4.0 

Nordic Gods and Heroes

By Padraic Colum
Nordic Gods and Heroes by Padraic Colum digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

Master storyteller Padraic Colum's rich, musical voice captures all the magic and majesty of the Norse sagas in his retellings of the adventures of the gods and goddesses who lived in the Northern paradise of Asgard before the dawn of history. Here are the matchless tales of All-Father Odin, who crosses the Rainbow Bridge to walk among men in Midgard and sacrifices his right eye to drink from the Well of Wisdom; of Thor, whose mighty hammer defends Asgard; of Loki, whose mischievous cunning leads him to treachery against the gods; of giants, dragons, dwarfs and Valkyries; and of the terrible last battle that destroyed their world. 

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Nordic Gods and Heroes Reviews

4.0
“I have been enjoying reading Norse Mythology recently. Padraic Colum does an amazing job bringing these characters to life, and the stories have a life force of their own. He keeps the stories PG, and yet, he doesn't shy away from revealing the gods' weaknesses. The stories are all told in an old English style, almost like reading the KJV, so the stories feel ancient yet timeless. The gods all try their best to prepare for Ragnorok, but the gods are incapable of change, and their vices bring them nearer to that fatal day, as if they can't help but bring about their own destruction. Odin, albeit he is the wise All-Father, makes too many bad choices and breaks too many rules, which eventually completely embitters Loki against Asgard; Frey sacrifices his sword for love; nobody volunteers their hand to Fenrir and instead let Tyr take the fall, and my favorite, they practically raise Fenrir in Asgard. Now that I've read it, I see so many of these patterns in other stories. There's so much beauty and symbolism to be gleaned from each reading. They assert a supernatural order, and more importantly, they offer glimpses of the Christian story, the Myth made Fact, as Tolkien says. One cannot but see glimpses of Christ in these stories, for there is creation, sacrifice, redemption, resurrection, the comedic arc, etc. (Brunhillde, the one scarred by the Thorn of Sleep, awakened by Sigurd, the one who conquers the dragon is a lovely retelling of the gospel). Some of my favorites: Freya sacrificing her husband for a powerful necklace, the loss of Sif's golden hair, Iduna's apples, Skadi picking her husband by looking at his feet, Baldur's death [the beauty of the mistletoe tradition, how Frigga made it a symbol of her love instead of his death], and Sigurd killing the dragon, Fafnir.”

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