MYTHS OF THE NORSEMEN: From The Eddas and Sagas

Helene Guerber was an acclaimed expert on mythology in the Edwardian era, and her book on Norse Myths is a classic. Many of the Old Norse poets were natives of Iceland, where the priest Saemund created the collection known as the Elder Edda which ranks alongside the Sagas as one of the great works of early literature. Northern mythology celebrates the fight against darkness, for instance the abyss called Ginnunga-gap or the misty space known as Nifl-heim. Midgard, earth, was placed at the centre of this space, with the dwarves Nordri, Sudri, Austri and Westri at its four corners. Odin, the father of gods and men, had three palaces, of which the most famous is Valhalla, hall of the slain where, as in Wagner's Ring Cycle, the Valkyrs conduct the dead heroes. Frigga and Tannhauser are also names we find in Wagner, and the Volsungasaga includes the stories of Sigurd and Sigmund, but the myth also has other significant characters such as the White Lady Bertha. Odin is at constant war with the dwarfs, who manufactured a magic inspirational fluid from the blood of Kvasir, prompting Odin to don his hat and cloak to go out into the world in search. Stealing the mead from Gunlod by seducing her, he appropriated poetic inspiration for the gods, letting a few stray drops fall on humans. He frequently visited the Norns for their prophecies. Odin and Frigga gave birth to twins, Hodur god of darkness and Balder the Beautiful, who was not long for the world when Hodur enlisted Loki's help to slay him. The story represents the alternation of day and night, and Balder worship was long associated with midsummer. 301pp, paperback, line drawings.