A fascinating and comprehensive A-Z guide to the myths and legends of northern Europe. Recounts the major sagas and legends, from Baldrs draumar to Volsunga saga. Describes the gods, goddesses, giants, dwarfs and other supernatural creatures of Northern myth. Details the cosmology of the Norse world, from Asgard, home of the gods, to Niflheim, the place of freezing mists, to Hel, the land of the dead. Explores a wide range of related topics, such as amulets, magic, runes, and the rite of the blood-eagle. It considers a wide range of historical and literary sources, from the Latin of Tacitus to the Icelandic of Snorri Sturluson.