Norse Mythology (book)

• 1. Introduction

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  Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology, published in 2017, opens not with a god or a giant but with a confession. In the introduction, Gaiman describes where his deep fondness for these ancient Scandinavian stories came from. Odin, Thor and Loki dominate the tales that follow. What Gaiman chose to preserve from these myths, and what critics and other artists made of his choices, remain open until the end.

• 2. Trickery, Sacrifice, and Ruin

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  Ginnungagap, the primordial void that lies between the frozen realm Niflheim and the fiery Muspelheim, is where Gaiman's cycle begins. Two living things emerge from that emptiness: the giant Ymir and a cow named Auðumbla, whose milk keeps Ymir alive. Auðumbla in turn creates Búri, from whose lineage Odin, Vili and Vé descend. When the three gods kill Ymir, they use every part of his enormous body to build the world. They then create the first humans, Ask and Embla, to inhabit a realm called Midgard. The world tree Yggdrasil holds the nine worlds of Norse cosmology together. Among them are Ásgarð, home of the Æsir gods; Vanaheim, home of the Vanir; and Jötunheimr, realm of the jötnar.

  Loki appears in story after story as both the source of a problem and the one who reluctantly fixes it. He cuts the hair of Sif, Thor's wife, and scrambles to make amends. His solution is to wager two groups of dwarf smiths against each other: the Sons of Ivaldi and the brothers Brokkr and Eitri. The gods gain many treasures from that contest, most famously Thor's hammer, Mjölnir. Loki transforms into a mare in another story to distract the horse of a giant builder. This prevents the builder from completing a wall around Asgard on time. From that shape-shifting, the horse Sleipnir is eventually born.

  Odin gives up his eye to drink from the well of his uncle Mimir, paying a permanent price for wisdom. The wolf Fenrir is one of three monstrous children Loki fathered with the gýgr Angrboða. When the gods bind Fenrir using a chain called Gleipnir, the god Týr loses his hand in the process. Fenrir's siblings receive different fates. Jörmungandr, the sea serpent, is thrown into the ocean, and Hel is appointed by Odin as ruler of the dead.

  Balder, son of Odin, has recurring nightmares that he will die. Frigg, his mother, takes steps to make Balder almost invulnerable to harm. Loki discovers Balder's one weakness and tricks Höðr into killing his own brother. After a verbal confrontation with the other gods, Loki escapes but is eventually caught and brought to justice. His son Váli is turned into a wolf and made to kill his own brother Narfi. Loki is then left restrained with Narfi's own entrails, while a snake drips venom onto his face. His wife Sigyn remains at his side, holding a bowl to catch the venom.

  Ragnarok, the final battle the book builds toward, kills almost all its participants and destroys most of the world. Among the survivors are Módi and Magni, sons of Thor, and Vidar and Váli, sons of Odin. Balder and Hod return from the underworld. Two humans named Lif and Lifthrasir outlive the destruction and are said to give rise to a new generation.

• 3. Simplicity as Strength

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  Kirkus Reviews described Gaiman's prose as rich and atmospheric. Michael Dirda, reviewing for The Washington Post, noted a tension in Gaiman's style. His short, clipped sentences seemed better suited to children's fiction than to mythological retelling. Dirda found the retellings gripping and strongly characterised regardless.

  Peter Fields of Midwestern State University offered a more detailed assessment. He praised the simplicity and clarity of Gaiman's language. He also argued that the book's thematic material demonstrated Gaiman's growth as a writer. Fields noted what the book covered that many popular adaptations do not: eccentric aspects of Norse folklore. Marvel Comics' treatment of Thor was one example Fields cited of an adaptation that left those stranger corners alone.

  Natalie Haynes, a classicist writing for The Guardian, described the work as egalitarian. For Haynes, the book made space for both the familiar and the lesser-known corners of the mythology.

  The book's reception outside critical circles took forms that Dirda, Fields and Haynes could not have anticipated from their reading alone.

• 4. Into Other Forms

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  An audiobook version appeared in February 2017, narrated by Gaiman himself. The New York Times described his narration as "seductive."

  BBC Radio 4 broadcast a ninety-minute audio adaptation on Boxing Day 2018. Derek Jacobi played Odin, Colin Morgan played Loki, Natalie Dormer played Freya, and Nathaniel Martello-White played Thor. Diana Rigg served as narrator, appearing in the guise of a character called "Mrs. Njordsdottir." This character keeps an inquisitive young boy company in hospital during a blizzard. Gaiman himself appeared in a cameo role, heard as a voice on a radio announcement.

  Dark Horse Comics published an eighteen-issue comic adaptation of the book. P. Craig Russell provided scripts, layouts and covers for every issue. Art and colors came from a range of artists across the run, including Mike Mignola, Jerry Ordway and Dave Stewart. A special edition cover by Bill Sienkiewicz marked the release of the first issue, alongside a signed variant. David Mack provided variant covers. The series began with a Free Comic Book Day prologue on the 12th of August, 2020, produced in collaboration with Critical Role. The third collected volume reached shelves on the 25th of January, 2023, six years after the book first appeared.