Norse Mythology

[Doktormartini]

Hailsa! I am really interested in Norse Mythology and find it fun to read about! I have yet to read the poetic/prose Edda's, but I will do that soon and I know I will enjoy them. Basically, just discuss anything you want about Norse mythology here! Why do you like it? What are your thoughts about it?...etc. Have fun!

 

[Darkdale]

Hailsa! I am really interested in Norse Mythology and find it fun to read about! I have yet to read the poetic/prose Edda's, but I will do that soon and I know I will enjoy them. Basically, just discuss anything you want about Norse mythology here! Why do you like it? What are your thoughts about it?...etc. Have fun!

You have yet to read the Eddas? You have to start with the Eddas! What mythologies have you read?

 

[Doktormartini]

Honestly all the books I have read are about Norse mythology. Basically just books saying what each of the Gods were and stuff. I have a copy of the Poetic Edda on my comp but I don't think I can sit and read it at my comp...I need it in book form.

 

[DakotaGypsy]

I hope the discussion of Norse mythology is not limited to those who espouse Asatru, the Vanir, whatever.

I think it's more interesting if outsiders come in and have at it. Refines the discussion a bit and opens it up.

 

[d.]

now we just need something to debate...

 

[DakotaGypsy]

Well, geeze, I tried to start a battle between the Asatru and the Vanir, but everyone is so danged polite. . . .

 

[No*s]

I'm thinking about brushing up on it. With my study of Old English, I may very well be able to read the texts in their original soon (Old Norse and English were close enough the two could speak to each other, and we borrowed several function words). If I can read it when I'm done introducing myself to OE, I'm definately going to have a go at it.

 

[gnostic]

I agreed that you would need to read the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda. The other stuff I like reading is heroic myth, such as the Volsunga Saga, which is about Sigmund, Sigurd and the Niflung family.

I did put together Norse Mythology on my website - Timeless Myths. You will find my bibiography page where I listed some books for people to read.

I don't put translations of Norse literature on my site, but I do read them whenever I can get my hand on such books. I do retell myth in my style and provide information of individual characters in articles.

 

[d.]

I agreed that you would need to read the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda. The other stuff I like reading is heroic myth, such as the Volsunga Saga, which is about Sigmund, Sigurd and the Niflung family.

I did put together Norse Mythology on my website - Timeless Myths. You will find my bibiography page where I listed some books for people to read.

I don't put translations of Norse literature on my site, but I do read them whenever I can get my hand on such books. I do retell myth in my style and provide information of individual characters in articles.

interesting site, i just had a quick look at it though.

about the norse week, did you know that we don't have saturday? we call it lördag - bath day. the icelandic name is laugurdagur. in school, i learned that friday is freyr (frö)'s day - i guess it can be both freyr and frejas day.

another interesting fact is that the icelandic, of all people, don't use the teutonic/norse god weeknames! instead, they have

sunnudagur - sun day,
mánudagur - moon day,
thridjudagur - third day,
midvikudagur - midweek
fimmtudagur - fifth day,
föstudagur - fast day,
laugurdagur - bath day.

the german week days :

sonntag,
montag,
dienstag, (tyr, tiwaz?)
mittwoch, (midweek)
donnerstag, (donner - thunder, in other words thor)
freitag,
samstag (sabbath)

ah, you people probably know all this already.

 

[Rek Law]

When I was a kid I had a book from my Great Aunt on "Myths of Greece and Rome" and I read it over and over (it is still on the shelf but 150 years old and fragile) ..all that stuff about Uranus eating his kids and about Zeus as showers of gold and a Heracles and stuff ... then I found a book in the library on Norse Legends and I was blown away ...absolutely hooked .... in comparsion with the Greek stuff it was SO INVIGORATED ... so dynamic and vital ... and close to home whereas Greece and Rome and Mesopotamia and Egypt tales are alien and remote.

I had read some of them in my Grandmother's "Children's Encyclopaedia" but now they were altogether and they became "mine" and although I am a Christian I still LOVE those sagas.
I can see how Tolkien was inspired.

You know the parallels between Saxon and Norse?
e.g. Woden = Odin

Swimming in Blue Lagoon I felt an affinity ... it's rugged (and your hair feels like a brillo pad, you're boiling in a giant bathtub and the air temperature is about 10 degrees Celsius). ... expect Beowulf to appear any moment.

 

[Rek Law]

ooops ... have I killed another thread?

 

[d.]

nah, it moves slowly this one.

 

[Smoke]

When I was a kid I had a book from my Great Aunt on "Myths of Greece and Rome" and I read it over and over (it is still on the shelf but 150 years old and fragile) ..all that stuff about Uranus eating his kids and about Zeus as showers of gold and a Heracles and stuff ... then I found a book in the library on Norse Legends and I was blown away ...absolutely hooked .... in comparsion with the Greek stuff it was SO INVIGORATED ... so dynamic and vital ... and close to home whereas Greece and Rome and Mesopotamia and Egypt tales are alien and remote.

I had a similar experience; I had the D'aulaire books -- Greek Myths and Norse Gods and Giants. The Norse legends were much more interesting to me than the Greek.

 

[DakotaGypsy]

One liked the more human qualities of the Norse gods--and the fact that we mere humans could safely laugh at them.

 

[hindupridemn]

I heard once that the days of the week were named after the same concept/gods in every language. Any confirmation?