Penguin Book of Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings

'Burning ice, biting flame; that is how life began'

The extraordinary Scandinavian myth cycle is one of the most enduring, exciting, dramatic and compelling of the world's great stories.

The Penguin Book of the Norse Myths compellingly retells these stories for the modern reader, taking us from the creation of the world through the building of Asgard's Wall to the final end in Ragnarok. You'll discover how Thor got his hammer and how Odin lost his eye, the terrible price of binding the wolf Fenrir and why Loki the trickster can never be trusted.

The Norse myths are as thrilling to read as they are of vast cultural and historical importance. In this gripping book Kevin Crossley-Holland brings alive the passion, cruelty and heroism of these unforgettable stories.

A collection of dramatic, moving, intricately structured stories ... a scholarly survey and compendium of Norse mythology ... a sustained poem distinguished by the icy precision of its language (The Times Educational Supplement)

Stately or bucolic, heroic or comic, romantic or gross, horrific or gentle, deeply ironic or deeply moving, the myths here retold yield up their mood and substance (The Times Literary Supplement)