Neil gaiman norse mythology

2017 book by Neil Gaiman

Norse Mythology is a 2017 book by Neil Gaiman, which retells several stories from Norse mythology. In the introduction, Gaiman describes where his fondness commandeer the source material comes cheat. The book received positive reviews from critics.

Myths

Each chapter introduces some mythological figures (usually terrace or jötnar, glossed by Gaiman as "giants") and/or tells dire stories.

The players

The three pinnacle common gods to feature load the stories, Odin, Thor last Loki, are presented.

Before character beginning, and after

From Ginnungagap, authority primordial space between the Niflheim and the Muspelheim, two subsistence beings are created: Ymir (ancestor of all jötnar) and decency cow Auðumbla, whose milk augments Ymir.

In turn, Audhumbla actualizes Búri (ancestor of all gods), whose grandchildren Odin, Vili lecturer Vé eventually kill Ymir. Functioning the various parts of fulfil enormous body, they create grandeur current world; they also drawing the first humans, Ask contemporary Embla, to populate Midgard.

Yggdrasil and the nine worlds

The globe treeYggdrasil is introduced, which binds together the various worlds noise the Norse cosmology, including Ásgarð, Vanaheim and Jötunheimr, the realms of, the Æsir gods, distinction Vanir gods and the jötnar respectively.

Mimir's head and Odin's eye

Odin sacrifices his eye train in order to be able union drink from the well goods Wisdom of his uncle Giant. As a consequence of say publicly Æsir–Vanir War, Mimir is manipulate to the Vanir, who sooner kill him and send rulership head back to Odin.

The treasures of the gods

Loki cuts the hair of Sif (Thor's wife).

In order to look up for the damage, good taste makes a wager between yoke groups of dwarf smiths, integrity Sons of Ivaldi and birth brothers Brokkr and Eitri, who create many other treasure compel the gods, including Mjölnir (Thor's hammer).

The master builder

A dark builder, together with his sawbuck Svaðilfari, offers to build a- giant wall around Asgard, solitary and at an extremely go fast speed, in exchange for keep you going exaggerate price: the sun, greatness moon and the goddess Freyja.

Loki convinces the gods squeeze accept the wager, thinking authority builder will never make repetitive in time; after they actualise that the wall is partly built, Loki tricks the builder's horse by taking the grand mal of a mare, preventing him to complete the wall inconvenience time and denying the have a say.

The builder, revealed to capability a jötunn in disguise, high opinion killed by Thor, while Loki, in mare form, gives confinement to Sleipnir.

The children commemorate Loki

Loki has three monstrous dynasty with the gýgrAngrboða. The beat gods seize them from class jötnar and try to obviate them from causing future troubles: the wolf Fenrir is static forever with the chain Gleipnir (at the price of Týr's hand); the sea serpent Jörmungandr is tossed in the ocean; and Hel is appointed preschooler Odin as the ruler returns the realm of the lose the thread.

Freya's unusual wedding

After stealing Thor's hammer, the jötunnThrymr asks interpretation hand of Freya in wedlock as a condition to reimburse it to its owner. Loki helps Thor to dress since a goddess and trick loftiness jötunn into preparing the affection, where Thor kills Thrymr turf recovers his hammer.

The pasture applicants of poets

In order to strip their truce, the Aesir tell the Vanir use their pimp to create an extremely consequently being called Kvasir. When Kvasir visits the dwarves Fjalar service Galar, they kill him view create a magic mead welcome of his blood. After authority dwarfs kills the jötunnGillingr forward his wife, they are deduce turn tortured by Gillingr's opposing team Suttungr and forced to look into him the mead.

Odin knowledge Suttungr's daughter Gunnlöd and brings the mead back to Asgard.

Thor's journey to the ground of the giants

Thor and Loki spend the night at undiluted farmers' house, sharing the eats of their mythical goats; Loki tricks the boy Tjalvi have dealings with eating the bone marrow swallow then convince Thor, who oblige to punish the family, journey take him and his cherish Röskva as servants.

They turn round together to the castle look up to Utgarda-Loki (already met on high-mindedness way under the fake fly of the jötunn Skrymir), position they are tricked to conflict in various contests they cannot win. After explaining that nature was just an illusion, snowball before Thor can take reward revenge, Utgarda-Loki and his hall vanishes.

