Are there any books specifically about Western European or Norse mythology?

Recommended works

1. Saemund's Edda, (or Elder Edda) "Saemund's Edda", or "The Great Edda".

2. The Heimskringla, (or Younger Edda) "Little Edda", by Snorri Sturlasson.

3． Viking Tales of the North "Nordic Viking Tales", by R.B.Anderson.

4． Norse Mythology "Norse Mythology", by R.B.Anderson.

5. Literature and Romance of Northern Europe "Literature and Romance of Northern Europe", by Howitt.

6. Myths of the Norsemen "Myths of the Norsemen", by H.A.Guerbar.

7. Northern Mythology "Northern Mythology", by Kauffman.

8. Teutonic Myth and the Legend "Germanic Myths and Legends", by D.A.Macpenzie.

Original author's note: Of course, except for the "Edda" and "Edda", the above reference books are now impossible to find. The most important of all materials, Snorri Strasson's "Little Edda" has not yet been published in China; the following are the works on Norse mythology that I know of that have been published in China, including the translated original material. If you want to learn more about Norse mythology, these books are necessary.

○ Yilin Publishing House:

"The Edda" "The Great Edda"

"Beowulf/The Song of Roland/The Song of Cid/ "Igor's Expedition"

"Song of the Nibelungs" is the "Song of the Nibelungs"

"Saga"

○" "Nibelungenlied", People's Literature Publishing House.

○"Norse Myths and Heroic Legends", Contemporary World Publishing House.

○"Saga Collection-Treasures of Medieval Nordic Literature", The Commercial Press. (The first volume: Vinland Saga, Vatn Gorge Saga, Nyar Saga; the second volume: Lax Gorge Saga, Egil Saga, Gonnlaug Saga.)

○ "Beowulf - Old English Poetry", Sanlian Bookstore.

In addition, "A Song of Ice and Fire", one of the best fantasy literature works now, also has a strong Nordic style

Norse mythology originally originated from the belief in the sun and nature. The worship of generative power is a myth system unique to Scandinavia. It was formed relatively later than other major myth systems in the world. The history of oral transmission of Nordic myths can be traced back to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. , first popular in places such as Norway, Denmark and Sweden, and then spread to Iceland and other places with a group of immigrants heading north around the 7th century AD. During the Middle Ages, Christianity prevailed throughout Europe. Due to its strong political attack, most of the works recording Norse mythology were considered heretical and burned. The relatively complete ones that have been preserved to this day include the Icelandic epic "Edda" and the Germanic epic "Nibernian". Song of Dragon Roots" etc. Norse mythology is a polytheistic system, which can be roughly divided into four systems: giants, gods, elves and dwarves. Among them, the giants created the world and gave birth to the gods, but they were also the greatest enemies of the gods. They can be understood as personified natural forces. The gods are divided into two tribes, the Asir tribe headed by the main god Odin and the Vanir tribe headed by Niord, the god of the sea. There are twelve main gods. Elves and dwarfs are demigods who serve the gods. Their specific origin is still unclear and they are a special creation in the Germanic region. There are many very special parts in Nordic mythology, such as the creation of human beings. The first thing to be created was a woman, and the material of creation was not the soil shown in most myths, but a branch. One of the more prominent features is determined by its geographical location. Since Scandinavia is located in the extreme north and is cold all year round, the frost giants have a high status in mythology and often cause headaches to the gods. . Secondly, the views on death and rebirth have the greatest influence. Unlike other mythological systems, the gods in Nordic mythology are imperfect and will also face the fate of destruction. For example, Odin sacrificed his left eye in order to gain knowledge and was hanged. After spending nine nights in the tree and suffering a lot of trauma, he received the spear that symbolized his power. But on the other hand, Norse mythology believes that when everything dies, new life will be formed again, and everything in the world is cyclical.

List of main gods:

Odin: the main god.

Frigg: Goddess of love, in charge of marriage and family, Odin’s wife.

Thor: Thor, the eldest son of Odin.

Sif: Thor’s wife, goddess of land and harvest.

Freyr: God of fertility, in charge of harvest, reproduction and love, son of Niord, god of the sea.

Loki: God of Fire, Odin’s younger brother.

Tyr: God of war, son of the giant Himiel.

Freyja: God of fertility, in charge of fertility and love, Freyja’s sister.

Heimdall: Patron of the gods.

Baldur: God of light.

Holder: The God of Darkness, said to be Balder's twin brother.

Bugira: The son of Odin, the god of poetry. It is said to be the god of wisdom, poetry, and eloquence.

