Looking for Norse mythology books? Here are 21 free books in PDF, from the Poetic and Prose Edda to the Norse sagas and Old Norse religion.
Odin, Thor, Loki, and Freyja come to us from texts written in Iceland about 800 years ago. The poet Snorri Sturluson wrote down many of these myths, from Yggdrasil to Ragnarök.
Start with the Eddas, jump into the sagas, or pick a retelling in plain prose. Every book is free to read online or download as PDF.
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Eddas
Poetic and Prose Edda Books
Almost everything we know about Norse mythology comes from these two books. Start with the Prose Edda for the big picture, then read the poems of the Poetic Edda.
A complete dual-language edition of the Poetic Edda, with the Old Norse text facing a modern English translation. Includes detailed notes on every poem, from the Völuspá to the Hávamál.
The classic English translation of the Poetic Edda, the poems behind almost every Norse myth. Read the Völuspá, the Hávamál, and the lays of Sigurd, with a short introduction to each poem.
Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the medieval handbook that tells the Norse myths in order, from the creation of the world to Ragnarök. This translation covers the Prologue, Gylfaginning, and Skáldskaparmál.
The sagas are where Norse myths meet heroes, kings, and feuding families. Start with the Volsunga Saga, the story that inspired both Wagner and Tolkien.
The saga of Sigurd the dragon slayer, Brynhild, and the cursed gold of the Nibelungs. The legend that inspired Wagner and Tolkien, in the translation by William Morris.
Snorri Sturluson's history of the kings of Norway, opening with the Ynglinga Saga, where Odin and the gods appear as the first rulers of the North. Samuel Laing's complete translation.
Njál's Saga, the greatest of the Icelandic family sagas: a chain of feuds, law cases, and killings that ends with a farmhouse set on fire. Dasent's classic translation.
The saga of Egil, Viking raider and the finest poet of his age, who fought kings and outlived his enemies. Includes his poems and an introduction to the story.
The saga of Grettir, the outlaw who wrestled the undead Glam and spent nineteen years hunted across Iceland. A gripping mix of ghost story and heroic tragedy.
A complete retelling of the Norse myths drawn from the Eddas and sagas, with a chapter for each god, from Odin and Thor to Loki and the Valkyries. Illustrated with classic paintings.
The Norse myths told as one flowing story, from the building of Asgard's wall to the twilight of the gods. Written for young readers, with illustrations by Willy Pogany.
All the myths of the Eddas arranged into one system and explained, from the creation to Ragnarök. A classic 19th century guide with a vocabulary and index of Norse names.
The myths of the Norse and Germanic peoples retold in plain prose, from Ymir and Yggdrasil to Sigurd and Beowulf. A readable way into the stories behind the Eddas.
A compact guide to Norse mythology: the gods, the giants, the forms of worship, and the hero sagas of the Volsungs and Helgi. A clear starting point for beginners.
The myths of the Norse gods and the legends of heroes like Sigurd, Helgi, and Völund, retold by a leading Norwegian historian. Includes notes on sources and names.
How did the Vikings actually worship Odin and Thor? These studies of Norse paganism look at rituals, sacred animals, and how the old faith came to an end.
How the old Norse religion ended in Viking Age Scandinavia, and how its followers defended it against Christianity. A recent study of temples, rulers, and the fall of the old gods.
Essays on how people in Merovingian and Viking Scandinavia actually lived their religion, from sacred places and amulets to the myths of Odin and Freyr.
A classic essay on the worship of Odin: human sacrifice, hanging, and the god's link to kings and the dead, traced through the Norse and Old English sources.
Why do Odin's ravens and Sigurd's birds speak? This thesis follows the language of birds through Old Norse myths and sagas, and what it says about wisdom and kingship.
From Odin's eight legged Sleipnir to horse sacrifice and burial, this study shows how horses linked the living, the dead, and the gods in Old Norse belief.
The carved stones and burials of the Isle of Man show Odin, Sigurd, and Viking funeral rites in stone. An illustrated booklet from the University of Nottingham.
