There’s an English-language section of my local library; much of its contents don’t appeal but quite a bit does. I probably would not have gone out and bought a copy of Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology but there was absolutely no reason not to borrow it, so I did.
I think that this is an important and sometimes overlooked function of libraries. Not many of us have unlimited funds for book purchasing. If we’re going to be parting with money for something, we’re more likely to do so on something from which we’re fairly sure we will get what we want – enjoyment, enlightenment, or whatever. In a library, with nothing to lose, we can take risks with our reading, we can try out that author or dabble in a new genre.
Despite having a copy of Barbara Leonie Picard’s Tales of the Norse Gods and Heroes unread at home, I brought the Gaiman book back with me. What a pleasure it was! The tone was perfect – elegant, clear, funny and lively. (Alas, I had to return the book yesterday so I cannot quote anything here.) Sometimes writers retelling myths get a little bogged down in an archaic style, but Gaiman never does. I’d say, as someone who is profoundly ignorant about these myths, that it is intended as an introduction to them, as it is quite short. But it is such a good introduction I’ll definitely buy a copy for my daughter when she’s older.
I was surprised at how little Odin featured; Loki and Thor are the principal characters in these stories. Blunt force and skill in battle are highly valued (unsurprisingly, given their reputation) by the Vikings, no matter that the slaughter is often completely unnecessary. Thor is really nothing more than a big bully. I was intrigued that trickery also clearly met with the Vikings’ approval. Striking a deal and then reneging on it was praiseworthy; the only possible improvement would be then killing the person you’d just tricked. The gods decide that they need a defensive wall around Asgard to protect them from unfriendly giants. Along comes a mysterious man who says he can do this in three years. His price: the sun, the moon and the goddess Freya. The gods agree (apart from Freya) but only if he can complete the wall over the winter. When it becomes clear that he will succeed, they cunningly prevent him from placing the last stone and completing the wall. And then they kill him. So they have their wall, and they keep the sun, the moon and Freya. Hurrah!
I really enjoyed reading these, I am dusting down the Picard which contains plenty of stories Gaiman didn’t include, but I am very glad that I wasn’t a Viking.
(Johan Egerkrans, Idun, found here)