Text from the Universal Library

Myths of Northern Lands
By H. A. Guerber

Narrated With Special Reference To Literature And Art. 1895

“Wake again, Teutonic Father ages,
Speak again, beloved primæval creeds;
Flash ancestral spirit from your pages,
Wake the greedy age to noble deeds.”
Charles Kingsley

Preface

The Beginning of All Things | Odin | Frigga | Thor | Tyr | Bragi | Idun | Niörd | Frey | Freya Uller | Forseti | Heimdall | Hermod | Vidar | Vali | The Norns | The Valkyrs | Hel | Ægir | Balder | Loki | The Giants | The Dwarfs | The Elves | Sigurd Saga | Twilight of the Gods | Greek and Northern Mythologies - A Comparison | Glossary And Index

The aim of this handbook of Northern mythology is to familiarize the English student of letters with the religion of his heathen ancestors, and to set forth, as clearly as possible, the various myths which have exercised an influence over our customs, arts, and literature.

As Norwegians, Danes, Swedes, Icelanders, Germans, English, and French all came originally from the same stock and worshiped the same gods, so these tales formed the basis not only of their religious belief, but also of their first attempts at poetry. They are the classics of the North, and deserve as much attention at our hands as the more graceful and idyllic mythology of the South.

The most distinctive traits of the Northern mythology are a peculiar grim humor which is found in the religion of no other race, and a dark thread of tragedy which runs throughout the whole woof. These two characteristics, touching both extremes of the scale, have colored Northern thought, and have left their indelible imprint upon all our writings even to this day.

The mythology of Greece and Rome, growing as spontaneous and luxuriant as the tropical vegetation, came to its full fruition and began to decay before the introduction of Christianity. But Northern mythology, of slower growth, was arrested in mid-career before it had attained its complete development.

Next: The Beginning of All Things