories for Mythic Circle and Viking magazines and is the author of several books based on Norse mythology (see below).
Modern “Mythic” Tales - Recent Retellings in the Spirit of Norse Mythology
Translations of The Original Sources:
- Edda (Everyman's Library) by Snorri Sturluson
- The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology (Penguin Classics) Paperback – January 31, 2006
by Snorri Sturluson(1179-1241), - an Icelandic Poet. Translated by Jesse Byock. An original source for much of Norse Myth.
- The Poetic Edda by Carolyne Larrington (Translator) (Oxford World's Classics) Revised Edition 383 pages
Icelandic Sagas
The Icelandic Sagas also known as family sagas, are prose narratives mostly based on historical events that mostly took place in Iceland in the 9th, 10th, and early 11th centuries, during the so-called Saga Age. They are the best-known specimens of Icelandic literature. They are focused on history, especially genealogical and family history. They reflect the struggle and conflict that arose within the societies of the early generations of Icelandic settlers.
- The Saga of the Volsungs (Penguin Classics) Paperback – January 1, 2000 by Jesse L. Byock Based on Viking Age poems and composed in thirteenth-century Iceland, The Saga of the Volsungs combines mythology, legend, and sheer human drama in telling of the heroic deeds of Sigurd the dragon slayer, who acquires runic knowledge from one of Odin's Valkyries. Yet the saga is set in a very human world, incorporating oral memories of the fourth and fifth centuries. With its ill-fated Rhinegold, the sword reforged, and the magic ring of power, this saga resembles the Nibelungenlied and has been a primary source for such fantasy writers as J. R. R. Tolkien and for Richard Wagner's Ring cycle.
- The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki (Penguin Classics) by Anonymous Jesse L. Byock (Author, Translator)
- Njal's Saga (Penguin Classics) Paperback – May 28, 2002 by Anonymous Robert Cook (Editor, Translator) A fifty year feud.
- The Sagas of Icelanders (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Robert Kellogg (Introduction) The lives and deeds of the Norse men and women who first settled Iceland and of their descendants, who ventured further west--to Greenland and, ultimately, the coast of North America itself. The ten Sagas and seven shorter tales in this volume include the celebrated "Vinland Sagas," which recount Leif Eiriksson's pioneering voyage to the New World and contain the oldest descriptions of the North American continent.
Web Resources: Wikipedia:
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