Lay of Leofwin project #Update 2

Alas! dear readers and followers of A Tolkienist’s Perspective. I feel a long apology is due to redress my absence during these last few months. However, a short note must suffice at this stage. Although I’ve been actively replying to comments that still flow through on a weekly basis on this blog (thank you!), one of the reasons for my inactivity was precisely this Lay of Leofwin project, which I delve into a bit more in this post.

Hence, read on dear reader, read on …

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It soon becomes apparent to readers delving into Tolkien’s writings, that the aforementioned author was fascinated by the Anglo-Saxon world that thrived in England between c.450AD and 1066 — the latter, an infamous year in history when the Battle of Hastings took place.

‘Norse Mythology’ by Neil Gaiman {BookTalk}

BookTalk is a new series of blog posts, where I discuss non-Tolkien books in concise and honest reviews. Read on dear reader …

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Spurred on by a need to read more about the works that inspired Tolkien’s own stories, I had introduced myself to the myths and sagas of the Norse legends years back. The material was as expected: epic, entertaining, intriguing and also surprising — leaving me wanting to know more about the gods, their stories and the vast plethora of characters and adventures that have been passed down and recorded through history.

When I therefore became aware of the imminent release of Neil Gaiman’s book on Norse mythology, I just had to get myself a copy.

I knew that the content would be along the same lines of what I had already read, but was nonetheless excited at the prospect of reading a more narrative-friendly version of these tales by someone as excellent a writer as Gaiman.