The Saga of the Volsungs (Legends from the Ancient North)

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The Saga of the Volsungs (Legends from the Ancient North)
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Legends from the Ancient North: Five classics of Norse literature that inspired J. R. R. Tolkien's epic vision inÂ TheÂ HobbitÂ andÂ The Lord of the Rings

Legendary fantasy writer J. R. R. Tolkien spent much of his life studying, translating, and teaching the ancient tales of northern Europe at Oxford and drew on them for his own writing. These epic stories, with their wizards and knights, dragons and trolls, cursed rings and magic swords, are as fascinating today as they were thousands of year ago. Reading them brings us as close as we will ever get to the magical worlds of the Vikings and the origins of their twentieth-century counterpart: Tolkienâ€™s Middle Earth.

Based on Viking Age poems and composed in thirteenth-century Iceland,Â The Saga of the VolsungsÂ combines mythology, legend, and sheer human drama in telling of the heroic deeds of Sigurd the dragon slayer, who acquires runic knowledge from one of Odin's Valkyries. Yet the saga is set in a very human world, incorporating oral memories of the fourth and fifth centuries, when Attila the Hun and other warriors fought on the northern frontiers of the Roman empire. In his illuminating introduction Jesse L. Byock links the historical Huns, Burgundians, and Goths with the extraordinary events of this Icelandic saga. With its ill-fated Rhinegold, the sword reforged, and the magic ring of power, the saga resembles theÂ NibelungenliedÂ and has been a primary source for such fantasy writers as J. R. R. Tolkien and for Richard Wagner's Ring cycle.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700Â titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust theÂ series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-dateÂ translations by award-winning translators.
Country USA
Brand Penguin
Manufacturer Penguin Classics
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9780141393681
ReleaseDate 2013-10-29
EANs 9780141393681

Country	USA
Brand	Penguin
Manufacturer	Penguin Classics
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9780141393681
ReleaseDate	2013-10-29
EANs	9780141393681

The Saga of the Volsungs (Legends from the Ancient North)

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