Dictionary Of Northern Mythology
This English translation of Simek’s comprehensive work was first published in 1984 but has been updated and repackaged for this edition. The title is misleading as the dictionary covers the full range of Germanic as well as Scandinavian mythology, including that of the Angles and Saxons. The oldest stories go back to 1500BCE, and the most recent references draw in the works of Wagner and the appropriation of Nordic myths by the Nazi propaganda machine.
An invaluable work of reference for anyone reading or writing fiction about early and mediaeval northern European societies, its comprehensive, meticulously researched and referenced entries are fascinating scholarly essays in themselves. Simek has made full use of many different sources, from inscriptions on votive stones to the works of Tacitus and later Christian commentators. Here are tales not only of gods and heroes but elves and giants and, of course, the creation of man and his world. Whether your interest is in Bronze Age burial customs or Tolkien’s inspiration for the Hobbits, you will find something of value here.
