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In Gylfaginning, Snorri Sturluson enumerates the twelve gods and the thirteen goddesses who, together with Óðin and his wife Frigg, make up the Norse pantheon. Stories survive for some of the gods, preserved in the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and other Icelandic manuscripts.
But no stories have survived for many of the gods and for most of the goddesses. We know that many more stories once existed, because quotes from those stories are mentioned in other literature from the period.
The articles linked below provide a brief introduction to some of the Norse gods and goddesses, as well as a summary of a few of the stories. I strongly encourage interested readers to avoid my dull summaries. Instead, read the originals, or read R. I. Page's witty and pithy summaries, or Crossley-Holland's retellings of the myths. These books are readily available and are listed in the references section of this document.
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©1996-2008
William R. Short |
The illustrations accompanying these stories were taken from a wide variety of sources. Some of them are stone carvings from the Norse era. Some are drawings used to illuminate medieval Icelandic manuscripts. Most were created during the Romantic era at the turn of the last century when there was a resurgence of interest across Europe in the Norse mythology. Works by Winge, Hardy, Dollman, and others are represented. Some of the sketches are modern illustrations.
We believe these images to be in the public domain, except where indicated. We ask that any copyright holders who feel their intellectual property is being used improperly to contact us so that we can either make proper arrangements to use the material, or so that we can remove the material in question.
