From Asgard to Valhalla by Heather O'donoghue
Whether they focus on Thor's powerful hammer, the mysterious valkyries, the palatial home of the gods - Asgard - or ravenous wolves and fierce elemental giants, the Norse myths are packed with vivid incident. This book shows how the Norse myths have resonated from era to era: from Viking-age stories of ice and fire to the epic poetry of Beowulf.
'For all their exoticism and extravagance the myths of the old north have served to tell many powerful truths -- and attract some sulphurous distortions -- over the centuriesThe story of their medieval construction and modern reception is a colourful, complex, and (latterly) 'cool' one, and in her wide-ranging and deftly managed analysis Heather O'Donoghue proves to be a shrewd and authoritative guide.' - Andrew Wawn, Professor of Anglo-Icelandic Literature, University of Leeds 'Heather O'Donoghue's From Asgard to Valhalla is a wise, witty and wide-ranging account of the imaginative reach of Old Norse mythology in Western literary culture. After a virtuoso survey of the main strands of the tradition, her book shows how powerful the Viking gods have been in catching up into the busy sweep of their legends and histories writers and composers from almost every succeeding century. From Thomas Gray to Neil Gaiman, Blake to Tolkien, William Morris to Paul Muldoon, Wagner to Viking rock metal, she shows how the stories are re-read, retold and re-polished to provide a mirror that reflects and refracts contemporary cultural, philosophical and political concerns. This learned, often funny, and critically nimble book unpacks the surface strangeness of Norse narrative to reveal its universal relevance.' - Vincent Gillespie, J R R Tolkien Professor of English Language and Literature, University of Oxford
Heather O'Donoghue is Reader in Old Norse in the University of Oxford and a Professorial Fellow of Linacre College. Her books include The Genesis of a Saga Narrative (1991), Old Norse Icelandic Literature: A Short Introduction (2004) and Skaldic Verse and the Poetics of a Saga Narrative (2005). An expert on Old Norse literature and myth, she has broadcast on the subject on national radio.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781845113575 |
| ISBN 10 | 1845113578 |
| Title | From Asgard to Valhalla |
| Author | Heather O'donoghue |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2007-04-27 |
| Number of pages | 224 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |