Publisher's Synopsis
Beyond the northlands echo tales of gods and monsters, epic quests and cataclysmic battles that have enthralled humankind for a thousand years. Echoes of Valhalla is an immersive chronicle of these fascinating myths that unveils Norse culture as fired by visions of Ragnarök where even the mighty gods march toward twilight yet find eternal life through undying fame.
This definitive volume masterfully surveys Norse mythology's grand pantheon including Odin, keeper of cosmic wisdom and magical runes; hammer-wielding hero-god Thor defending mortals against giants, dragons and all chaotic creatures; ethereally lovely Freya who guides battle-slain heroes; Loki the shape-shifting trickster whose cunning know no bounds. We travel through strange, beguiling realms like majestic falcon-eyed Heimdall's watchtower to Niflheim where the monstrous dragon Nidhogg ceaselessly gnaws Yggdrasil-the colossal World Tree from which all creation sprang. Gripping too are the elegies and virtues enshrined by Norse ancestors in epic poems over centuries, all harbingers of an inevitable yet perpetually renewing cosmos. So come uncover glorious myths of creation and doomsday, cunning blood-feuds and courtships, fire and frost. For herein echoes of Valhalla sing an enchanting odyssey through the ages!
