From Asgard to Valhalla: The Remarkable History of the Norse Myths

Norse mythology inhabits a universe of astonishing richness and arguably offers something for everyone. This text is unique in showing how these myths have impacted on and continue to resonate across the fields of literature, art, music and politics. Distinguishing the myths in their original form from a host of later accretions, the book tells the gripping story of how such strange and fragmentary material was seized and remodelled throughout the centuries: whether by the vèolkisch fantasies of the Third Reich or the modern-day cult appeal of Viking Metal.

Heather O’Donoghue is Professor of Old Norse at University of Oxford, UK. Among others, she is the author of Old Norse Icelandic Literature: A Short Introduction (2004), English Poetry and Old Norse (2014) and Narrative in the Icelandic Family Saga (Bloomsbury Academic, 2021), among others. She has also broadcast with the BBC on the topic of the Norse Gods.