If youre a parent looking for a book on norse mythology for your child, the. Neil gaiman on his norse mythology, in which odin wants. She recently borrowed a book about norse mythology from the library, an illustrated childrens book with very shortenedsimplified versions of the sagas. And what most of us know of norse mythology only scratches the surface. I was delighted to hear about this book and enjoyed learning more about nordic mythology. All about vikings is one of the books in a series of educational books written by professor baby and published by speedy publishing. Norse mythology, by neil gaiman gaimans no stranger to norse gods see. From the beginning filled with nothing, through the birth of gods and man to ragnarok, the mythic. He is also the father and in once case the mother of a group of fantastical creatures, most of which play a large role in the religion of the vikings. The newest book in the bestselling, awardwinning a childs introduction series explores the popular and captivating world of norse mythology. If youre looking for a reading experience that will educate your kid on norse mythology, theres no better book than book of norse myths. Norse mythology did not mention sigurd, the valkyrie brynhildr, fafnir the dragon, or odins wanderings in nearly the same amount of detail or at all.
Tales of gods, creatures, and quests mathias nordvig phd. The children of odin had more stories to connect different parts of the book, and in those were included some of the stories involving odins wanderings and mortal heroes such as sigurd. This book, which is a part of the childrens norse folk tales series, provides children with. It is the tale of how the god of poetry met idunna in alfheim with the help of freyr. Gift ideas in children s norse literature any department.
Organized into two parts, part one introduces characters like odin, the leader of the norse gods. The latest release is the childrens book bragi s silentsong. Discover the best childrens norse literature in best sellers. Odin the norse mythology viking god blank sketchbook to draw and paint 110 empty pages, 8. A thrilling collection of viking myths, brought to life with evocative illustrations. Gaiman somehow manages to faithfully recreate these ancient tales while weaving the various narratives into. Gaimans book serves as a welcome point of entry to a new generation of readers. If you are looking for a book about norse mythology this is not the book for you. Hel is attested in the poetic edda, compiled in the th century from earlier traditional sources, and the prose edda, written in the th century by snorri sturluson. Book of norse myths is easily the best book on norse mythology for children. With thousands of childrens books, audiobooks, and videos, there is no limit to what children can learn and explore. Gift ideas in childrens norse literature any department. Norse mothers tales for young children, norse, of course.
Daulaires book of norse myths hardcover may 31, 2005. Meet dragonslaying heroes and giantsmashing gods, as well as thor, the. Norse mythology is the body of myths of the north germanic peoples, stemming from norse paganism and continuing after the christianization of scandinavia, and into the scandinavian folklore of the modern period. The norse gods go on adventures and engage in great contests. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales. In norse mythology, gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major norse pantheon. American gods, highlighted below, but in his new book, hes not simply picking apart old myths and using the parts to build new storieshes actually recasting them and retelling them with a modern approach. These are the tales that viking poets recited in dimly lit halls to the captivated attendees of grand feasts, and which fathers and mothers told to their children around roaring hearthfires on long winter nights. In addition, she is mentioned in poems recorded in heimskringla and egils saga that date from the 9th and. The 10 best norse mythology books norse mythology for smart. This is a basic kindergarten to first grade level book about vikings with only a small touch on norse mythology.
Munchs handbook of norse mythology, which first appeared in 1840, was originally written as a supplementary volume to a school text on the history of norway, sweden, and denmark. Norse mythology introduces readers to a deeper world, rooted in the traditions of northern story telling. From early creation stories to classical hero narratives and the recurring theme of the afterlife, experience each myth and unravel th. The daulaires book of norse myths is specifically written for ages 59, or kindergarten through fourth grade. Norse mythology the children of loki the herodotus. Norse mythology, like most myths, sets out to answer questions about the world and our origins. The kraken on the cover an enormous octopus of norse legend that consumed entire ships. Norse mythology childrens book collection discover epic. Daulaires book of norse myths is one of the great kids books. Neil gaiman, long inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction, presents a bravura rendition of the norse gods and their world from their origin. I gave daulaires book of norse myths to my cousins young children under 10 years old and got a lot of good feedback about it from my cousininlaw, so it must be good, inlaws being. Meet dragonslaying heroes and giantsmashing gods, as well as thor, the thunder god, loki the shapeshifting trickster and sea serpents, fire demons and frost giants in these aweinspiring myths.
Probably the most famous of all mythology books, edith hamiltons mythology introduces readers to the greek, roman and norse myths that are the keystone of western culture, and the stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity throughout history. The book was a huge success but went out of print for several decades. Norse mythology the children of loki in norse mythology, loki is a trickster god and capable of changing his shape. Childrens fiction legends myths fables norse books alibris. The 10 best norse mythology books norse mythology for. Hachette book group has been publishing hamiltons classic since its release in 1942.
