Recommended Reading

Recommended Reading

Here are some recommendations of books to read. If your library can only have nine books, these are the nine we would suggest:

Beginner's/Basic Library

1) _Norse Myths_ by Kevin Crossley-Holland ISBN#0-394-74846-8 Published by Pantheon Books

This book is a compilation of several of the primary sources, including both the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda. Mr. Crossley-Holland has done a great job of translating the Icelandic and creating a very readable and enjoyable, as well as educational, re-telling of the classic myths of the Asa-folk.

2) _Our Troth_ by the Ring of Troth, KveldulfR Gundarsson, ed. ISBN#0-9623957-8-1 Published by The Ring of Troth

This opus is the distilled wisdom of the Ring of Troth. It consists of various articles written by Asa-folk from all over the world, edited into readable format by KveldulfR Gundarsson. Our Troth is occasionally in print, so it's worth contacting the Ring of Troth to see if they have copies available. The book has sections on the Gods and Goddesses, how to do ritual, holidays, and the like.

3) _Teutonic Religion_ by KveldulfR Gundarsson ISBN#0-87542-260-8 Published by Llewellyn Publications

Teutonic Religion is the second and, in our opinion, better book by KveldulfR Gundarsson. It is considered one of the most popular books among Asa-folk, and it has led to many a discussion among the Folk at various festivals and get-togethers.

4) _Teutonic Magic_ by KveldulfR Gundarsson ISBN#0-87542-291-8 Published by Llewellyn Publications

This is the first book by KveldulfR Gundarsson. It is heavily slanted toward magical applications of Northern lore, as the title suggests. It is of somewhat less use to the strictly religious Asa-folk, but the magically-oriented Asa-folk will find it very useful, indeed.

5) _Futhark_ by Edred Thorsson ISBN#0-87728-548-9 Published by Samuel Weiser, Inc.

This book is considered one of the best on rune magic.

6) _The Prose Edda_ by Snorri Sturluson Various translations are available. The one we have is by Jean I. Young, ISBN#0-520-01232-1 Published by the University of California Press

This is one of the two major primary source documents for Asatru, along with the Poetic Edda. The Prose Edda was written down by Snorri Sturluson in Iceland somewhere between 1221 and 1223 C.E.

7) _Poems of the Elder Edda_ Again, translators vary. Ours is by Patricia Terry, ISBN#0-8122-8220-5 Published by the University of Pennsylvania Press

As the other main primary source, the Poetic Eddas should be a part of every library dealing with Asatru. The other popular translation is by Lee Hollander.

8) _The Ravensbok_ by Lewis Stead Available electronically on the web at the Raven Kindred's Web site.

_The Ravensbok_ is a good, comprehensive book dealing with how the Raven Kindred conducts their lives as Asa-Folk.

9) _True Hearth: A Practical Guide to Traditional Householding_ by James Allen Chisholm. No ISBN, published by Runa-Raven Press, P.O. Box 557, Smithville, TX 78957.

As the title suggests, this is a good book for suggesting ways to incorporate Asatru into everyday life. A great beginner book as well, covering Gods and wights, holidays and basic rituals.

Great Ash Kindred
Columbus, OH