Book Review: The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland

We are fascinated with tales of the mythical and the strange. From age to age, continent to continent, every culture has its own mythological tales. Some mythologies, are more influential than the others. Do you know, that Norse mythology is present in our everyday life? From the naming of weekdays, to books and movies. Just in case if you don't know already. Tuesday, is derived from Tyr, the god who sacrificed one of his hands to bind the giant wolf Fenrir. Wednesday (Woden's day), is derived from Odin, the Norse god of war, and also known as the "all father". Thursday, is derived from Thor, the Norse god generally associated with thunder, lightning, strength and protection. Friday, is derived from Frigg, the goddess who was Odin's wife.

Culturally, Norse mythology has inspired and shaped the stories of many movies and books. The recent blockbuster, Marvel's Avengers, is inspired and based on characters in Norse mythology. Authors of fantasy fiction, such as J.R.R Tolkien, C.S Lewis, Robert E. Howard, Neil Gaimen, Poul Anderson, J.K Rowling, R.A Salvatore (so on and so forth..) write books contain and inspired by elements of Norse mythology 

Such a profound influence! I wonder if we can go as far as saying that Norse mythology, is the "mother of all" stories. Personally, my interest in Norse mythology originated from reading fantasy fictions by Robert E. Howard and J.R.R Tolkien. Following this, I became fascinated with Beowulf, and it wasn't long before I started reading the Norse epic saga such as the saga of Volsung, and the saga of king Hrolf Kraki. Eventually, I attempted to read the Prose Edda and poetic Edda, the source of all this mythological and fantasy "stuff" that I am passionate about. Similar to Norse epic saga, the poetic Edda and Skaldic poetry were written, as the names suggest, in the format of poems. In the 1200s, a Christian historian and poet called Snorri Sturluson compiled a collection of Norse mythological stories based on the poetic Edda and the Skaldic poetry. It is interesting to note, Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda added Christian elements to these Norse mythological tales, by describing the origins of the Norse gods as warriors who settled in Northern Europe after the Trojan War. These warriors became highly regarded in that region, because of their superior culture and technology, and in the ages after their death, the remembrance ceremonies and circulating stories on these heroes gradually turn them into gods.

Both poetic Edda and Prose Edda possess enormous cultural, artistic and historical values. Nevertheless, it is a daunting task for modern readers to go through all these literature to appreciate Norse mythology, mostly because of the language it was written in. British author and poet, Kevin Crossley-Holland, put together a collection of 32 Norse mythological tales, retelling these stories in a very attractive prose form. 

The book started with a 25 page introduction, this is a brief summary on the writing and the development of Norse mythology throughout history. The 32 stories in this book, starting from the Norse creation story, ending at the event of Ragnarok, tells the beautiful stories of Norse mythology in chronological order. Although the stories here are not written in the poetic format of the original materials, but Kevin Crossley-Holland's prose is just as vivid and descriptive, and this book is very easy to read. I think this is a great introduction to Norse mythology, for anyone who is interested to know more about Norse mythology.

My thoughts:

One of my many interests, is to compare the gods in other mythologies (Norse, Greek, Sumerian, and Chinese) against the Christian God. When I was reading this book, I couldn't help but to compare the stories of these Norse gods against the story of the Christian god, and Jesus Christ. What I realized was that the gods of Norse mythology (and many gods from other mythology) were essentially entities with superhuman abilities with a certain limit. Character wise, the Norse gods are just equally as noble as they are flawed. For example, I found it very interesting that in one of the stories, Odin, the god of all gods in Norse mythology, sacrificed himself to be hung on the world tree ,Yggdrasil, for 9 days and 9 nights. In exchange to gain wisdom of the nine worlds, so he harness more power. The story of a god/God hung on a tree, reminds me of another story. Jesus was hung on a cross (made of wood) too as a sacrifice. But here is the difference: In Norse mythology, Odin's sacrifice is so that he can gain wisdom of the nine worlds, making himself more powerful. Inherently, Odin's self sacrifice is for his own gain. But when Jesus was hung on the cross and died, it was not in exchange to gain benefits for himself. The reason why Jesus hung on the cross was because he died for the sin of mankind, to offer the gift of salvation to those who believes in him, while showing God's love for us. Needless to say, in this case, the difference between Jesus and Odin is distinctive.

Fatalism, is another theme in Norse mythology. The Norse gods were destined to doom at Ragnarok, with all their powers, they could not prevent themselves from perishing at the hands of their enemies. The Norse gods, are simply flowing in the stream of destiny, in which they cannot control. Despite their "divine" status, they have no power to forge plans in the chasm of space and time. One has to ask this question: Can such gods be real "God"? If one looks carefully, when comparing the Norse gods against the Christian God. The first notable difference is, the God of Christianity is NOT a God who is destined by a fatalistic plan where He has no control. Actually, in contrast to the Norse gods, the Christian God is the ONE who HAS the plan. This is a plan that supposedly transcends space and time, because He is the author of space and time. Secondly, unlike the Norse gods, the Christian God cannot be defeated by his opponents (see the story of Pharaoh vs. God in Exodus). The God of Christianity, is a God who is sovereign over everything, including those attempting to work against Him. While the Norse gods eventually bowed down to the creeping sickle of death, the God of Christianity defeated death! (This was shown in the account of the bodily resurrection of Jesus). 

Some people ask me, why do I put faith in the God of Christianity, and reject the gods of mythology. My answer is this: While I cannot say with 100% certainty, that these "gods" of mythology never existed. But I can be sure about one thing, that is when I compare the gods of mythology against the God of Christianity. Everything tells me that these gods of mythology, cannot be the true God. Because these mythological gods, are superhuman with limitations, and they are just as flawed as they are noble. God of Christianity however, is everything that a true God should be, this is most evident when I examine my own heart with the meaning and the teachings in the Bible. Personally, this is the best evidence/reason I need to persevere as a believer.