...I would go for the Jedi.....the other is drier than a popcorn fart...at least it was for me....
What Are You Reading? Part Deux
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When I think about that, I always think of those lines from Bill Murray's speech in Stripes: "We're Americans, with a capital 'A', huh? You know what that means? Do ya? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts!"
My husband has only a few countries in his background (Lithuanian, German, Cherokee, and English), but mine is a map of Europe (Irish, Georgian, German, English, French, Swedish, Iroquois, Cherokee, and who knows what else). I quote this to my kids all the time--lol.Louisa May Alcott is one of my absolute favorite writers. Totally serious. Right up there with Mr. King (I wrote a paper comparing the two of them, in fact. I find certain aspects of their work very similar), Margaret Atwood, John Irving, Graham Greene, Joanne Harris. I'm re-reading her Eight Cousins today--lol. Now you have to read Little Men and Jo's Boys (I adore that one), the follow up books.
Her father was kind of a D word.
I got so interested in the posts that I missed that I almost forgot that I had an actual question for Kurben ! Is Snorri Sturluson a good source for Norse mythology?
I am totally a Heinz 57 mutt. It's fun to see the percentages of all of the above. It's surprising!When I think about that, I always think of those lines from Bill Murray's speech in Stripes: "We're Americans, with a capital 'A', huh? You know what that means? Do ya? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts!"
Yes, I think you must say that. He wrote his Prose Edda (aka The Younger Edda) about 1220 and thats one of the main sources. So is his Heimskringla which is much about the norwegian kings.. His Edda is a mixture of how to write poetry and telling stories of the gods. The other main source, just as important if not more so, is Sämunds Edda (aka The Older Edda or The Poetic Edda) compiled at about the same time, perhaps a little later. It is a collection of older tellings by anonymous writers, some are thaught to have been written many hundred of years earlier and survived in an oral way from mouth to mouth. (Attila is mentioned in one of them). This collection is probably the most important source. Here you have Havamal and Völuspa. There are stories about the gods and stories that might have historical background like Helgi, The Slayer of Hunding and the one written by someone at Greenland during the Viking Colonys existence there. Aside from the Two Eddas there are The Sagas, Perhaps Njals Saga and Laxdaela Saga are two of the most wellknown. They mix history and myths to form a Saga, an adventurefilled story whose aim probably was to be entertaining. Much in the same style as Beowulf in anglo saxon britain. The Nordic ones, most of them anyway, are collected in Sturlunga Saga. I think these three together form the best way to approach the original sources. If you're not satisfied with new retellings like Gaimans Norse Mythology of course!
I loved Gaiman's book, but it's clear that he wrote them as almost fairy tales--child like, most of the time. I'd like to read something with a bit more meat, if that makes any sense. I ordered The Prose Edda from Thriftbooks today, then started wondering if this was a good book to start with. Thank you!Yes, I think you must say that. He wrote his Prose Edda (aka The Younger Edda) about 1220 and thats one of the main sources. So is his Heimskringla which is much about the norwegian kings.. His Edda is a mixture of how to write poetry and telling stories of the gods. The other main source, just as important if not more so, is Sämunds Edda (aka The Older Edda or The Poetic Edda) compiled at about the same time, perhaps a little later. It is a collection of older tellings by anonymous writers, some are thaught to have been written many hundred of years earlier and survived in an oral way from mouth to mouth. (Attila is mentioned in one of them). This collection is probably the most important source. Here you have Havamal and Völuspa. There are stories about the gods and stories that might have historical background like Helgi, The Slayer of Hunding and the one written by someone at Greenland during the Viking Colonys existence there. Aside from the Two Eddas there are The Sagas, Perhaps Njals Saga and Laxdaela Saga are two of the most wellknown. They mix history and myths to form a Saga, an adventurefilled story whose aim probably was to be entertaining. Much in the same style as Beowulf in anglo saxon britain. The Nordic ones, most of them anyway, are collected in Sturlunga Saga. I think these three together form the best way to approach the original sources. If you're not satisfied with new retellings like Gaimans Norse Mythology of course!
Snorre sometimes qoutes from the same poems collected in The Poetic Edda. but if you're looking for the oldest poems then you should try The Poetic Edda. The Norse creation myth are there in typical nordic poetry. Have no idea how they translate to english. Poems are always difficult even if there arent much rhymes to consider but there is a certain rhythm that kind of carry the poem.
Agreed. I love Spanish poetry, but the rhythms are off sometimes when translated to English. My favorite volumes of Garcia Lorca (for example) are ones that have the Spanish on one side of the page and the English on the other. I've learned a bit of Spanish just from looking back and forth and reasoning out the syntax construction differences, so I can feel the correct rhythms.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to fluently speak all languages? I can struggle through several (French, German, Portuguese, where it is close to Spanish, Spanish, even some Swedish and Dutch, when they're close to German) a bit, but I'm not fluent in anything but English. I took Russian in college, but remember very little. It's difficult to learn because not only is the alphabet different, but the rhythms (there's that word again) of the language are very different from Western languages. It reminded me of Japanese, which I also took and also remember very little. Then again, memory isn't what it once was. In exasperation the other day when he was explaining something XBox related to me AGAIN, my son said, "Mom, I think every time you learn a new thing something old falls out of your head," and I had to agree!
Sadly, thats how memory works. Here is an example from the creation story in english translation (Voluspa). I think its beautiful.
4. Then Bur's sons lifted | the level land,
Mithgarth the mighty | there they made;
The sun from the south | warmed the stones of earth,
And green was the ground | with growing leeks.
5. The sun, the sister | of the moon, from the south
Her right hand cast | over heaven's rim;
No knowledge she had | where her home should be,
The moon knew not | what might was his,
The stars knew not | where their stations were.
An interesting observation is that The Sun is a she while the Moon is a he. usually it is the other way around.
That is lovely!
...This little collectors gem that I recently picked up-nice bit with Unca Steve on James Herbert in it....
Stephen Jones: Brighton Shock!: The Souvenir Book of the World Horror Convention 2010 (2010)
Stephen Jones: Brighton Shock!: The Souvenir Book of the World Horror Convention 2010 (2010)
Finishing The Neanderthals Rediscovered. Great little book. Great update of recent discoveries and how they apply to our view of this species. Going through the different opinions and, which are to seldom seen, telling their story from the neanderthal perspective. Not as some species that had a doomed destiny awaiting them but as a species that for a long time outcompeted the Sapiens variety in Europe and Asia. Also liked that they told their story from the beginning in a chronological way. They evolved too, just like us they adapted during their long history. Takes up discussions through history, some have been answered while some is still ongoing. The interesting thing with research is that most answers to a question breeds three new questions. Thats what makes history and archaeology so alive and interesting.
Currently reading Rebecca. Might go for John Irving’s Last Night in Twisted River next, or maybe a reread of Robert McCammon’s Mine.
My third favorite Irving novel. I loved it.
Wanna hear something weird? I'm reading Rebecca, too. Remember last month when both of us were reading David Copperfield? I'm a little freaked out.
WHAT.My third favorite Irving novel. I loved it.
Wanna hear something weird? I'm reading Rebecca, too. Remember last month when both of us were reading David Copperfield? I'm a little freaked out.
Dude, this is getting weird.
Seriously, I can't remember that ever happening consecutively like that. Maybe I should try lifting my lamp with my mind. ESP stuff going on.
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Yup, and I've got at least two D words I can come up with for him.
I'm too late to help with your weekend reading but I agree with GNT. The Silmarillion has more characters than Sleeping Beauties and all of their names are unpronounceable. I tried to read it but gave up