From Asgard to Valhalla: The Remarkable History of the Norse Myths - Softcover

O'Donoghue, Heather

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1350127396 ISBN 13: 9781350127395

Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic, 2019

Synopsis

This title tells from deep within Odin's cavernous halls: the stories of the Viking Gods.From Viking-age stories of ice and fire to the epic poetry of "Beowulf", from the warrior Valkyries to Tolkien's "Riders of Rohan" and from Wagner's "Gotterdammerung" to Marvel's "Mighty Thor", Norse mythology arguably offers something for everyone. "From Asgard to Valhalla" is unique in showing how these myths have impacted on and continue powerfully to resonate across the fields of literature, art, music and politics. In her sparkling new book, Heather O'Donoghue ranges from the high culture of "The Poetic Edda" and the Romantic sublime to popular manifestations of Norse mythology, such as the fantasy novels of Neil Gaiman and Diana Wynne Jones. Distinguishing the myths in their original form from a host of later accretions, the book tells the gripping story of how such strange and fragmentary material was seized and remodelled throughout the centuries: whether by the volkisch fantasies of the Third Reich or the modern-day cult appeal of Viking Metal.

About this title

About the Author

Heather O'Donoghue is Professor of Old Norse at University of Oxford, UK. Among others, she is the author of Old Norse Icelandic Literature: A Short Introduction (2004), From Asgard to Valhalla: The Remarkable History of the Norse Myths (2007, 2nd edition 2024), Narrative in the Icelandic Family Saga (2021) and Beowulf: Poem, Poet and Hero (2024). She has also broadcast with the BBC on the topic of the Norse Gods.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1350127396
• ISBN 13: 9781350127395
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 232