Norse Mythology

This introduction to Norse Mythology, as many have already stated, was a very tedious read. There was a lot more history than I had originally anticipated, which I generally find rather boring. Unfortunately, this was no exception. However, even though I did not enjoy most of the introduction, there were some parts that I found enlightening. I found it interesting that there are so many takes on Norse Mythology. It seems that there isn't a standard "the way it was." We are even presented with two authors, Snorri and Saxo Grammaticus, contemporaries of one another, who present several differing ideas regarding Norse mythology. Something else I found interesting was the pervasiveness of euhemerism. I will admit that I had to look this word up, having no idea of its meaning. For those of you who know what this is, congratulations, for everyone else, euhemerism is the theory that mythology is derived fro history. Both the authors we are presented with, Snorri and Saxo, apparently make numerous attempts at this. From the tone of the author of this book and the context of the reading, to me it seems that at times Snorri and Saxo are grasping at straws. Attempting to make mythology more relevant by extrapolating information that might have nothing to do with anything and applying it to the myth, rather than accepting it for what it is, myth. Granted, it would seem that there is definite potential that some myths are based on history, and Snorri and Saxo were much greater scholars on the subject than I, so instead of spending the rest of my life validating there facts, I will just accept them. Sorry for the digression.

Anyway, regarding the other entries. Of the ones everyone read, I found the section on Baldr the most interesting. The section gave a lot of interesting information about Baldr, primarily his murdering by Loki. I found it odd that the only thing Baldr was not protected from was mistletoe. It was one of the first times I have seen mistletoe used with a negative connotation, after growing so accustomed to the whole "kiss under the mistletoe" tradition.

Of the other sections, I found the section regarding Buri and Audhumla the most interesting. The idea that the first being in the world was a cow is mind blowing. And then the cow creates Buri, the first god out of a block of salt by licking it. What?!! Ok, thats all.