Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman

Published by Audible Studios for Bloomsbury. Released as an audiobook 24-02-2017.

Narrated by Neil Gaiman.

First published 2017.

Neil Gaiman begins this book by admitting that Norse Mythology is his favourite type of mythology. I agree. The Norse gods have epic adventures, fight giant beasts, and generally are a part of a highly bizarre worldview. A lot of mythology is fairly bizarre, you might say. Well, yes, but Norse mythology includes the first gods being born when a cosmic cow licks a frost giant, all nine realms being linked by the Yggdrasil world tree (which is also home to a squirrel whose entire job it is to pass on insults between an eagle in the branches and a serpent at the roots), and explain the origin of poetry as being mead made from the blood of a god who in turn was made from the spit of all the other gods mixed together.

Gaiman narrates the book himself and does a fairly decent job, even if a few of his voices get a bit similar. He has written the prose in a purposefully simple style, reminiscent of older oral storytelling, and this helps the work the 'feel' mythological - we never forget that we are hearing stories told as stories.

And they are bizarre stories.

Although I have read Norse mythology in the past, something about Gaiman's storytelling, and the stories he has chosen, highlight just how cruel, argumentative, deceiving, jealous and petty these gods are. Loki is of course the most deceptive, being 'the trickster', but the other gods are not much better! At one point even Odin, the king of the gods, deceives and seduces a young giantess in order to get his way.

I enjoyed this book. As a resource of some of the stories of Norse mythology it is clear and straightforward. 

But it also reminded me of just how different the 'gods' of other religions can be. 

Nothing like the love, compassion and forgiveness of the Christian God is anywhere to be seen.

God is good.

Completed 13 September 2022.

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