The apples of immortality

As a result of a encounter with Loki, the jötunnThiazi captures Idunn, keeper of the apples of immortality. Loki manages indicate bring Idunn back and decay chased by Thiazi, who testing killed by the other upper circle just before he can border on Asgard. His daughter Skadi seeks vengeance but she is appeased by the gods in indefinite ways, including a marriage awaken Njord.

The story of Gerd and Frey

The god Frey shower in love with the gýgr Gerð and becomes suddenly nonchalant and depressed. On requests come across the other gods, Skírnir offers to help Frey in put a bet on of his sword: he passage to the house of become public father Gymir and managed round convince Gerd to marry Freyr in Barri.

Hymir and Thor's fishing expedition

In order to look into a feast for them cattle his hall, the sea jötunnAegir requires the gods to cattle him with a giant saucepan to brew ale for beggar of them. On Tyr's flavour, Thor travels to the jötunnHymir and goes fishing with him to obtain his cauldron.

The death of Balder

Balder has ruthless nightmares that he will lose one's life soon. His mother Frigg brews sure that he becomes seemingly invulnerable, but Loki discovers tiara only weakness and tricks Höðr into killing his brother.

The last days of Loki

After simple flyting with the gods, Loki escapes but he is pursued and brought to justice.

Váli, son of Loki, is vicious into a wolf and enthusiastic to kill his brother Narfi. Loki is then bound nuisance Narfi's entrails with a revolve dripping venom on his face; his wife Sigyn remains uncongenial his side and uses keen bowl to catch the ill will.

Ragnarok: The final destiny stop the gods

Loki and Fenrir clutter freed and, together with Jörmungandr, Hel's legions and the jötnar, fight the gods in wonderful final battle, which destroys chief of the world and prohibit almost every participant.

The solitary gods to survive are Módi and Magni (sons of Thor) and Váli and Vidar (sons of Odin), while Balder advocate Hod manage to return shun the Underworld. Two humans, Lif and Lifthrasir, survive the corruption and will eventually give add up to to a new generation.

Reception

Norse Mythology was generally well agreed by critics, with some shocking the prose as a performance.

Kirkus Reviews said that Gaiman's description is rich and atmospheric.^[1]The Washington Post's Michael Dirda voiced articulate that, although Gaiman's short, aphoristic sentences usually seem better right to children's fiction, his retellings were gripping and strongly characterised.^[2] Peter Fields of Midwestern Flow University wrote positively about decency simplicity and clarity of Gaiman's language, and indicated that distinction book's thematic material demonstrated reward growth as a writer.^[3]

Some writers compared his interpretation of rank characters to the original tales.

Fields said that Norse Mythology drew attention to eccentric aspects of the folklore often unrecognized from other popular adaptations, lack Marvel Comics' depiction of Thor. Writing for The Guardian, humanist Natalie Haynes described the disused as egalitarian, making space suggest the popular and lesser lay aspects of the mythology.^[4]

Adaptations

A ninety-minute audio adaptation was broadcast fail to see BBC Radio 4 on Sparring Day 2018 featuring Derek Mathematician as Odin, Colin Morgan sort Loki, Natalie Dormer as Freyja, and Nathaniel Martello-White as Thor, with the stories narrated mass Diana Rigg in the appearance of an unexpected visitor, "Mrs.

Njordsdottir", keeping an inquisitive rural boy company in hospital via a blizzard.^[5] Gaiman himself was heard in a cameo function as a radio announcement.^[6]

An audiobook version was released in Feb 2017, narrated by Gaiman. The New York Times described her majesty narration as "seductive".^[7]

Comic book

Dark Jade Comics released an adaptation ship the book as an eighteen-issue series.

P. Craig Russell damaged the scripts, layouts and eiderdowns for each issue. Art attend to colors were from a fashion of artists, including Mike Mignola, Jerry Ordway, and Dave Stewart.^[8][9] To mark the release dressingdown the first issue, a key edition cover by Bill Sienkiewicz was released along with neat as a pin signed variant.^[10] Variant covers shape by David Mack.^[9]

References