2018 Week 7
In 2016 I read 18 books. I only enjoyed 2 out of the lot. The social lecturing is pervasive throughout all media these days. It has driven me to research reviews before making any purchases. Consequently I read a lot less in 2017.
Viking Myths & Sagas is my first read in 2018. It is a very good introduction to Norse mythology. None of the Sagas are complete and I'm sure anyone looking for a comprehensive collection will realize this is not the book for them by it's apparent size.
Though the author retells the stories using modern language, there was enough information for me to think about why the stories were written. That is half of the reason why I read any mythology. After reading Hamilton's Greek Mythology, some of the stories were very familiar and indeed there is some connection to other mythologies, but the reason has not been resolved by scholars. I find that point intriguing. Are we 'born to believe', are the stories true, has ancient man wandered much further and often than we are aware of ?
After a plethora of stories about giants and anthropic gods, the book also offers a few stories involving real-life historical figures and locations. This includes accounts of the Viking discovery of Vinland (North America) and Thingvellir, a place I visited while in Iceland.
At the end of each story there is a page number which points you to the note section. The notes are definitely worth reading. I found them an inspiration to read and research further.
My biggest complaint about the book is the editing. Format errors and typoss worried me at first. But it wasn't enough to deter me from pressing on and I'm glad I did.
I'll give it 7 pairs of readers out of 10.
