Big Books of 2026
The Norse Myths

Questions About The Norse Myths

by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Norse Myths, please sign up.

Answered Questions (2)

When this says "retold" does this mean the myths are reworked or is this original material? I don't want to read retellings an reworkings of mythologies I'd rather read the stuff as it is.
Ash Rogers The thing about Norse Mythology is that we don't have the original material and we never will. The ACTUAL stories have been lost to history. So Snorri…moreThe thing about Norse Mythology is that we don't have the original material and we never will. The ACTUAL stories have been lost to history. So Snorri Sturluson came along and wrote a few down, changed them up a bit, weaved in some Christian bits, and voila.
This is probably the closest you'll get to the actual tales without reading the Prose Edda.(less)
flag
Is this a good book to start reading Norse Mythology?
a.g.e. montagner Absolutely.
The stories are perfectly approachable for the non-specialist and sequenced according to internal logic as much as possibile, so it reads …moreAbsolutely.
The stories are perfectly approachable for the non-specialist and sequenced according to internal logic as much as possibile, so it reads like a cycle, from creation all through Ragnarök.
At the same time the extensive notes delve deeper into history, bibliography, anthropology, and point out the source text(s) for each of the myths, allowing the interested reader to move to primary texts.
I found this book more comprehensive and enjoyable than Norse Mythology by Gaiman, to name one. (less)
flag

Unanswered Questions (2)

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more