They told tales about the formation of the universe, about how the universe was divided, and how the gods and giants made war with one another. In norse mythology, neil gaiman retells the norse stories about the framing of the world, the production of yggdrasil and the nine worlds, how odin lost his eye, how the divine beings got their fortunes, lokis kids, thors excursion to the place that is known for the mammoths, the passing of balder, ragnarok, and the sky is the limit from there. Read norse mythology free books online norse mythology. Get ready for rick riordans the sword of summer with 6 books. If you are looking for a fact based book about the vikings, this probably isnt the book for you either. Odin, thor, loki, and other viking gods, goddesses, giants, and monsters by heather alexander and meredith hamilton 15 nov 2018 5. Following the second world war, superhero comics declined in popularity, and. From the dawn of the world to the twilight of the gods, this is a thrilling, vivid retelling of the norse mythology from the awardwinning, bestselling neil gaiman. Norse mothers tales are life lesson short stories for young children to establish familiarity with people, places, and animals from norse and viking history. The northernmost extension of germanic mythology, norse mythology consists of tales of various deities, beings, and heroes derived from numerous sources from both before and after the. Fascinating myths and legends of norse gods, heroes, and viking beliefs explores the norse gods and the viking belief system through the tales told by people living at the time. Longrecognized master of norse mythology kevin crossleyholland pairs with awardwinning artist jeffrey alan love for an exceptional look at the viking gods. Norse, of course series the roots of yggdrasil childrens book at.
Many gods and goddesses are named in norse mythology. Their retelling of the greek myths for children had to pull its punches somewhat. Neil gaiman was reading to a packed crowd from his new book of stories, norse mythology, on thursday night at town hall, and he had 15 tales to. If youre a parent looking for a book on norse mythology for your child, the daulaires book of norse myths is easily the best book on norse mythology for children. I found that the humor, violence, imagination, pathos, and plots are essentially the same in both, but that gaiman gives more emotional, psychological, and physical detail. In modern usage, mythology is either the body of myths from a particular culture or religion as in greek mythology, egyptian mythology or norse mythology or the branch of knowledge dealing with the collection, study and interpretation of myths. The body of stories that we today call norse mythology formed one of the centerpieces of the pagan norse religion. Odin, thor, loki, and other viking gods, goddesses, giants, and monsters 9780316482158. I read the norse myths when i was in my thirties and had a really hard time with it. In norse mythology, hel is a being who presides over a realm of the same name, where she receives a portion of the dead. Norse mythology is a series of traditional stories from ancient norse mythology as retold by author neil gaiman. Book of norse myths was first published back in 1967, as a followup to ingri and edgar parin daulaires popular book of greek myths, which came out five years earlier.
Jan 30, 2020 norhalla publishes three unique series of norse and viking themed books. Bringing to life the epic myths that have inspired gaimans own writing, this glorious special edition for. See more ideas about childrens books, book themes and books. Sifs golden hair is an illustrated childrens book based on nordic lore and norse mythology. As a book for students and as a work of general reference it has maintained its popularity. Norse mythology neil gaiman ive always loved mythology but am much more knowledge about greek and roman than norse, so when a friend recommended a book about norse mythology and written by the incredible neil gaiman, then i jumped at the chance and even bumped it up to to read list. For more great fantasy reads, check out our fantasy books for kids and 10 thrilling books for teens who love fantasy.
Stan lee and jack kirby had worked at the precursor to marvel comics in the 1930s and 40s. Most of the stories we have, however, concern two gods, odin and his son thor, and odins blood brother, a giants son called loki, who lives with the aesir in asgard. However, there was another comicbook team who took myths very seriously, and in large part served to bring norse mythology to a whole new audience. Norse mythology monsters guide childrens book on behance. The book is set from the birth of the universe to ragnarok, the twilight of the gods.
Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning. Parents need to know that norse mythology is a novelistic account of ancient scandinavian myths, retold by neil gaiman, author of the graveyard book and many other awardwinning titles. Eighty of the worlds greatest myths and characters, from the gods of greek mythology to the norse heroes, retold and explained with engaging text and bold graphics. Each spread tells about a different monster from the norse mythology. The fantastic in every sense of the word books on this list draw from indian, norse, japanese, chinese, and korean myths. Before norse mythology, i read the beautifully illustrated daulaires book of norse myths 1967 for children. Celtic norse warriors, berserkers, shield maidens, dragon boats and more to color. Neil gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. The book is written in the thirdperson and in past tense, except for the final chapter, which is written and the present and future tenses.