Myths and Ledgends From Around the World is a book written by Anneka Sunden, detailing much of the history and legends of various mythologies from around the world including the Norse Mythology and the tales of the Asgardians that inspired them.
History
Erik Selvig decided to read through the book, due to Thor reminding him of the stories he heard as a child.[1]
Bifrost: The Rainbow Bridge to Asgard
The myth of the Bifrost explained that the Asgardians built it in order to keep the Frost Giants and Trolls from attacking Asgard. The myth also explained that Odin chose Heimdall to watch over the Bifrost because he could warn the other gods in case there was an invasion.[1]
The Origin of Thursday - Thor's Day
Thursday was named after the Norse God of Thunder, Thor, corresponded to Jupiter, and thus, his name was given to the Roman "Dies Jovis," the day of Jupiter. When other tribes replaced the name Jupiter with Thor, Thorsdaeg, or in Hnglish Thursday, became the name of the 5th day of the week. Thor was also identified with Donar, the thunder god of week. Thor was also identified with Donar, the thunder god of Teutonic mythology. His name survives in the English weekday name Thursday, Donnerstag in German, donderda in Dutch[1]
Mjølnir
Mjølnir or "that which smashes" is the hammer carried by Thor, the god of thunder. Odin, king of Norse gods, ordered the dwarves to create Mjølnir. The blacksmiths used the core of a star as a mold. In the process the star exploded and almost took Earth with it. Although powerful, the hammer also holds several magic spells from Odin, who killed the frost giant with it. Much later, Mjølnir was bestowed to Thor, after proving himself worthy through many challenges. The history of Mjølnir is the history of Thor.[1]
Loki
The myth of Loki describes him as a shape shifting trouble maker. The tale states that the other Asgardians eventually grew angry with him and saw him as a trickster. However, due to his ability to charm and talk his way out of trouble, the Asgardians forgave him which allowed Loki to cause the death of Balder.[1]
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Trivia
- In Loki's myth, it mentions the death of Balder. The death of Balder is what would start Ragnarok.
- The book was next to Great Moments in Fiction, Adventures in Fact, and Fantasy on Parade which are books by Walt Disney Productions.
- While the title suggests that the book is about multiple different mythologies from around the world, it seems to primarily focus on Norse mythology, as the cover solely features Norse deities.
- The cover features Odin holding Gungnir and the Tesseract, Hugin or Munin, Thor holding Mjølnir, and Heimdall holding Gjallerhorn. The others seem to be Lady Sif and the Warriors Three.
- The author's last name, Sunden, comes from the Old Norse word sund, which means sound, or strait.