Review: Norse Mythology by Oliver Laine

Title: Norse Mythology: A Brief Epic Guide to Heroes, Gods, Sagas, Beliefs, and Rituals Of Norse Mythology
Author: Oliver Laine
Publication: February 3rd 2017
Genre: Nonfiction
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 4/5

You've heard about Norse mythology before, but how much do you really know?

By Odin's Beard! This Brief Epic Guide on Norse mythology will get you up to speed!

You may already be familiar with names and personalities such as Odin, Thor, Loki, and the Valkyries – and in this book you will learn about the many roles that they play within the various legends and sagas that have been passed down from generation to generation. You will learn about the impact that they have made on both the ancient Scandinavian cultures from where the stories arose and on modern culture in northern Europe.

You will also learn how Norse mythology has become a leading source of storytelling ideas, and how the concepts and characters have found their way into works as diverse as Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Gaiman’s American Gods; the operas that make up Wagner’s acclaimed The Ring of the Nibelung; the musical genres of heavy metal and, specifically, Viking metal; and many others.

Finally, I hope that reading about Norse mythology will help you gain a better understanding of the ancient cultures of Scandinavia: specifically, how these people saw the world and how they perceived themselves as they fit into that world.

Here is a Brief Epic Preview of What You'll Learn...

Norse Culture and the Importance of Mythology
Sources
The Gods of Norse Mythology
Inhabitants of the Universe
Heroes and Heroines
The Nine Worlds
And Much, Much More!

I love nonfiction about topics that I enjoy reading and learning more about. Norse Mythology is one of those topics. And even though I've read my fair share of books about Norse mythology but there's always more to discover.

At 78 pages (according to Amazon) this was a very quick read but it was also very informative. Some nonfictions can border on complex or even hard to read, even for me, but this one has kept things nice and simply in the best way possible. I really enjoyed reading this book.

Some of my favorite chapters in this book were 'Norse Culture and the Importance of Mythology', 'The Gods of Norse Mythology' where the gods like Odin, Frigg, Thor and others are highlighted, 'Norse Paganism' and 'The Norse Rituals'. But obviously I enjoyed reading all of the other chapters as well.

Overall, Norse Mythology: A Brief Epic Guide to Heroes, Gods, Sagas, Beliefs, and Rituals Of Norse Mythology by Oliver Laine was a book I quickly devoured. This is one of those books that make me want to read nonfiction like this all the time because I'm a huge history and mythology fan. I'd very much recommend it to readers who want to know more about Norse mythology and who like books that are easily read within an hour.