Publisher's Synopsis
This new edition of H. A. Guerber's classic work contains all the original text and includes introductory matter from two earlier editions, along with indices, glossary, and pronunciation guide. It has been hand-edited and entirely reset in 446 pages along with 64 marvellous illustrations. It is a comprehensive overview of Norse legend and mythology, and a treasure trove of historical marvels, tales of glory and death, defeat and victory. As the author wrote in the forward: "The aim of this handbook is to familiarize the English student with the religion of his heathen ancestors, and to set forth, as clearly as possible, the various myths which have exercised an influence over our customs, arts, and literature." Drawing upon the rich legacy of the Eddas and Sagas, this work traces not only the full pantheon of the Northern gods and their foes, but also provides a fascinating insight into the historical origins of some of the main characters-who appear to have been based on real-life characters whose deeds immortalized them into legend-and gives a comparison with classical Greek mythological characters, showing the interrelatedness of the great Indo-European peoples. Read also of the Norse origins of well-known legends such as Sleeping Beauty, the Pied Piper of Hamelin, customs and rituals such as Yule, days of the week, and much, much more. Hélène Adeline Guerber (1859-1929) was a multilingual British historian who won fame for her dramatic retelling of Germanic, Norse, and Greek mythology. She also produced highly sought after works on ancient Greece, Rome, the Renaissance, the Reformation and the founding of the Thirteen Colonies in North America.
