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A review by mediaevalmuse
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
5.0
I’m perhaps in an interesting position to be commenting on this book, being both a Neil Gaiman fan and a doctoral student of medieval literature. Retellings and adaptations of Norse myths in general put me off, since a lot of the things I see try to make medieval stories more modern or change the stories to fit present-day misconceptions about the mythology. Gaiman’s book, however, did neither of those things. Norse Mythology easily preserves the “spirit” of the Poetic and prose Eddas while adapting the language for an audience whose aesthetic tastes are different from those 1000 years ago. True, Gaiman does fill in holes here and there and changes some minor details, but in doing so, he created a book that respects Old Norse literary culture while also presenting readers with a version of the myths that is easier to understand and more pleasant to read. As a result, I would highly recommend this book to those looking to enjoy Norse myths as they were first imagined, whether or not the reader has any background or knowledge of the original text and culture.
Things I Liked
1. Orality: Gaiman’s prose is interesting in that it’s suited to be read aloud. There are no long, lyrical sentences (more suitable for silent reading), but instead, Gaiman crafts sentences that are simple yet elegant at the same time. His prose thus evokes magical worlds and beings without needing long paragraphs to do so, and that kind of style recalls oral storytelling (which perhaps mirrors what the original Norse myths were intended to be - stories told aloud).
2. Faithfulness to the Source Materials: I appreciated that Gaiman preserved the spirit of the Eddas and Old Norse literature in general, and much of that evidence can be seen in the way he treats the characters - Thor, for example, is both admirably mighty and humorously not-so-bright. Loki is neither a conniving villain nor a tragic antihero. Giants can be either beautiful or ugly, not just monsters to be beaten. Gaiman also does not shy away from the more wacky stories and includes tales that are often overlooked despite their importance for Norse literary culture (I rarely see people talk about how Odin brought the mead of poetry to the gods and man, for example). But perhaps the best examples include the myths that Gaiman does not alter to fit nicely with the idea of a “satisfactory ending” or “clean narrative.” Many of the Old Norse myths are troubling and evoke discomfort, and some of them do not wrap up in a way that we would expect or desire. I appreciated that Gaiman made no attempts to rework them into a Disney-like narrative.
3. Additions: Gaiman makes some additions to the stories in order to make the tales flow more fluidly for modern audiences. I liked the humor and wit he inserted into the dialogue, as well as explanations to fill in gaps where the original text is silent or confusing. None of these additions or deviations were in conflict with the overall aim of the book, nor were they a betrayal of the source material/culture.
Things I Didn’t Like
I’m not sure I can comment on anything I didn’t like, since the things I would normally try to evaluate (plot structure, pacing, etc.) don’t really apply to this book as they would for other long-form narratives.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in Norse mythology, Old Norse literature, storytelling, gods and goddesses, giants, mystical creatures, tricksters, magic, and shape-shifting.
Things I Liked
1. Orality: Gaiman’s prose is interesting in that it’s suited to be read aloud. There are no long, lyrical sentences (more suitable for silent reading), but instead, Gaiman crafts sentences that are simple yet elegant at the same time. His prose thus evokes magical worlds and beings without needing long paragraphs to do so, and that kind of style recalls oral storytelling (which perhaps mirrors what the original Norse myths were intended to be - stories told aloud).
2. Faithfulness to the Source Materials: I appreciated that Gaiman preserved the spirit of the Eddas and Old Norse literature in general, and much of that evidence can be seen in the way he treats the characters - Thor, for example, is both admirably mighty and humorously not-so-bright. Loki is neither a conniving villain nor a tragic antihero. Giants can be either beautiful or ugly, not just monsters to be beaten. Gaiman also does not shy away from the more wacky stories and includes tales that are often overlooked despite their importance for Norse literary culture (I rarely see people talk about how Odin brought the mead of poetry to the gods and man, for example). But perhaps the best examples include the myths that Gaiman does not alter to fit nicely with the idea of a “satisfactory ending” or “clean narrative.” Many of the Old Norse myths are troubling and evoke discomfort, and some of them do not wrap up in a way that we would expect or desire. I appreciated that Gaiman made no attempts to rework them into a Disney-like narrative.
3. Additions: Gaiman makes some additions to the stories in order to make the tales flow more fluidly for modern audiences. I liked the humor and wit he inserted into the dialogue, as well as explanations to fill in gaps where the original text is silent or confusing. None of these additions or deviations were in conflict with the overall aim of the book, nor were they a betrayal of the source material/culture.
Things I Didn’t Like
I’m not sure I can comment on anything I didn’t like, since the things I would normally try to evaluate (plot structure, pacing, etc.) don’t really apply to this book as they would for other long-form narratives.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in Norse mythology, Old Norse literature, storytelling, gods and goddesses, giants, mystical creatures, tricksters, magic, and shape-shifting.