STUDY BOOKS ON ASATRU AND HEATHEN SUBJECTS:
For the basic program of learning about Asatru, Heathen lore, Runes and the Norse gods and goddesses:
Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Norse Myths. New York: Pantheon, 1980. This is the text to use if you have trouble finding a translation of the Prose Edda. Crossley-Holland retells, rather than translating, the myths, but remains fairly true to the originals. Except for his inclusion of the tale of Freyja and the Four Dwarves, this edition is especially suitable for children.
Davidson, H. R. Ellis. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1964. A basic overview of the Norse mythology, with interpretation which is both wise and inspired. Assume that all books by H. R. Ellis Davidson are very highly recommended, whether they appear in this bibliography or not.
Hollander, Lee M. The Poetic Edda. University of Texas Press:
Austin, 1986. This edition is available in most university bookstores. It is very poetic, but not particularly accurate; the Chishoim translation is much better to study from. However, Hollander's version does contain the heroic poems in addition to the mythological poems, so it is worth having. Click on the link to purchase the book.
Sturluson, Snorri; Anthony Faulkes (ed.). Edda. J. M. Dent & Sons: London, 1987. This is the basic Prose Edda. This edition is particularly useful because it includes the entirety of the sections on poetic composition, which many editions leave out.
SAGAS :
Fell, Christine (translator). Egils saga. J.M. Dent and Sons: London, 1975. Highly recommended, especially to Wodanists.
Hollander, Lee M. Saga of the Jomsvikings. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1989. Recommended.
Magnusson, Magnus; Herman Palsson (trs.). Laxdaela Saga. Penguin Books: New York, 1981.
Magnusson, Magnus; Herman Palsson (trs.). Njal's Saga. Viking Penguin Inc.: New York, 1987. Generally considered to be the best of the sagas.
Palsson, Hermann; Paul Edwards (trs.). Eyrbyggja Saga. Viking Penguin Inc.: New York, 1989. Highly recommended. Contains more information on religious practice and ghosts than any other single saga.
Sturluson, Snorri; Erling Monsen, A. H. Smith (eds., trs.). Heimskringla. Dover Publications, Inc.: New York, 1990. The history of the kings of Norway, beginning with Odhinn. Very highly recommended.
GENERAL HEATHENRY:
Gundarsson, Kveldulf . Our Troth: History and Lore. BookSurge Publishing, 2006. Information on the gods, goddesses and the ethics of Heathenry. Extremely comprehensive, with writings by many Heathen scholars and practitioners. Highly recommended!
Gundarsson, Kveldulf. Our Troth: Living the Troth. BookSurge Publishing, 2007. Covers the Heathen holy year, and lore and rites for Heathen holidays. Extremely comprehensive with writings from many Heathen scholars and practitioners. Very highly recommended!
Pennick, Nigel. Practical Magic in the Northern Tradition. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough. 1989. An excellent compendium of Nordic, German, and British wisdom, with a strong emphasis on the folk tradition. His Germanic materials are better than his Celtic; his one gross error is his insistence on transsexualizing Mani, the male embodiment of the moon, into a “moon goddess,” a fault which he also repeats in Runic Astrology. Recommended.
Thorsson, Edred. A Book of Troth. Llewellyn Publications: St. Paul, 1989. A skeleton outline for the practice of Germanic religion; uses Anglo-Saxon terminology, god-names, and so forth. There is very little detailed information on any subject in Book of Troth: it is more an outline for areas of study. It also includes rites for the seasonal blessings. Recommended.
STUDY OF RUNES:
Many of these books have worthwhile religious material in them, but I have separated them out because
their primary emphasis is on the runes. (They are a must-read for anyone interested in the Asatru/Heathen religion.)
Aswynn, Freyja. Northern Mysteries and Magick. Liewellyn Publications: St. Paul, 2002. A first-class discussion of the runes and runic magic, which is especially notable for the author's feminine perspective. Highly recommended. Click on the link to purchase the book.
Elliott, R. W. V. Runes. Manchester University Press: Manchester> 1959. One of the basic scholastic texts on runes.
Flowers, Stephen F. Runes and Magic. Peter Lang: New York, 1986. This work is the most important reference any serious runic worker can have, discussing the work of the eldest runemasters and the ways in which they empowered their magical formulae. It is currently out of print, but if letters to Peter Lang Publishing indicate a market, there is a chance that they may republish it. Extremely highly recommended.
