Author Description

<p>The Viking tales of gods, giants and heroes come alive within the pages of the Illuminated Edda. Visit the majestic city of Asgard- home of the gods. Fight legendary dragons alongside Sigurd, renowned hero. Witness the creation of the world tree Yggdrasil along with the awesome worlds that hang upon its branches. Get entwined in Loki's schemes as he saves the gods from disaster, and then witness as he makes matters worse.</p> <p>The Illuminated Edda contains a brand-new translation of the Poetic and Prose Eddas by Andrew Valkauskas. This illustrated translation has been rewritten using contemporary prose making it a pleasure to read. Get the authenticity and truthful ness of the stories without having to worry about the complexity of older academic translations. These faithful works have been painstakingly ordered into a chronology that offers a compelling overarching storyline. All the gaps in the narrative have been rounded out with the author's own tales involving the heroes and villains of the Viking age.</p> <p>Over 600 pages are devoted to the exploration of the ancient beliefs of the Viking age. Every page is illuminated with unique evocative art. Barriers are shattered as adjacent mythologies are explored in conjunction with the Norse myths. This offers a new and unique view into what these mighty explorers may have faced as they raided and traded with their neighbours. The Illuminated Edda contains... <br> o All 35 poems found in traditional Poetic Eddas <br> o The Prose Edda (Gylfaginning and Skaldskaparmal) <br> o Rare works such as Heidrek the Wise <br> o Select stories from the Celtic myths (Lebor Gabala) <br> o Handpicked stories from the Welsh myths (Mabinogion) <br> o Select stories from the Finnish epic The Kalevala <br> o Handpicked stories from the Baltic myths <br> o Select stories from the Inuit myths <br> o Bonus sagas that come from the imaginative mind of Andrew Valkauskas <br> o An extensive glossary of characters, magical items and place