Although I grew up with D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths, I have never been familiar with traditional Norse mythology. I have a Scandinavian heritage, so this seems a bit sad to me. When I saw that A.S. Byatt’s new addition to the Canongate Myths series was about the end of the world according to Norse mythology, I decided it was finally time to delve in to the Norse myths.
D’Aulaires’ Norse Gods and Giants (originally published 1967, republished 2005 as D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths) is a great starting point, as was their Greek Myths volume that I regularly reread and poured over as a child. Using the D’Aulaires’ straightforward prose and a nice balance of illustration, this introduction for children covers what seems to be the most important traditions and people in Norse mythology.
Coming from a good understanding of the Greek myths, I was interested to see how the mythologies overlapped a little, and yet how different they were overall. The Norse Gods were mortal, and while they were not as promiscuous and otherwise involved with the lives of the humans, they still had an ongoing tradition of disagreement and rivalry. I was fascinated to learn about the blood-brother god who wasn’t a god: Loki. I was hungry for more, although to get a familiar with the Norse mythology as I am with Greek mythology, I realize I’d have to reread D’Aulaires’ volume a few more dozen times.
