Myths of the Norsemen

by Roger Lancelyn Green

Book Overview

Puffin Classics bring the very best children's stories to a new generation. Roger Lancelyn Green's time-honoured collection of Norse myths and legends is introduced by bestselling author Michelle Paver, creator of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness collection and Gods and Warriors, her epic Greek Bronze Age series for Puffin.
The great Norse sagas are full of magic and heroic deeds. Odin's wanderings, Thor's hammer, the death...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014134525X
• ISBN13: 9780141345253
• Release Date: May 2013
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 6.9"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

Great tales

Sir Roger Lancelyn Green tells the Norse myths in a very beautiful way: the power and the magic of the original verses can be felt when reading his book. In my opinion an excellent work and a joy to read.

A superb retelling of the Norse myths as a unified epic

Edith Hamilton commented in her book Mythology that unfortunately, no-one had ever woven together the Norse myths into a single epic, similar to the Iliad or the Odyssey. Roger Lancelyn Green has certainly do the best job of it so far. Many people have put together a book that selects among the variant myths, but no one else has ever put them together into such a readable and moving story. It is a great piece of literature in its own right, in addition to being a relatively simple telling of the myths. Anyone wanting a more scholarly approach may want to find another book, such as The Mythology of All Races. EDDIC (The Mythology of All Races in Thirteen Volumes, Volume 2), by John Arnott MacCulloch; Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs by John Lindow; or Gods and Myths of Northern Europe by H.R. Ellis.

Myths of the Norsemen by Roger L. Green

This book is an excellent introduction to Norse mythology for young readers. The individual myths are set down in a logical order so that the reader can understand the religious belief system of the ancient Norse people. I do not recommend this book to any adult who would enjoy a more in depth read on the subject; however, it would be a good read for an adult who just wants a quick and enjoyable overview of the subject. I wish more children of European ancestry would embrace their heritage and read up on the myths of their folk. We can all learn a lot about who we are by studying the beliefs that are actually native to our respective peoples.

A Good Intro to Norse Mythology

Green is a great teller of tales, and here he definitely succeeds in bringing the ancient Norse Myths to life with vivid prose that is very faithful to his sources. This is one of those reads that is good for children (from about 4th Grade) and adults alike. The author's tone is not patronizing, but treats the reader and the subject matter seriously, and yet lightly and humorously when appropriate.Green's novel--and it does read like a novel in its own right--is really good at introducing the reader to the world of Norse Myth, starting with the character of the Norse Men and going on to give an overview of the mythology, an introduction to all the gods, their foes, and their worlds, and straight retellings of all the famous tales... all in a narrative context.I now prefer to read the "originals," but no doubt they would have been far too cryptic for me to read if I didn't have Green to hold my hand at first. I refer to the collection known as the Elder or Poetic Edda (0292764995), as well as the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson (0520012321). For me, those two collections plus the Volsungasaga (0140447385) round out the "genuine" Norse mythology.But as I said, I would definitely begin with Green. I have read other modern retellings, but if you can find this one, it is the best.

Good collection of stories.

This book had been sitting unread in my library for many years. Recently, I decided to pick it up after getting more interested in the Norse myths after reading the Icelandic Sagas and listening to Wagner's 'Der Ring Des Nibelungen,' which was inspired by Norse mythology. This book supplies a collection of Norse myths, beginning with how the world was created, and ending with 'Ragnarok,' the popular myth about the last battle between the Gods and the Giants. I found myself enthralled throughout the book - that is until I reached the chapter regarding Sigurd. I have had some previous knowledge of this myth, but sought to learn more about it to learn more about Wagner's sources and inspirations when composing his mythological-based 'Ring' operas. Instead, I had found that the author used Wagner's Ring as a source for his chapter on Sigurd rather than the original sagas and myths. This made me question the authenticity of the other stories presented in the book. However, I think they all convey the general idea of what the Nordic people believed in, and think it a good synthesized collection of Norse mythology for those beginning to delve into the subject. It's also an ideal mythic book for younger audiences, as it has no explicit violence and has a simplistic and blunt writing style.