Lucas Blogs About Norse Mythology

Finally, a prequel to American Gods!

So, what's this book's deal?

Hold up, Hypothetical Reader, are you really asking me what a book called Norse Mythology is about?

Well, I mean, it could be anything, it could be an academic treatise on the subject, it could be a misprint in a collection of stories about legendary equines, it could be. . .

Okay, I get it. Norse Mythology is a collection of short stories about the Norse gods, which all happen to be in sequential order, but don't necessarily coalesce into a single story. Gaiman sources the stories back to the Prose and Poetic Eddas, and even talks about the ways he tweaked the stories to maintain an internal continuity. What can I say? It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a book with the words: "Neil Gaiman" and "Norse Mythology" on the cover. Gaiman presents these stories of gods, elves, dwarfs, giants, and ogres in plain, clear prose that leaves intact the darkness and crude humor you'd expect out of traditional folklore.

Oh, that sounds fun.

It is. The stories themselves are about what you'd expect from old-timey folklore, and Gaiman relates them in an engaging narrative voice.

So what's the catch?

Well, I guess the book doesn't do much to justify its existence.

PPPPFFfffpppPPTTtttTTTTTT!

I don't think making fart noises works as well in text.

Does art need to justify its existence?

Hmm, I suppose not. But I mean, it's not like this is the first time these stories have been presented to an English-speaking audience. Heck, there's a whole trilogy of Marvel movies about these characters. It feels like something Gaiman wrote for his own enjoyment and -

But did you enjoy the stories?

Oh, yes. Very much so. My favorite is the story about Freya's wedding.

Does it involve Thor killing ogres?

Oh, does it ever.

Just how dark does this book go?

Pretty dark, the last three stories in particular. But then again they are (Spoilers? Can you spoil a 1000+ years old corpus of myths?) about the end of the world and the death of the gods.

Do you have any complaints that don't involve you sticking your head up your ass?

Every so often some of the dialogue comes across as too modern. Though that may reflect my own prejudices about how myths and legends should be.

Will this change anyone's mind about Neil Gaiman?

I doubt it, but if you like his stuff or enjoy mythology give it a spin.

Like a record?

What does that have to do with anything?

Pretty sure it's based on Norse myth. I mean, Odin wears an eye-patch, right?

You're the worst, Hypothetical Reader.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, Norton Trade Paperback edition, 2018, 299 pages, pairs well with a heady mead

Links:

Neil Gaiman's website, if you're into that sort of thing.

"You Spin Me Round" as played on computer hardware