tradition and mythical lore which they contain. The long neglect of these precious records of our heathen ancestors is not the fault of the material in which all that survives of their religious beliefs is enshrined, for it may safely be asserted that theE dda is as rich in the essentials of national romance and race-imagination, rugged though it be, as the more gracefitl and idyllic mythology of theS outh. Neither is it due to anything weak in the conception of the deities themselves, for although they may not rise to great spiritual heights, foremost students of Icelandic literature agree that they stand out rude and massive as theS candinavian mountains. They exhibit a spirit of victory, superior to brute force, superior to mere matter, a spirit that fights and overcomes. Even were some part of the matter of their myths taken from others, yet theN orsemen have given their gods a noble, upright, great spirit, and placed them upon a high level that is all their own. 2I nfact these old Norse songs have a truth in them, an inward perennial truth and greatness. 1N orthern Mythology, Kauffmann. 2H alliday Sparling.(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the aged text. Read books online for free at www.forgottenbooks.org

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