Gundarsson, Kveldulf. Teutonic Magic. Liewellyn Pubikations: St. Paul, 1990. Detailed instructions on the use of the runes and on the practice of Germanic magic in general. For me to say more about it would be to brag greatly. Very highly recommended. Click link to purchase the book.
Moltke, Erik; Foote, Peter G. (tr.). Runes and their Origin: Denmark and EIsewhere. The National Museum of Denmark, 1981. Moltke is a “skeptical” runic scholar, that is, with little belief in the runes as a magical system. The worth of this book is that it is a compendium of runic inscriptions with a great deal of material from which a runic worker can draw much insight.
Thorsson, Edred. FUTHARK: A Handbook of Rune Magic. Samuel Weiser, Inc.: York Beach, 1934. Highly recommended. Click on the link to purchase the book.
SCHOLARLY TEXTS ON ASATRU AND HEATHEN-RELATED SUBJECTS:
For intermediate religious study:
Chisholm, James (ed., tr.). Grove and Gallows. Rune-Gild: Austin 1987.. In this work, Chisholm has collected every Greek and Latin reference to the religious and magical practices of the Germanic people and translated them. Very highly recommended; absoutely indispensable to any serious student of the Northern ways.
Davidson, H. R. Ellis. Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe. Syracuse University Press: Syracuse, 1988. Discusses Scandinavian and Celtic heathen beliefs, also recommended by Tadhg MacCrossan, well-known Druid and author of The Sacred Cauldron (Liewellyn, 1991).
Davidson, H. R. Ellis. The Road to Hel. Greenwood Press: Westport, 1977. A detailed discussion of the Norse beliefs concerning the afterlife and the mystical journey down to the underworld. This is the book with which you should begin if you wish to research the path of the soul after death.
Glob, P V. The Bog People. Faber & Faber: Boston, 1977. Deals with the Iron Age practice of sinking human sacrifices in the bog. Highly recommended to anyone who is working with the cult of the Wans, especially Nerthus.
Grimm, Jacob: lames Steven Stallybrass (tr) Teutonic Mythology (4 vols.). Peter Smith: Gloucester, 1976. The best collection of heathen Germanic folklore, literary motifs, and religious prachces ever made. An indispensable reference. Very highly recommended.
Gronbeck, Vilhelm. The Culture of the Teutons. Oxford University Press: London, 1931. The most beautiful book on the ways of our ancestors yet written, explaining the very roots of our thought and beliefs about worship, the soul, and the ways of the worlds. Very highly recommended.
Grundy, Stephan. The Cult of Odinn: God of Death? The Troth Publications, 2014. Dr. Grundy's 1995 dissertation is one of the most thorough and comprehensive studies of this deeply mysterious god.
Gundarsson, Kveldulf: Elves, Wights, and Trolls. iUniverse, 2007. The most complete study yet made of the various beings with whom the Vikings shared their world. Highly recommended!
Keyser, Rudolph. Religion of the Northmen. Charles B. Norton: New York, 1854. A useful collection of information on the Old Norse practice of heathen religion. Recommended.
Owen, Gale K. Rites and Religions of the Anglo-Saxons. Barnes & Noble: New Jersey, 1981. Discusses the practices of the heathen Anglo-Saxons. Recommended.
Phillpotts, Bertha S. The Elder Edda and Ancient Scandinavian Drama. University Press: Cambridge, 1920. An excellent reference if your kindred means to use holy folk-drama as a means of ritual practice and celebration of the great feasts of the year. Phillpotts discusses the ways in which each of the poems shows a dramatic structure and their possible enactments at seasonal/ritual feasts. Highly recommended.
HISTORICAL NOVELS relating to Asatru:
Grundy, Stephan. Attila's Treasure. Bantam/Spectra: New York, 1997. The life of Hagan (from the Volsunga saga) in imaginative detail.
Grundy, Stephan. Beowulf. iUniverse 2010. The classic Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf retold in novel format. Click on the link to purchase a copy.
Grundy, Stephan. Rhinegold. Bantam Books: New York, 1995. The Volsunga Saga in novel format. Excellent read!
FOR KIDS (OR KIDS AT HEART!):
D'Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar. D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths (originally Norse Gods and Giants.) The New York Review of Books, 2005.
