Author Description

"From Asgard to Valhalla is the first book to show how and why the Norse myths have so powerfully resonated from era to era: from the Viking-age stories of ice and fire to the epic poetry of Beowulf: from the twilight of the gods in Wagner's Gotterdammerung to Marvel Comics' Mighty Thor; and from Neil Gaiman's American Gods to the cult appeal of Viking Metal. Heather O'Donoghue, who is an expert on Old Norse culture, shows in what ways the Norse myths have impacted on the western mind, across the fields of literature, art, music and politics. She considers the wider contexts of Norse mythology, including its origins, medieval expression and reception in post-medieval societies right up to the present, distinguishing the myths in their original form from a host of later accretions, distortions and transformations."--Jacket.