Introduction ix
THE SOURCES OF THE NORSE MYTHS
The main sources of the Norse myths are
• poetry of the early skalds (poets) transmitted orally until the 13th century
• Poetic Edda, a collection of poems written by different poets at different times
between the eighth and 13th centuries
• Prose Edda, a handbook written by the Icelandic poet, scholar, historian, and
clan leader Snorri Sturluson, around 1220
• Gesta Danorum, written by Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus in about 1215
• historical observations by Roman author Tacitus, notably in Germania (end
of the first century a.d.), the Arab traveler Ibn Fadlan (10th century a.d.),
and the German historian Adam of Bremen (11th century a.d.)
• Landnamabok (Book of Settlements), a history of the settlement of Iceland from
the 13th century a.d.
• the 13th-century Icelandic sagas (about 700 of them), many written by
unknown authors, which are a valuable source of information about pre-
Christian beliefs and practices, kings and bishops, Norse exploration and
settlement, and legendary heroes such as Sigurd the Volsung
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
The entries in this book are in alphabetical order and may be looked up as in a
dictionary. Alternate spellings are given in parentheses after the entry headword,
including spellings using Icelandic letters, which are found in the manuscripts but
not found in English. Those include:
Uppercase Lowercase Pronunciation in English
Ð
Þ
Æ
Ö ð
þ
æ
ö the “th” in “the”
the “th” in “thing”
“eye”
rounded form of “ea” in “earth”
Spellings given in small capital letters are variations of the names found
in different original sources. Those appearing with standard capitalization are
English translations. Within the main text, cross-references to other entries are
also printed in small capital letters.
In case you are not familiar with the Norse myths, here is a list of the chief
characters and the stories in which they are most important.
First, the gods:
O din The one-eyed god, the All-Father, the god of wisdom, poetry, and
magic, of war and death. Odin plays a principal role in many of the myths,
including those of the creation, the Aesir/Vanir war, “The Death of
Balder” (see Balder), and Ragnarok, the end of the world.
T hor God of thunder, son of Odin and Frigg. He was the strongest of the
gods, of fiery temper but well loved. He had a hammer (Mjollnir), a magic
belt (Megingjardir), and iron gauntlets and was forever at war with the
giants.
L oki A mischievous god, Loki is involved in many of the myths. Loki often
deceives the gods and creates dangerous situations and then comes to the
rescue of the gods. He is admired yet distrusted by them.