Gróa’s Top Nine Heathen Books

Because my “List of Recommended Heathen Reading” keeps getting longer, I’ve put
together a shorter list to in an effort to help someone who is brand-new to all of this and
doesn’t know where to start. Let’s begin with the

Top Three Books for the Neophyte Heathen

Kevin Crossley-Holland, The Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings. Modern retelling of the
Norse myths. Beautifully written and accurate. Penguin; ISBN 0-14-00.6056-1.

Snorri Sturluson, Edda, translated by Anthony Faulkes. Written by a 13

th

-century

Icelander, this invaluable work contains much of the surviving information about Norse
mythology. Everyman's Library, J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd: London; ISBN 0-460-87185-4.

The Poetic Edda, translated by Carolyne Larrington. A collection of medieval poems about
Germanic gods and heroes. Many of the poems are thought to date from heathen times.
Oxford University Press: Oxford; ISBN 0-19-282383-3.

These three books will give you the basics of Norse mythology. The additional books
below will give you a broader perspective on Germanic culture and religion.

Six More Books

Beowulf. The great epic poem of the Anglo-Saxons. Any recent verse translation (there
are several) should be fine.

H.R. Ellis Davidson, Gods and Myths of the Viking Age. Written by an eminent scholar,
this book is a good introduction to the academic perspective on Norse religion. [Was
previously published as Gods and Myths of Northern Europe.] Bell Publishing: New York;
ISBN 0-517-336448.

R.I. Page, Chronicles of the Vikings: Records, Memorials and Myths. This anthology of
Viking-Age writings is the best single source I know of for getting a feel for the Norse
world-view. British Museum Press: London; ISBN 0-7141-0564-3.

Rudolf Simek, Dictionary of Northern Mythology; translated by Angela Hall. Detailed
entries, with references, on all aspects of Germanic religion. An indispensable reference
work. D.S. Brewer: Woodbridge, Suffolk; ISBN 0-85991-513-1.

Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway; translated by Lee M.
Hollander. This tome contains several sections that reveal heathen practices or beliefs.
University of Texas Press: Austin; ISBN 0-292-73061-6.

Tacitus, The Agricola and the Germania, translated by H. Mattingly. Best primary source
for the beliefs of the early Germanic tribes. Penguin.

©2000 by Ann Gróa Sheffield. All rights reserved.