Carolyne Larrington is the author of The Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Heroes.
Larrington’s book presents the major figures and stories of Norse mythology for general readers while drawing on medieval Icelandic sources. It discusses gods such as Odin, Thor, Freyja, and Loki, as well as giants, dwarfs, heroic legends, and the events surrounding Ragnarök.
The book is a modern interpretive guide, not a medieval source and not a translation of a single Edda manuscript. Larrington is an academic whose work includes translations and studies of Old Norse-Icelandic literature. Her scholarship helps distinguish details found in the Poetic Edda from those preserved or organized by Snorri Sturluson in the Prose Edda.
Readers sometimes confuse modern guides with the primary texts on which they depend. The Eddas and related sagas are medieval literary sources; Larrington’s work explains their characters, themes, and relationships for contemporary audiences.