For the basic program of learning about Asatru, Heathen lore, Runes and the Norse gods and goddesses:
Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Norse Myths. New York: Pantheon, 1980. This is the text to use if you have trouble finding a translation of the Prose Edda. Crossley-Holland retells, rather than translating, the myths, but remains fairly true to the originals. Except for his inclusion of the tale of Freyja and the Four Dwarves, this edition is especially suitable for children.
Davidson, H. R. Ellis. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1964. A basic overview of the Norse mythology, with interpretation which is both wise and inspired. Assume that all books by H. R. Ellis Davidson are very highly recommended, whether they appear in this bibliography or not.
Hollander, Lee M. The Poetic Edda. University of Texas Press:
Austin, 1986. This edition is available in most university bookstores. It is very poetic, but not particularly accurate; the Chishoim translation is much better to study from. However, Hollander's version does contain the heroic poems in addition to the mythological poems, so it is worth having. Click on the link to purchase the book.
Sturluson, Snorri; Anthony Faulkes (ed.). Edda. J. M. Dent & Sons: London, 1987. This is the basic Prose Edda. This edition is particularly useful because it includes the entirety of the sections on poetic composition, which many editions leave out.
SAGAS :
Fell, Christine (translator). Egils saga. J.M. Dent and Sons: London, 1975. Highly recommended, especially to Wodanists.
Hollander, Lee M. Saga of the Jomsvikings. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1989. Recommended.
Magnusson, Magnus; Herman Palsson (trs.). Laxdaela Saga. Penguin Books: New York, 1981.
Magnusson, Magnus; Herman Palsson (trs.). Njal's Saga. Viking Penguin Inc.: New York, 1987. Generally considered to be the best of the sagas.
Palsson, Hermann; Paul Edwards (trs.). Eyrbyggja Saga. Viking Penguin Inc.: New York, 1989. Highly recommended. Contains more information on religious practice and ghosts than any other single saga.
Sturluson, Snorri; Erling Monsen, A. H. Smith (eds., trs.). Heimskringla. Dover Publications, Inc.: New York, 1990. The history of the kings of Norway, beginning with Odhinn. Very highly recommended.
GENERAL HEATHENRY:
Gundarsson, Kveldulf . Our Troth: History and Lore. BookSurge Publishing, 2006. Information on the gods, goddesses and the ethics of Heathenry. Extremely comprehensive, with writings by many Heathen scholars and practitioners. Highly recommended!
Gundarsson, Kveldulf. Our Troth: Living the Troth. BookSurge Publishing, 2007. Covers the Heathen holy year, and lore and rites for Heathen holidays. Extremely comprehensive with writings from many Heathen scholars and practitioners. Very highly recommended!
Pennick, Nigel. Practical Magic in the Northern Tradition. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough. 1989. An excellent compendium of Nordic, German, and British wisdom, with a strong emphasis on the folk tradition. His Germanic materials are better than his Celtic; his one gross error is his insistence on transsexualizing Mani, the male embodiment of the moon, into a “moon goddess,” a fault which he also repeats in Runic Astrology. Recommended.
Thorsson, Edred. A Book of Troth. Llewellyn Publications: St. Paul, 1989. A skeleton outline for the practice of Germanic religion; uses Anglo-Saxon terminology, god-names, and so forth. There is very little detailed information on any subject in Book of Troth: it is more an outline for areas of study. It also includes rites for the seasonal blessings. Recommended.
STUDY OF RUNES:
Many of these books have worthwhile religious material in them, but I have separated them out because
their primary emphasis is on the runes. (They are a must-read for anyone interested in the Asatru/Heathen religion.)
Aswynn, Freyja. Northern Mysteries and Magick. Liewellyn Publications: St. Paul, 2002. A first-class discussion of the runes and runic magic, which is especially notable for the author's feminine perspective. Highly recommended. Click on the link to purchase the book.
Elliott, R. W. V. Runes. Manchester University Press: Manchester> 1959. One of the basic scholastic texts on runes.
Flowers, Stephen F. Runes and Magic. Peter Lang: New York, 1986. This work is the most important reference any serious runic worker can have, discussing the work of the eldest runemasters and the ways in which they empowered their magical formulae. It is currently out of print, but if letters to Peter Lang Publishing indicate a market, there is a chance that they may republish it. Extremely highly recommended.
