Norse Mythology

Today, our trail stop is Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. Continuing with the theme of Mythical May, we have today one of the best books to read and get to know about the mythology of the Scandinavian people: The Norse Mythology. With immensely popular adaptations of Norse Gods like Thor, Loki, Odin in pop culture (movie, videogames, tv series) people have gotten hooked to the Norse lore. To learn more about it, Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology is an extremely credible and comprehensive source. In the book, Neil retells a selection of some of the most famous Nordic lore in a simple and engaging way. The fact that Neil himself is a big admirer of Norse Mythology is very evident and you can feel a sense of tangible excitement, which people often feel when they are retelling some cherished story or anecdote from their life. But before we get into the book, as is customary, let us talk a little bit about the author Neil Gaiman himself

One of the most famous and acclaimed authors of our times, Neil Gaiman, was born in the UK. His tryst with books, reading and eventually writing began at an early age. Works of Lewis Carroll, J.R.R Tolkien, C.S Lewis left their impressions on young Gaiman. Neil was hired by DC comics, where he re-created the character of the Sandman. His "The Sandman" comics were an instant hit. From there Neil Gaiman went on to produce, rather prodigiously, many works of fiction, fantasy, comics, non-fiction, novels, all with great aplomb. His books have a characteristic Neil Gaiman-ish sense of wry humour, which gives his prose an air of instant recognition. You know when you have a Neil Gaiman book in your hand. His book "American Gods" has been turned into a successful tv show with the same name on Amazon Prime. Another work of his "Good Omens" written in collaboration with another legend Terry Pratchett is also about to air as a tv series come June 2019.

Now to understand Norse Mythology, let us answer our 3 main questions of Why, What, How?

Why did I pick this book up: Apart from a love for all myths, Norse mythology had also caught my fancy after it's amazing pop-culture adaptations. Usually, it was the Greek gods who dominated pop-culture but with comic book adaptations (Marvel), movies (MCU), and videogames (God of war 4), Nordic influences found a way into mainstream pop culture and intrigued many a fellow to learn more about them. The comic book origins and adventures of Thor and other gods really fascinated me and I decided to give this book a shot.

What was the book about ?: The book, simply put, is your guide to the Norse Mythology. It introduces us to the Nordic concept of creation and destruction (Ragnarok) and everything in between. It tells us that in the beginning, there was just fire(Muspell) and snow (Niflheim). From their union was born the first Frost Giant Yimir and a hornless cow Auðumbla on whose milk Yimir Sustained. The cow licked on the snow and out came the first god - Buri. Buri married one of Yimir's children and fathered- Odin, Vili and Ve. Together these 3 killed Yimir and created the entire universe. Following them, we have the next generation of Gods, where we meet Thor, Loki, Baldur, Tyr and many others. The book retells some of their adventures. The various adventures of the Gods and the humans and the other giants all make their way up to Ragnarok, when all of creation is destroyed and the children of Loki (Fenrir the Wolf, Hel and Jormungundar The Midgard Serpent), fight a fatal battle with the Gods, killing them and dying themselves in the process. Post total obliteration, the cycle of life begins again, with Life and Life’s Yearning populating mankind again.

How was this book to read: The book is a set of stories from Nordic Myth. Most of the stories here are a retelling of the ones found either in the Prose Edda or Poetic Edda, 13th Century AD Icelandic Literature. Neil Gaiman takes us through the conception of the universe to the birth of the gods to all the way up to the apocalypse Ragnarok. During this journey, the Gods undertake many an adventure, from travelling to the Giant's realm Jotunheim to procure a cup to brew mead, to obtaining the apples of immortality to trapping Fenrir the wolf with deceit. Gaiman describes these adventures in a thoroughly enjoyable fashion, making it a very gripping narrative. Nowhere has Gaiman, patronised the Gods or vilified the giants unnecessary, in fact, he tells the story in as bipartisan a manner, as possible, leaving the reader to decide for themselves, who would they like to root for. For a book which is relatively thin and manages to make for a quick read, there is sure no dearth of details. From the Giant Yimir and the primordial cow Auðumbla to the children of Loki, the book develops and tells all the relevant stories and myths surrounding each of the characters without missing any details.

Neil's intermittent commentary is very witty and makes the read even more interesting.

"That was the thing about Loki. You resented him even when you were at your most grateful, and you were grateful to him even when you hated him the most"

"No one, then or now, wanted to drink the mead that came out of Odin’s ass. But whenever you hear bad poets declaiming their bad poetry, filled with foolish similes and ugly rhymes, you will know which of the meads they have tasted"

So should you pick up this book: If you are looking to make inroads into Norse Mythology, then this is "THE" book for you. Neil Gaiman's literary deft makes the prose extremely fun to read.

Can this be your first book: Most definitely YES. Irrespective of the genre, this book in general has been written in a way that even inexperienced readers will have a great time reading it and will enjoy. The demands of this book in terms of previous knowledge or vocabulary is not a lot and any person looking to start reading can approach it without any apprehension.

You might not like this book: If you're already an expert in Nordic Myths. The book is a pretty basic retelling of some of the most famous anecdotes from Norse Myths. For someone who's grown up on all those stories, or has already read a lot of scholarship, he might not find any novel insight or critical analysis of the nuances of the myth. It is a simple retelling aimed at those who are new to Norse Myths, or to those millennials who after Chris Hemsworth's Thor, wish to learn more about the God of Thunder and his world.

With this, we come to end our fifth trail stop. Hope you will read the book and have as much fun watching the adventures of the Asgardians as I did. Until next time, keep reading, keep recommending and keep sharing the love, for more the fellow passengers in the paperback trail, more the fun