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-
- Greetings from Gunnora Hallakarva.
-
- In answer to your question about sources for Norse paganism, I have
- included my annotated bibliography that I use when teaching classes
- in the subject. I have divided the list into "scholarly" works and
- "New Age" texts for convenience. The best way to learn about Asatru
- (Norse paganism) is to locate a Hearth or Hof or Kindred near you
- and ask to attend a blessing.
-
- Wassail!
-
- ::GUNNORA::
-
-
- Religion in the Pagan Viking Age
- ==============================================================
-
- Branston, Brian. Gods and Heroes from Viking Mythology. New York:
- Schocken. 1982.
- [Brian Branston has written other well-received books on
- Viking and Anglo-Saxon mythology, and his retelling of the
- myths reflects that background. The lavish, full-color
- illustrations and pen-and-ink work by artist Giovanni Caselli
- are lovely, however they convey the flavor and not the
- substance of Viking Art, as his source materials seem to have
- been German Romantic painters and Wagnerian set-builders.]
-
- Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Norse Myths. New York: Pantheon. 1980.
- [Crossley-Holland has collected and consolidated the various
- sources of Norse mythology, then produced clear and concise
- re-tellings of those myths for this book. Norse myth can be
- very difficult to grasp when reading the scattered pieces in
- the Eddas, but this book provides easily understandible
- stories. The introduction, notes and glossary make this book
- even more attractive as a source.]
-
- Dumezil, Georges. Gods of the Ancient Northmen. Berkeley:
- University of California Press. 1973.
- [This work is in translation, and as a result the language is
- sometimes a bit difficult to follow. Provides a thoughtful,
- in-depth analysis of the powers and relationships of the Norse
- gods.]
-
- Ellis-Davidson, Hilda Roderick. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe.
- Harmondsworth: Penguin. 1964.
- [An excellent general work on the myth and religion of the
- pagan Vikings. More detailed analyses are available in Dr.
- Ellis-Davidson's other, numerous works.]
-
- Ellis-Davidson, Hilda Roderick. Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe:
- Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions. Syracuse: University
- Press. 1988.
- [An excellent study of early religion, comparing Viking and
- Celtic belief systems and practices.]
-
- Ellis-Davidson, Hilda Roderick. Scandinavian Mythology. New York:
- Paul Hamlyn. 1969.
- [An excellent survey of Norse myth and religion, covering the
- Bronze Age predecessors of the Viking deities, the cult of
- Odin, Thor/Tyr, the Vanir and Aesir, cosmology and the coming
- of Christianity.]
-
- Grant, John. An Introduction to Viking Mythology. London: Quintet.
- 1990.
- [This is exactly what the title says: an introduction. Most
- useful to the beginner for its encyclopedic listing of the
- various gods, goddesses and other figures from Norse
- mythology.]
-
- Modern Reconstructions of Pagan Norse Religion
- =================================================================
-
- [One does have to take some care in using these works, as "New Age"
- publishers do not generally require high standards of authority or
- historicity in the manuscripts they accept for publishing.]
-
- Aswynn, Freya. Leaves of Yggsdrasil: A Synthesis of Runes, Gods,
- Magic, Feminine Mysteries and Folklore. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn.
- 1990.
- [An interesting and thoughtful book on runic magic written
- from a feminine perspective. While not always as historically
- informed as she could be, Aswynn has created a useful,
- informative source for the rune-worker.]
-
- Blum, Ralph. The Book of Runes. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1982.
- [This was the first mass-market book on the runes. The
- original edition came with an attatched set of ceramic rune-
- tiles. While the rune-tiles may be useful, the book itself is
- not, as Blum has used the I-Ching to determine the "meanings"
- of the individual runes, totally ignoring all tradition and
- scholarship. Not very useful.]
-
- Blum, Ralph. The Book of Rune Cards. New York: St Martin's Press.
- 1989.
- [This Blum effort comes with a deck of paste-board "rune-
- cards" with tarot-like illustrations. Blum continues with his
- I-Ching inspired meanings, while adding North American Indian
- and Taoist traditions as well. Not very useful.]
