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THE GODS OF THE VIKINGS
Exploring the Norse Gods, Myths and Legends through the Days of the Week
By Marion Pearce


The Norse gods are as vivid and powerful as the rugged elemental landscapes they ruled over. From Scandinavia the Vikings raided, traded and settled across Europe and beyond, leaving marks of their deities in place names, literature and - particularly - through our derivation of the names of the days of the week from Tuesday to Friday.

Marion Pearce sets the major Norse gods like Odin, Thor, Loki, Tyr, Baldur, Freya and Frigg into a context of both time and place, telling their tales in a unique manner. In doing so she introduces numerous other gods, giants, heroes, dwarves and monsters from the Norse myths and legends. The author also writes on the Germanic Saxon gods, who sprang from the same roots, and explores the conflict between the Norse and Saxon gods and Christianity. The influences of the Norse and Saxon gods are considered further through their survival in British folk customs and significant calendar festivals.

Drawing on numerous sources, including the Eddas and Sagas, the tale of Beowulf, contemporary Arabic writings and early British laws, the author demonstrates the threads which unite the days of the week and the Norse and Saxon gods with other early civilizations and classical sources from Pliny, Tacitus and Ravenna to the Old Testament.

From the world tree Yggdrasil to its gods and creatures, from the Norse creation myths to the cataclysmic Ragnarok, from magic charms to ritual practices, The Gods of the Vikings is an evocative journey through the rich tapestry of Norse paganism, history and cosmology, illustrated with numerous original line drawings by visionary artist Emily Carding.

2010, 228 pages. Paperback & Kindle editions available.
ISBN 978-1-905297-44-3
B&W 6.14 x 9.21 in or 234 x 156 mm (Royal 8vo) Perfect Bound on White w/Gloss Lam
 

The Gods of the Vikings by Marion Pearce

£14.99Price
  • Introduction
    PART 1
    The Days of the Week
    Days and the Week
    The Naming of the Days
    PART 2
    Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Christian Worldviews
    The Anglo-Saxon World  in the Age of the Vikings
    Norse Paganism and Christianity
    PART 3
    Beginnings and Endings
    The Norse Story of Creation
    Norse Cosmology and the Lands of Death
    Ragnarok the Norse End of the World
    PART 4
    The Norse Gods and Myths expressed through the Days of the Week
    Sunday
    Monday
    Tuesday
    Wednesday
    Thursday
    Friday
    Saturday
    APPENDICES
    Pagan Saxon/Norse Festivals
    May Day
    Summer Solstice
    Yule
    Bibliography
    Illustrations
     

  • Marion Pearce is the author of several books and articles on Celtic, Norse and Roman history and culture.  Her work has been published in magazines in the UK and internationally. She is the editor of Pentacle Magazine, the biggest independent pagan magazine in the UK, which she founded in 2002; and was formerly the editor of Pagan Dawn, the magazine of the Pagan Federation.

    Marion is the author of several books including:

    Celts: Masters of Fire (2008, with Poppy Palin) Capall Bann, Chieveley

    Origins and Festivals of the Roman Calendar (2004) Capall Bann, Chieveley

    Celtic Sacrifice: Pre-Christian Ritual and Religion (2001) Capall Bann, Chievely

    Milton, Chalkwell and the Crowstone (2000), Ian Henry, Essex

    The Gods of the Vikings - Exploring the Norse Gods, Myths and Legends through the Days of the Week (Avalonia, 2010)

     

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