Why am I passionate about this?

Nancy Marie Brown is the author of seven books about Iceland and the Viking Age, including The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women, The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman, and the award-winning Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths. Her books combine extremes: medieval literature and modern archaeology, myths and facts. They ask, What have we overlooked? What have we forgotten? Whose story must not be lost? A former science writer and editor at a university magazine, she lives on a farm in northern Vermont and spends part of each summer in Iceland.


I wrote

Book cover of Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths

What is my book about?

Song of the Vikings brings to life Snorri Sturluson, wealthy chieftain, wily politician, witty storyteller, and the main source ofā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs

Nancy Marie Brown Why did I love this book?

As an expert on Norse mythology, this is the book I reach for again and again. Who was Angrboda? Where was Folkvang? What does Yggdrasil mean? John Lindow answers all these questions, and hundreds more, in Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs.

Organized alphabetically, Lindow puts at your fingertips a concise description of each name or concept in the Norse myths and lists all the original poems and tales in which youā€™ll find it, plus a number of scholarly studies (now 20 years out of date, but still valuable). A few entries are illustrated with photos of archaeological sites or artifacts. I consider Lindowā€™s Norse Mythology to be a necessary companion to the other books on this list.

By John Lindow,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Norse Mythology as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Norse Mythology explores the magical myths and legends of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Viking-Age Greenland-outlining along the way the prehistoric tales and beliefs from these regions that have remained embedded in the imagination of the world.

The book begins with an Introduction that helps put Scandinavian mythology in place in history, followed by a chapter that explains the meaning of mythic time, and a third section that presents in-depth explanations of each mythological term. These fascinating entries identify particular deities and giants, as well as the places where they dwell and the varied and wily means by which theyā€¦


Book cover of Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Heroes

Nancy Marie Brown Why did I love this book?

Carolyne Larrington takes a different approach to John Lindow. In The Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Heroes, she arranges the myths in a rough chronology. After introducing her sources and the main gods and goddesses, she proceeds from the creation of the world to its destruction at Ragnarok, digressing along the way to explore how the myths defined what it meant to be a hero in the Viking Age.

Larringtonā€™s Norse Myths is gorgeously illustrated and filled with relevant (and beautifully translated) quotations from the medieval texts. Larrington also does an excellent job of placing the Norse myths into the context of modern culture, making her book the perfect gateway into the Vikingsā€™ complex and fascinating way of seeing the world.

By Carolyne Larrington,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Norse Myths as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Who were the Norse gods - the mighty AEsyr, led by Odinn, and the mysterious Vanir? In The Norse Myths we meet this passionate and squabbling pantheon, and learn of the mythological cosmos they inhabit. Passages translated from the Old Norse bring this legendary world to life, from the myths of creation to ragnaroek, the prophesied end of the world at the hands of Loki's army of monsters and giants, and everything that comes in between: the problematic relationship between the gods and the giants, in which enmity and trickery are punctuated by marriages and seductions; the (mis) adventures ofā€¦


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Book cover of Spirit Sight

Spirit Sight by Ross Hightower,

"Witches take on the patriarchy in this epic feminist fantasy." Spirit Sight book 1 volume 1 is an award-winning debut epic fantasy novel written by Ross Hightower, the first in the six-book Spirit Song series. Winner of numerous awards, including the Readers Favorite Fantasy Finalist and the Eric B Hofferā€¦

Book cover of Norse Mythology

Nancy Marie Brown Why did I love this book?

Many storytellers have tried to make sense of Norse mythology, starting with the 13th-century Icelandic chieftain Snorri Sturluson, whose Edda contains almost all the myths we know.

Like Snorri, Neil Gaiman deals with the mythsā€™ contradictions and logical leaps to retell these timeless tales of gods and giants so theyā€™ll speak to the readers of his time. In his inimitable style, Gaiman turns Norse mythology into a journey, ā€œfrom the ice and the fire that the universe begins into the fire and the ice that ends the world,ā€ freely ā€œblending,ā€ as he puts it, the different versions of the tales told in Old Norse.