-
- Conway, D. J. Norse Magic. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn. 1990.
- [A really bad book purporting to be "Norse Religion". This is
- actually a book of Wiccan ritual, in which the names of the
- deities have had their Norse equivalents substituted,
- sometimes incorrectly. An exercise is shoddy research,
- containing gross inaccuracies. Conway also commits plagarism,
- stealing her illustrations from Kevin Crossley-Holland's Norse
- Myths. Not very useful.]
-
- Fitch, Ed. The Rites of Odin. St Paul, MN: Llewellyn. 1990.
- [This book is useful only for the really nice illustrations
- of Thor, Loki, Freyja, and Sif (pp. 5-13). Particularly
- laughable are the use of Dungeons and Dragons "runes" for the
- various gods, and the attribution of a Bronze Age women's
- outfit as "Viking summer wear". Fitch is a well-known Wiccan,
- and as the introduction warns the reader, this book is really
- "Nordicized Wicca". Not very useful.]
-
- Gundarsson, Kveldulfr. Teutonic Magic: the Magical and Spiritual
- Practices of the Germanic Peoples. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn. 1990.
- [This book is primarily concerned with the magical and
- divinatory uses of runes, but also provides some information
- on cosmology, religion, and mythology. Gundarsson is also a
- historian, currently engaged in doctoral work at Cambridge
- University, so his books tend to have more of a historical
- grounding than others in this genre.]
-
- Gundarsson, Kveldulr. Teutonic Religion. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn.
- (forthcoming probably 1993).
- [This book's focus is the reclaiming of Germanic heritage and
- practice of the Teutonic Religion common to the Germans,
- Saxons, and Norsemen. Includes rituals, theology, crafts, and
- much information gleaned from historical and folkloric
- sources. Certainly the best book on pagan Northern religion
- to date.]
-
- Mountain Thunder Quarterly. $18 (?) annual subscription. P.O. Box 148,
- Rollinsville, CO. 80474.
- [This is the best of the Asatru magazines, printed in a
- professional format. The magazine's policy statement is
- "Mountain Thunder is a publication dedicated to the old
- Germanic religion(s), commonly called Asatru or Odinism, and
- to the pagan life in the era of declining legalistic
- hegemonies. Positive, affirming expressions regarding one's
- traditions, heritage, or ancestry are welcome, whatever those
- traditions might be. Mountain Thunder is not, however, a
- racist publication. We in no way support excluding anyone from
- any religious or cultural experience on the basis of their
- race. No submissions denigrating any race wil be accepted for
- publication at any time."]
-
- Pennick, Nigel. Practical Magic in the Northern Tradition.
- N.p.:Aquarian Press. 1989.
- [Combines folklore and folk practice from the Anglo-Saxon,
- Norse and Celtic peoples. Very useful in personna development
- as it gives calendaric information, discusses perceptions of
- space and time, herb-lore, ceremonies, superstitions.]
-
- Pennick, Nigel. Runic Astrology. N.p.:Aquarian Press. 1990.
- [A strange conglomeration of runes, tarot, and the zodiac. Not
- useful at all.]
-
- Thorsson, Edred. FUTHARK: A Handbook of Rune Magic. York Beach, ME:
- Samuel Weiser. 1984.
- [One of the better books concerning the magical use of the
- runes. While Thorsson sometimes goes out a bit into "left
- field", relying on interpretative work done by German scholars
- on the eve of W.W. II, largely his scholarship is sound.]
-
- Thorsson, Edred. Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology. York
- Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser. 1987.
- [Discusses the history of the runes in the Viking Age and
- medieval period, but also discusses the Nazi revival of
- runelore, the Qabbala and runes, tarot and runes, numerology
- and runes, etc. Very strange, but useful to the serious
- student of the magical uses of the runes.]
-
- Tyson, Donald. Rune Magic. St. Paul, MN: Llewelyn. 1988.
- [Another good source for runic magic. Tyson comes from a
- background of ceremonial magic, and imports some of that
- tradition to his "rune rituals". Especially noteworthy is the
- historical information in the eary chapters.]
-
-