In a land of ice, great warriors search for glory... When a dragon threatens the people of the north, only one man can destroy the fearsome beast. Elsewhere, a mighty leader gathers a court of champions, including a noble warrior under a terrible curse. The Earth's creation is described; tales of the gods and evil Frost Giants are related; and the dark days of Ragnarok foretold. Journey into a realm of legend, where heroes from an ancient age do battle with savage monsters, and every man must live or die by the sword ...

An authoritative volume that places the Vikings in their wider geographical and historical context.

Norse myths and legends introduced by bestselling author Michelle Paver, creator of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness collection and Gods and Warriors, her epic new Greek Bronze Age series for Puffin. The great Norse sagas are full of magic and heroic deeds. Odin's wanderings, Thor's hammer, the death of Bakkur, the vision of Ragnarok - tales which have been told since time immemorial - are given a fresh life in this version, written as one continuous exciting adventure story. Puffin Classics contain additional endnotes for children including an author profile, a guide to who's who, activities and more.

The first group of essays in this volume explores the links between early Norse literature, from the 9th to the 13th century, and the learned world of medieval Europe. In the second group the focus is upon the range of theme and style in Norse mythological poetry. Some of the key texts are considered in relation to Anglo-Saxon poetry as well as to the wider and more archaic Indo-European cultural inheritance. The third group offers detailed analyses of early Norse heroic poetry, of the formatic role of verse in the Icelandic sagas and of the final perfecting of prose as the ultimate saga medium. The 16 essays, taken together, are essential reading for all scholars, critics and historians who seek to understand the development of one of the world's most unusual and sophisticated literatures.

The #1 New York Times bestseller—a “gripping, suspenseful” (Washington Post) retelling of Norse myths—now with spectacular illustrations. In this dazzling, illustrated edition of the instant classic that has sold more than a million copies, award-winning illustrator Levi Pinfold brings Neil Gaiman’s bravura rendition of the Norse gods and their world to life. Bursting off the page with breathtaking, full-color art are tales of fierce battles with giants, storied quests for knowledge, and the gods in Asgard: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong, yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki—son of a giant—blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator. Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that takes us from the genesis of the legendary nine worlds to Ragnorak, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time. Through his epic storytelling and Pinfold’s enthralling images, these gods emerge with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, breathing vivid life into these long-ago myths. “Who else but Neil Gaiman could become an accomplice of the gods, using the sorcery of words to make their stories new?” —Maria Tatar, translator and editor of The Annotated Brothers Grimm “Gaiman brings rakish mischief and severe glamour to the Norse canon.” —The New Yorker “Remarkable. . . . Gaiman has provided an enchanting contemporary interpretation of the Viking ethos.” —Lisa L. Hannett, Atlantic “A lively, funny and very human rendition of Thor the thunder god, his father Odin and the dark-hearted trickster Loki (plus countless other gods and monsters).” —Petra Mayer, NP