这本小书将介绍那些暴躁易怒又争吵不休的北欧诸神——以奥丁为首的阿萨神族、神秘的华纳神族，以及他们所在的神话世界。文中有大量自古诺斯语翻译而来的篇章，它们更真切地呈现出这一神话世界的样貌，为我们描绘自创世至诸神的黄昏之间发生的那些事迹，其中包括诸神与巨人之间持久的矛盾冲突，男性和女性英雄所经历的传奇或不幸，发生在他们家族之间的争端、复仇、联姻和谋杀，以及诸神与凡人之间的交往，等等。
The Norse Myths presents the Viking gods, from the mighty Asyr, led by Ó?inn, and the mysterious Vanir, to Thor and the mythological cosmos they inhabit. Passages translated from Old Norse bring this legendary world to life, from the myths of creation to ragnarök, the prophesied end of the world at the hands of Loki’s army of monsters and giants, and everything that comes in between: the long and problematic relationship between the gods and the giants, the (mis)adventures of human heroes and heroines, with their family feuds, revenges, marriages, and murders; and the interaction between the gods and mortals.
Photographs and drawings show a range of Norse sites, objects, and characters, from Viking ship burials to dragons on runestones. Dr. Carolyne Larrington describes the Norse myths’ origins in pre-Christian Scandinavia and Iceland, and their survival in archaeological artifacts and written sources, from Old Norse sagas and poems to the less-approving accounts of medieval Christian writers. She traces their influences into the work of Wagner, William Morris, and J. R. R. Tolkien, and even Game of Thrones in the resurrection of the Fimbulvetr, or “Mighty Winter.”
