Pantheon - The Norse explores the beliefs and practices found within Heathenry including a look at cosmology and various celebrations. It also discusses the gods and spirits that are acknowledged within the belief system giving brief descriptions of each and how they were and are understood. Designed as an introduction to the Norse pantheon, this book will guide beginners into a basic understanding of the beliefs and offer further suggested resources for those who want to dive deeper.
My name is Morgan Daimler. I have had my poetry and prose published in different places including various anthologies, Circle magazine, Witches and Pagans magazine and Pagan Dawn magazine. I am the author of the urban fantasy series Between the Worlds and (through Cosmic Egg Books) the high fantasy novel Into Shadow. I've written more than a dozen non-fiction works through Moon Books including Fairy Witchcraft, Pagan Portals: the Morrigan, Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk, A New Dictionary of Fairies, and Pagan Portals Aos Sidhe
First of all: props to my local library for putting this in the S. J. Maas display because I understand TOG and ACOTAR so much more now! I knew there was obviously inspiration from Norse mythology, but I didn’t realize how much, and now, especially with the TOG series’ use of wyrd marks, it just paints a much clearer connection.
Now, as for this intro guide, it’s exactly that: the basics of Norse mythology and folklore, describing the distinct aspects of various mythic creatures and gods, and building the layers of the world. There is no in depth dive on any particular area, which the author makes clear early on that there won’t be. This is your handy little cliff notes version of a reader’s guide to Norse mythology essentially. The chapters detail the main players, the key worlds, the important dates and rituals, and the correct practices for Heathens. Whether you’re reading actually Norse mythology, or, like myself, reading something inspired by Norse mythology, this is so helpful!
There was way too many typos though in the copy I had; I can’t give it 5 stars because I was jolted from the information by the errors too often. My only complaint, but it was literally like every 5 pages had a typo.
This is one of the best of the books meant for modern practitioners. It doesn't delve much into modern practice, but brings together a ton of lore. And that lore isn't just about the Gods, which you can find anywhere, or the cosmology, which is also fairly common. It also looks at those other spiritual creatures that are part of the world view. Complete in a way most books on the subject are not.
If you're new to Heathenry/Asatru I would definitely recommend this book. The author quickly sets your expectations for this book as a broad overview of Nordic paganism. I really appreciated how this book doesn't just focus on the gods, but other aspects of the religion too. This includes chapters on the various spirits, celebrations, rituals, and magical practices. I felt the author did a great job explaining the values that are frequently associated with the religion. As well as a basic explanation of practices beyond worship of the gods. Overall a pretty solid and quick read.