Norse Mythology

What's the title? Norse Mythology

Who wrote it? Neil Gaiman

When was it written? 2017

What star rating would I give it? 4/5

Would I recommend it? Definitely. The myths are timeless stories, but Gaiman’s updated language makes them accessible for modern sensibilities while remaining faithful to the original tales. If you want to know more about Norse myths, love the myths already and are up for a fresh new take, or just want a fun, easy read, I’d highly recommend picking this up.

What's it about? (non-spoilers) Seriously? It’s in the freaking title, man. It’s the Norse myths. You know. Odin, Frigga, Thor, Sif, Loki. Giants and dwarves and resurrected goats and lethal mistletoe. I don’t feel like I need to explain this.

What did you think? (spoilers) I have an odd relationship with Neil Gaiman’s work. He’s an author whose name alone will get me to pick up a book. I’ve made my way through a large chunk of his oeuvre and plan on finishing it all in the near future. That said, while I’ve loved some of his works, I’ve been decidedly underwhelmed by others. Essentially, if Gaiman’s written something, it guarantees I’ll read it but not that I’ll like it.

I also have an odd relationship when it comes to Norse mythology. I read the Eddas, both prose and poetic, in college. I enjoyed them, but not as much as I enjoyed the Norse sagas, where perhaps Odin would show up but mostly the gods stepped aside to let kings and warriors take center stage for the action. Still, if I stumble across a book or movie inspired by Norse mythology my interest is always piqued, and I more likely than not will give it a good college try.

So with Norse Mythology, we have an author I (mostly) like writing about a subject I (typically) enjoy. It should’ve been an automatic read, but for whatever reason – most likely my contrary nature – I didn’t rush out to shove the book in my eyeballs. I waited a while before even bothering to put it on my library’s waiting list. I proceeded to forget all about it until I got the notification it had arrived. I picked it up, opened its pages, and suddenly and forcefully found myself in a magical world.

I knew these stories – I had read them before – but, in the Eddas, the language felt stilted, dusty. There was beauty there, but it was inaccessible, distant. Gaiman’s prose felt familiar and warm like I was sitting next to a campfire hearing my super talented friend spin a fantastic yarn. Aspects that I had missed in my previous exposure to the myths suddenly stood out in vivid detail. Thor and Loki’s complicated friendship. Frigg’s complete exasperation with the boys trying to force her into their misadventures. The cruelty of Loki using Hod to end Baldur. Tyr and Fenrir – oh my gosh. Tyr and Fenrir BROKE ME in the most absurd and fangirl type way. There was so much depth to these seemingly simple stories – so much to be plumbed about the characters and the world they inhabit.

Reading Norse Mythology helped remind me how these stories have endured for so long. There’s a primal aspect about them, a resonance and an incredible capacity for malleability. Myths are stories we – as a species – can hear over and over again and never tire of them. Norse Mythology reinvigorated my affection for this world and these characters. Whether you're familiar with the myths or not, I’d still highly recommend this book. As both an introduction and a refresher, Norse Mythology succeeds.

Images: Goodreads

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