His prose is direct, his emphasis on the story, not on the words. ā€œBefore the beginning there was nothing,ā€ he writes of the worldā€™s creation, ā€œno earth, no heavens, no stars, no sky: only the mist world, formless and shapeless, and the fire world always burning.ā€

Neil Gaimanā€™s Norse Mythology is a clean and modern retelling of the stories that define Viking culture.

By Neil Gaiman,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked Norse Mythology as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

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 though their upheaval in Ragnarok.

In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin's son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki-son of a giant-blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.

Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of theā€¦


Book cover of Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings

Nancy Marie Brown Why did I love this book?

Kevin Crossley-Holland works from the same material as Neil Gaiman, uses the same blending technique, and comes up with a completely different set of stories.

Compare how he tells of the creation: ā€œBurning ice, biting flame; that is how life began.ā€ What Gaiman calls ā€œthe mist world,ā€ Crossley-Holland describes as ā€œheavy with layers of ice and hoar frost, a desolate place haunted by gusts and skuthers of wind.ā€

In Crossley-Hollandā€™s The Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings, the word reigns supremeā€”though these powerful stories have no trouble standing up to his wordsmithing. And for those of us who love the taste of words on their tongue, these poetic retellings of the myths are the best.

By Kevin Crossley-Holland,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Norse Myths as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With colour artwork by Gillian McClure, a collection of Norse myths.


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Book cover of Dark Fae Outcast

Dark Fae Outcast by Autumn M. Birt,

Trapped in our world, the fae are dying from drugs, contaminants, and hopelessness. Kicked out of the dark fae court for tainting his body and magic, Riasg only wants one thing: to die a bit faster. Itā€™s already the end of his world, after all.

But while scoring his lastā€¦

Book cover of Norse Mythology for Kids: Tales of Gods, Creatures, and Quests

Nancy Marie Brown Why did I love this book?

Kevin Crossley-Holland published excerpts from his Norse Myths as a book for children. But as a childā€™s first introduction to the tales, it might be too poetic. Iā€™d recommend, instead, Norse Mythology for Kids by Mathias Nordvig.

Nordvig retells the myths as your wise uncle mightā€”if he happened to be Loki, the trickster god. For Nordvig not only blends different versions of a tale, but he also adds bits he thinks our original sources shouldnā€™t have left out.

Into that ā€œmist worldā€ at timeā€™s beginning, for instance, Nordvig inserts a loon who helps the goddess Jord build the Earth. Itā€™s a tale Iā€™m familiar with from Native American mythology, but as Nordvig asserts, the Norse stories ā€œare still alive.ā€ And to keep them that way, we need to make them our own.

By Mathias Nordvig,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Norse Mythology for Kids as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 7, 8, 9, and 10.

What is this book about?

Awaken a sense of adventure (and maybe a Kraken) with a collection of Norse mythology for kids 8 to 12

What is more awesome than the hammer-wielding thunder-god, Thor; the Queen of Asgard and all-knowing goddess, Frigg; or the gigantic sea serpent, Jormungand? Norse Mythology for Kids transports you into the Nordic lands where extraordinary creatures like giants, dwarfs, elves, and monsters walked among fearless gods and goddesses.

Featuring timeless stories from such countries as Iceland, Norway, and Denmark, this is your entryway into the magical world of Scandinavian folklore. With vividly detailed illustrations that pair with each myth, youā€™llā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Book cover of Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths

What is my book about?

Song of the Vikings brings to life Snorri Sturluson, wealthy chieftain, wily politician, witty storyteller, and the main source of Viking lore for all of Western literature. Tales of one-eyed Odin, Thor and his mighty hammer, the trickster Loki, and the beautiful Valkyries have inspired countless writers, poets, and dreamers through the centuries, including Richard Wagner, JRR Tolkien, and Neil Gaiman. Author Nancy Marie Brown brings alive the medieval Icelandic world where it all began. She paints a vivid picture of the Icelandic landscape, with its colossal glaciers and volcanoes, steaming hot springs, and moonscapes of ash, ice, and rock that inspired Snorri's words, and led him to create unforgettable characters and tales. Drawing on her deep knowledge of Iceland and its history and first-hand reading of the original medieval sources, Brown gives us a richly textured narrative, revealing a spellbinding world that continues to fascinate.

Book cover of Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs
Book cover of Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Heroes
Book cover of Norse Mythology

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