Gundarsson, Kveldulf. Teutonic Magic. Liewellyn Pubikations: St. Paul, 1990. Detailed instructions on the use of the runes and on the practice of Germanic magic in general. For me to say more about it would be to brag greatly. Very highly recommended. Click link to purchase the book.
Moltke, Erik; Foote, Peter G. (tr.). Runes and their Origin: Denmark and EIsewhere. The National Museum of Denmark, 1981. Moltke is a “skeptical” runic scholar, that is, with little belief in the runes as a magical system. The worth of this book is that it is a compendium of runic inscriptions with a great deal of material from which a runic worker can draw much insight.
Thorsson, Edred. FUTHARK: A Handbook of Rune Magic. Samuel Weiser, Inc.: York Beach, 1934. Highly recommended. Click on the link to purchase the book.
SCHOLARLY TEXTS ON ASATRU AND HEATHEN-RELATED SUBJECTS:
For intermediate religious study:
Chisholm, James (ed., tr.). Grove and Gallows. Rune-Gild: Austin 1987.. In this work, Chisholm has collected every Greek and Latin reference to the religious and magical practices of the Germanic people and translated them. Very highly recommended; absoutely indispensable to any serious student of the Northern ways.
Davidson, H. R. Ellis. Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe. Syracuse University Press: Syracuse, 1988. Discusses Scandinavian and Celtic heathen beliefs, also recommended by Tadhg MacCrossan, well-known Druid and author of The Sacred Cauldron (Liewellyn, 1991).
Davidson, H. R. Ellis. The Road to Hel. Greenwood Press: Westport, 1977. A detailed discussion of the Norse beliefs concerning the afterlife and the mystical journey down to the underworld. This is the book with which you should begin if you wish to research the path of the soul after death.
Glob, P V. The Bog People. Faber & Faber: Boston, 1977. Deals with the Iron Age practice of sinking human sacrifices in the bog. Highly recommended to anyone who is working with the cult of the Wans, especially Nerthus.
Grimm, Jacob: lames Steven Stallybrass (tr) Teutonic Mythology (4 vols.). Peter Smith: Gloucester, 1976. The best collection of heathen Germanic folklore, literary motifs, and religious prachces ever made. An indispensable reference. Very highly recommended.
Gronbeck, Vilhelm. The Culture of the Teutons. Oxford University Press: London, 1931. The most beautiful book on the ways of our ancestors yet written, explaining the very roots of our thought and beliefs about worship, the soul, and the ways of the worlds. Very highly recommended.
Grundy, Stephan. The Cult of Odinn: God of Death? The Troth Publications, 2014. Dr. Grundy's 1995 dissertation is one of the most thorough and comprehensive studies of this deeply mysterious god.
Gundarsson, Kveldulf: Elves, Wights, and Trolls. iUniverse, 2007. The most complete study yet made of the various beings with whom the Vikings shared their world. Highly recommended!
Keyser, Rudolph. Religion of the Northmen. Charles B. Norton: New York, 1854. A useful collection of information on the Old Norse practice of heathen religion. Recommended.
Owen, Gale K. Rites and Religions of the Anglo-Saxons. Barnes & Noble: New Jersey, 1981. Discusses the practices of the heathen Anglo-Saxons. Recommended.
Phillpotts, Bertha S. The Elder Edda and Ancient Scandinavian Drama. University Press: Cambridge, 1920. An excellent reference if your kindred means to use holy folk-drama as a means of ritual practice and celebration of the great feasts of the year. Phillpotts discusses the ways in which each of the poems shows a dramatic structure and their possible enactments at seasonal/ritual feasts. Highly recommended.
HISTORICAL NOVELS relating to Asatru:
Grundy, Stephan. Attila's Treasure. Bantam/Spectra: New York, 1997. The life of Hagan (from the Volsunga saga) in imaginative detail.
Grundy, Stephan. Beowulf. iUniverse 2010. The classic Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf retold in novel format. Click on the link to purchase a copy.
Grundy, Stephan. Rhinegold. Bantam Books: New York, 1995. The Volsunga Saga in novel format. Excellent read!
FOR KIDS (OR KIDS AT HEART!):
D'Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar. D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths (originally Norse Gods and Giants.) The New York Review of Books, 2005.
(Mostly excerpted from the bibliography in the Asatru book Teutonic Religion by Kveldulf Gundarsson. Buy an entire e-copy of Teutonic Religion by clicking on the link.