Do you remember how much I love mythology? Of course you do. You're my number one fan.
But I'll recap: I fell in love with Greek mythology as a young child when my babysitter brought over this book. In fact, my sister and I loved it so much that it became part of our regular routine to read Greek mythology when this particular babysitter came over on the occasional Friday night. I, for one, was smitten with the imagery and the stories of all the weirdos, human and deity alike.
This love didn't fade with age. In fact, I found myself gleefully anticipating any English class in middle school, high school, and college that incorporated the classics. It is a love that I have been able to pass along to my own kids, who share my enthusiasm for stories of heroes, Titans, and Olympians.
In more recent years, I have cast my net wider to include mythology from other parts of the world. Among these are the legendary Norse gods, like those I mentioned from this book. As previously stated, this pantheon of goons is slightly more likeable than their Olympian counterparts...and certainly sillier. If the Olympians are your self-aggrandizing, prone to violence, and unstable relative, then the Aesir/Vanir are your abrasive, crass, obnoxious -but sort of well-meaning- drunk uncle.
Long before I picked up any anthology on the myths of Scandinavia, a particular book loomed on my "to read" list: Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman. I finally got around to reading it.
Most people know that Neil Gaiman is a successful writer of great acclaim (Coraline, Stardust, Good Omens, among others). Indeed, he is also an artful storyteller, compiling the myths and legends of the Norse pantheon into one fluid narrative. Norse Mythology is written so that it can be read like a novel with, more or less, a chronology that is easy to follow. This flow lends a continuity to the stories that is otherwise lost when they are read serially or at random. For a Type A personality like mine, this is a gem, and it makes this particular publication ideal for those who are new(ish) to Norse mythology. We begin with Yggdrasil (the World Tree) and the nine worlds; we end with Ragnarok, the prophesied apocalyptic event that leads to the fall of Valhalla and the end of the Norse gods. In between are the stories of the Aesir and the Vanir along with their (mis)adventures among the Jotun and the dwarves.
It's tremendous fun.
I happened to listen to this book rather than read it. Listeners are in luck, as Gaiman narrates the book himself. I typically appreciate it when an author narrates his/her own work as it really preserves the writer's voice in a way that might be lost in translation with a different reader. Whether you read it or listen to it, Gaiman's voice is present throughout in a playful way, particularly in his telling of the story of Loki at Skadi's wedding. Tasked with making the bride (Skadi) laugh, Loki does one of the dumbest things imaginable: he ties his balls to the beard of a goat. It goes about how you think it would go and, yes, Skadi laughs. (As do we all, Skadi. As do we all.) Incidentally, the D'Aulaires deftly skirt this more graphic story in their Book of Norse Myths by simply stating that Loki "tied himself to its [the goat's] beard". There is no mention of genitalia, making this version more suitable for younger children...although mine roared with laughter at the mention of Loki's twig and berries.
Norse Mythology is an excellent retelling of some of the greatest stories to transcend time. Neil Gaiman certainly doesn't disappoint as he calls upon readers to make the stories their own by retelling them to those who would listen. (What a lovely thought!) My one and only complaint about his retelling of Norse myths is that Gaiman doesn't spend nearly enough time on Freya's cats. I can only assume he is presently working on the sequel, detailing the importance of these majestic floofs.
