The Children of Odin: The Book of Northern Myths

Before the world had a name, the gods walked their halls in Asgard and hung the stars in the sky. This is that time: when dragons circled the mountains and giants nursed their grudges against heaven, when Loki's mischief could still make the Aesir laugh before it made them weep. Padraic Colum gathers the great Norse myths into one sweeping volume, from the creation of the world from Ymir's body to the first shadows of Ragnarök creeping across the rainbow bridge. Odin trades his eye for wisdom and hangs wounded on the world-tree to learn the secret names of runes. Thor swings his hammer against frost giants and learns what it costs to defend a realm. The sun and moon are swallowed by a wolf, darkness falls, and the great alarm sounds: the end is coming. These are stories where heroes die beautifully and gods know their doom is written but fight anyway. Colum writes with the rolling cadence of an old storyteller, making ancient voices feel intimate across a century of silence.