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elsiereadseverything's review against another edition
I’d like to request that the man price be paid for these women obviously written by men who experienced an awful life because men refused to listen to them.
That’s it. That’s the whole story: listen to the women in your life and maybe you wouldn’t burn to death, or get cleaved in half, or you know, have someone shank you while you’re sleeping because you’re a colossal ass.
That’s it. That’s the whole story: listen to the women in your life and maybe you wouldn’t burn to death, or get cleaved in half, or you know, have someone shank you while you’re sleeping because you’re a colossal ass.
hexatrance's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
binstonbirchill's review
4.0
One of the most famous Icelandic Sagas, The Saga of the Volsung family line is one part myth and one part legend. Odin, Valkyries, and magic dominate the first half, the hero Sigurd, Attila the Hun and other historical characters dominate the second. It’s a short read full of life lessons, violence, and revenge. Viking to the core. Like all of the sagas I’ve read, I feel like I’ll enjoy them more the second time around, once I become more familiar with Norse literature.
The Penguin Classics edition I read had a fantastic introduction by Jesse L. Byock which gives background information and lays out a bit of the historical context for this saga, those thirty or so pages are well worth reading before or after reading the actual Saga.
The Penguin Classics edition I read had a fantastic introduction by Jesse L. Byock which gives background information and lays out a bit of the historical context for this saga, those thirty or so pages are well worth reading before or after reading the actual Saga.
kiriamarin's review against another edition
When I started reading this I had to make a family tree, about the Volsung, descendants of Odin, about powerful and heroic men, (not my opinion), but weak husbands and fathers. A lot of death, incest, violence, page after page.
A very concise and short story, who impacted and influenced other literary works:Tolkien,Arthurian Legend, Wagner even GOT.
The book is simple and educational.
Never will be tired
to read once more abou Sigurd / Sigfried and Brynhild (my favorite Legend).
A very concise and short story, who impacted and influenced other literary works:Tolkien,Arthurian Legend, Wagner even GOT.
The book is simple and educational.
Never will be tired
to read once more abou Sigurd / Sigfried and Brynhild (my favorite Legend).
lgrunwald's review against another edition
4.0
4 out 5 [Only because I prefer the R.G. Finch translation which is a master piece. See my comments about that in the final paragraph]
This is a review of Dr Jackson Crawford's edition.
While not perfect in the regards of a exact translation Dr. Jackson Crawford has made one of the greatest sagas ever written engaging and accessible to new english speaking saga readers or just in general fans of norse studies. I have read this story many times and I have always loved it and I am so pleased more people may be able to enjoy my love of the Völsunga saga who don't necessarily love reading or writing that sounds too archaic in nature. Inside this great edition is not only the Völsunga saga but also has an added bonus of the english translation and story of the famous Ragnar Loðbrók and his sons! Beautifully done and will definitely be reading more of his translations to see if it has the same effect. If you are curious of the origins of two of the most famous Norse hero's (Sigurðr the dragon slayer and Ragnar Loðbrók) then this version is definitely for you. Also includes extensive notes in the back when you want extra context about words or characters.
However, I will add this is NOT my favourite english translation of the Völsunga. If you don't really care about as much accessibility and want to read what I think is a much better translation of the Icelandic text in english I can't recommend R.G. Finch's translation more. It has the english and old norse text sources and, in my opinion, is just way more enjoyable but it's definitely not an easy read. It also doesn't come with the Ragnar story. If you are interested in this version you can actually find it in a PDF for free online! Can't hurt to try right? Maybe I'll re-read it again and do a specific review for this edition at another time.
This is a review of Dr Jackson Crawford's edition.
While not perfect in the regards of a exact translation Dr. Jackson Crawford has made one of the greatest sagas ever written engaging and accessible to new english speaking saga readers or just in general fans of norse studies. I have read this story many times and I have always loved it and I am so pleased more people may be able to enjoy my love of the Völsunga saga who don't necessarily love reading or writing that sounds too archaic in nature. Inside this great edition is not only the Völsunga saga but also has an added bonus of the english translation and story of the famous Ragnar Loðbrók and his sons! Beautifully done and will definitely be reading more of his translations to see if it has the same effect. If you are curious of the origins of two of the most famous Norse hero's (Sigurðr the dragon slayer and Ragnar Loðbrók) then this version is definitely for you. Also includes extensive notes in the back when you want extra context about words or characters.
However, I will add this is NOT my favourite english translation of the Völsunga. If you don't really care about as much accessibility and want to read what I think is a much better translation of the Icelandic text in english I can't recommend R.G. Finch's translation more. It has the english and old norse text sources and, in my opinion, is just way more enjoyable but it's definitely not an easy read. It also doesn't come with the Ragnar story. If you are interested in this version you can actually find it in a PDF for free online! Can't hurt to try right? Maybe I'll re-read it again and do a specific review for this edition at another time.
altlovesbooks's review
4.0
Enjoyed this series of stories a lot. A friend who's into mythology recommended this to me and I don't regret it. It was pretty short, but each story was nice and self-contained and clearly translated. I especially appreciated the 30 page introduction setting some historical and cultural context, and the notes to reference at the end were helpful.