This is an excellent reference text on the varied beliefs and practices of the ancient, pre-Christian tribes of Germania. I'm disinterested in modern academia's narratives and spurious theories on the many diverse peoples of pre-Christian Europe, and equally disinterested in the heavily Christianized, revisionist "histories" compiled by Christian monks and scholars.

This book fits the bill - a few "tells" help in identifying the potential hidden agenda in publications on ancient Germanic history, and this text passes handily.

First, its approach of the subject's connection to 1930s Germany is entirely nonjudgmental and imposes no moral parable on top of history: he simply points out that the Nazi party's interest in Germanic history meant that, after 1945, study of the subject was "ideologically suspect." This is objectively true: even today, in 2022, many people reflexively shy away from anything related to the Germanics, wrongly believing the subject itself to be the realm of "bad people."

Second, its approach to the topic of human sacrifice is very even-handed. Rome (and, by extension, Christianity) readily accused any outside culture it encountered of human sacrifice, and this book cites the Roman origin of many of the stories. The author also refuses to hypothesize about the nature of the deaths of corpses found in peat bogs, pointing out that there isn't enough evidence on the corpses themselves to lead one to a conclusion regarding whether they were sacrificial victims, or executed criminals.

This book is written as a dictionary rather than a textbook. There is no index, because the entries themselves are alphabetical. It's easily the most comprehensive resource I've ever encountered - it includes every single name (or other significator) discovered to date by archaeologists and researchers.

If you're looking for a rehash of the same revisionist narratives pushed by mainstream academics and so-called experts, you'll probably be disappointed with this one. If you're looking for a different take on the distant past that's less influenced by the ever-encroaching orthodoxy of academia, it's worth buying.

In general, I have found dictionaries of mythology to be relatively difficult to get real use out of unless one is already familiar with the material. This work is the exception to that rule.

Simek provides a great deal of information in this work and references to the sources. Hence it is an extremely useful work when one wants to get a quick overview of his views on the sources, with enough material to go further and check for yourself. Obviously like all secondary sources, it should not be taken fully at face value.

What sets this work apart from other dictionaries of mythology is the depth the author goes in exploring etymologies of names and providing usable source citations. Hence even if you know the mythic material, the work provides some additional elements not found in simply looking at the sources. However, at the same time, the sources are properly cited so you can go and read more.

In general, I would consider this to be an absolutely indispensable reference for serious work in the fields relating to Germanic mythology and saga.

This English language versions was first published in the1990s and it has held up well, as it has more entries than any other guide on Teutonic and Scandinavian mythology. It is A-Z, from Abiamarcae to Ziu, and each entry includes sources to show where the information came from.

This has everything that you'll ever need to know about Norse or Northern Mythology. It has everything from well known to almost unknown passage in our history. It details how the word came to be, where it came from, the myth and it's various forms, cross-referencing with other myths, and it's all so easy to understand and follow. Very well done. An outstanding accomplishment. This would be a glowing addition to any mythology and/or religion library.

I ordered this book for my husband and he absolutely loves it. This book has much more concise information he was looking for compared to other books I have ordered for him on the same subject. This is a must- have for anyone doing research on Nordic mythology.

This book is never far from my side. The info is accurate and easy to access. Perfect research tool. Not much out there that cannot be found in this book.

If you frequently refer to Norse Mythology, or are a student of it, then this book provides a valuable resource. It is well put together, detailed, and worth having even if just from a reference perspective. A must-have for a library belonging to a heathen, mythology student, etc.

Great read.

Ho comprato questo libro dopo aver saputo che Neil Gaiman l'ha usato per aiutarsi a scrivere uno dei suoi libri. In effetti è molto utile dal punto di vista della "ricerca". Per ogni personaggio / parola è presente l'indicazione della fonte originaria e delle successive trasformazioni folkloristiche non presenti nella letteratura.

This book is very informative, an extensive catalog of old Norse mythological entries and powers

Ele é completo e essencial para quem quer realmente se aprofundar na mitologia nórdica como também complementa o trabalho de outros autores. Além de tudo isso o trabalho de Rudolf Simek é admirado por todos, pois ele nos mostra detalhadamente todas as possibilidades interpretativas que cercam os mitos escandinavos. Encontrei por exemplo os verbetes dos lobos de Odin Geri e Freki que dificilmente se encontram em outras obras. Por isso ele é imprescindível.

I can't say how much easier this book has made my studies on the subjects of Norse mythology and Runes.

Lo compré para regalo y le ha encantado. Es muy completo y detallado, solo para exigentes y estudiosos del tema.