Forgotten Myths

Norse mythology is a myth that has been forgotten for a long time. The descendants of the ancient Norse people have abandoned this treasure for centuries. The descendants of the heroes in Norse mythology are the Germanic peoples of present-day Scandinavia and the lowlands of northeastern Germany. They grew up in a desolate and harsh natural environment and developed brave and sturdy personalities. Wandering, fighting and hunting are their daily lifestyles. They often go on expeditions to other countries under the leadership of bold and enterprising leaders, and win status and wealth from foreign countries that they do not have at home. The original culture of these victorious countries may not be superior to the countries they conquered, and their weapons and equipment may not be superior to the other countries. But they have an adventurous spirit that knows no fear and the courage to face death. This is the main reason why the Germanic nation can invade the entire Europe. These Germanic warriors who were not afraid of death gradually expanded the scope of the expedition. In 400 AD, they were bordered by the Rhine and Danube rivers and adjacent to the Roman Empire. When the power of Rome gradually declined, they continued to invade the territory of the Roman Empire. By the middle of the fifth century, the Germanic people were oppressed from the east, west and north by the Finns (i.e., the Northern Huns who were defeated by the Han Empire and moved westward), which triggered a raging wave of national migration. This is what the Germans call the Age of Heroes, and most of the protagonists in Nordic legends are heroes of this era. As a result of this great migration, people as far away as Russia in the east, as far as the French coast and Breden Island in the west, and as far south as Spain, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, and North Africa, were all invaded by Germanic people, and even as far away as Greenland and parts of the American continent. their footprints. The Nordic mythology that has been passed down to this day is the product of this nation. But the records of the myth no longer exist in the Germanic countries today. Instead, it was preserved on Iceland, an isolated island covered with volcanoes and glaciers in the North Sea. The Germanic gods were completely forgotten by the Germanic nation. The most important reason was the contact with the Roman Empire and the assimilation of Christianity through contact. Coupled with natural and man-made disasters, especially the "Thirty Years' War" from 1618 to 1648 AD, the inherent Germanic culture was incomplete and desolate. The valuable documents and legends fell into the abyss of forgetfulness and were buried in the dust for a long time. At that time, only the Christian priests were literate. They were in charge of records and keeping documents. Naturally, they hated pagan legends, manuscripts, songs, etc. and cleaned them up. Only a few materials survived: the British "Beowulf", the German "Nicholas" "The Song of Borungen" - Nibelungenlied and some fragments - Saga (Legend of Heroes), and two collections of Icelandic mythological poems "Edda" - Edda. In addition, the Germanic people believe that the ancient text Runenschrift originally used is a magical incantation. If the language is shaped into words, it is equivalent to granting mysterious power to the enemy. Therefore, not only the ancient Germanic people's beliefs, but even their way of life are difficult to verify today.

The spirit of eternal battle and despair

Norse mythology and southern Greek mythology are in sharp contrast in all aspects. Greek mythology is the world of literature, art and music, and the paradise of supreme happiness. Norse mythology is the complete opposite. The most profound impression that Nordic mythology gives people should be the sad and sad image of the world depicted in it. The universe supported by the giant tree of life Yggdrasil presents a strange and majestic appearance. One end of the universe is Muspelheim, the extremely hot world where the fire giant lives, and the other end is the cold fog world sealed by eternal ice and snow. Niflheim, the kingdom of the dead. Between these two worlds is the residence of gods and humans. Sometimes fire and lava come from the south, and sometimes ice, snow, and frost come from the north, forever threatening humans and gods. This description of "heaven" is so miserable, and it is not found in other national myths. In the world of Greek mythology, there are alien gods, at best there are only a handful of half-human and half-animal fauns, and their appearance is also pastoral, and the existence of monsters is just waiting for the conquest of gods and heroes. But Nordic mythology is full of all kinds of strange creatures, including the huge giant whose gloves would be mistaken for tall houses when he took off his gloves; the strange wolf Fenrir who could devour the world with his mouth open; There is Jormungandr, a big snake that surrounds the "atrium" of the human world with its tail in its mouth; there is a dwarf with a black face and a long nose who is afraid of the sun and lives underground; and there is Hela, the goddess of death whose face is half cyan and half flesh. And running through it all is an extremely miserable world view of combat. The eternal battle shrouds the entire book. The world of Nordic mythology was created due to battle, and also destroyed due to battle.

The myths of any nation have legends of creation, but Nordic mythology focuses on describing the destruction of the universe. This is the most different feature of northern Germanic mythology from the mythology of other nations. Moreover, the Norse mythology depicts the fantasy of the destruction of the universe, which is so sad and tragic that almost all myths on the earth are unparalleled. For an existence as small as human beings, its "birth" and "destruction" are really insignificant. In the great flames at the end of the universe, there are huge forces fighting against the madness of force. In the extremely tragic and heroic final battle, even the gods of Asgard, the "kingdom of the gods", are destroyed. These fantasies have come true. The limits of human thought. Odin, the main god in Norse mythology, is the god of storms, the god of battle, and the eternal wanderer. It is a world of many gods, but in Greek mythology, the status of the gods headed by Zeus is eternal and unshakable. The giants who resisted the gods were thrown into eternal darkness after their tragic defeat. Hell, there is no chance of getting ahead. On the contrary, the Nordic gods have to constantly fight against the giants. In addition to having the power to fight against the gods, the giants are also the earliest births of the universe. The blood of giants is also in the veins of the gods. flowing. Except for the thunder hammer of Thor and the victory sword of Frey, the gods are often no match for the giants in terms of force. In terms of intelligence alone, the gods are not necessarily superior to the giants. The Fountain of Wisdom gushes out from under the roots of a tree that extends from the Tree of Life to the Kingdom of Giants. The person responsible for guarding the spring is the giant Mimir. Even the wisdom that should be attributed to divinity, in the world of Nordic mythology, has its roots in the possession of giants. To fight a desperate battle against an enemy who is superior to itself in every aspect is the fate that the Germanic nation experienced. Starting from the era of the Great Migration and going through the pirate period, the Germanic people's way of survival was to fight, migrate, and fight again.

This is a turbulent life full of ups and downs. They put the destiny of the nation in battle, survived from adventures, and failed without regrets. The roots of this attitude towards life can be found in myths and legends