Our new 60-minute masterclasses are designed to help you challenge, inspect and understand the world around you. Each class will feature a respected expert or thought-leader from the realm of science, politics, culture, history, academia or business, poised to share sharp and concise insights with you.
The heroes and villains of Norse Mythology have endured for centuries. Gods including one-eyed Odin, and the red-bearded, hammer-wielding Thor, have experienced numerous retellings and interpretations. Why is it that these ancient myths still resonate with us, and continue to feature in today’s modern world?
The author and expert in Norse literature and mythology, Carolyne Larrington, leads this 60-minute masterclass which will uncover the sources and retellings of the Norse myths, with particular focus on the main gods Odin, Thor and Loki, and the apocalyptic event, Ragnarok.
She will discuss what is known about the earliest sources, their cultural significance over time, along with their resurgence and adaptations in popular culture.
Carolyne’s books, The Norse Myths that Shape the Way We Think, and The Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Heroes are available to purchase from the Guardian Bookshop. If you are in the UK, you can purchase a book bundle and ticket for the special discounted price of £62 including P&P.
Course content
Odin (Óðinn) god of war
Thor (Þórr) the thunder god
Loki (Logi or Loge) and his monstrous children
Ragnarök: the Norse apocalypse
Q&A
Tutor profile
Carolyne Larrington is professor of medieval European literature at the University of Oxford and Fellow and Tutor in medieval English literature at St John’s College. She first went to Scandinavia at the age of 18 to work in a hotel in the Norwegian fjords and has been fascinated by the myths and legends of the north since the age of seven. She wrote her doctoral thesis on wisdom poetry in Old English and Old Norse, and has published very widely on Old Norse literature, Arthurian literature, British folklore and medievalism. Her books include the World’s Classics translation of The Poetic Edda (2nd ed. 2014), Winter is Coming and All Men Must Die (on ‘Game of Thrones’, 2015, 2021), The Land of the Green Man (2015) on place and folklore, and the Norse Myths (2017) from Thames and Hudson. She was awarded the Order of the Falcon for services to Icelandic literature by the President of Iceland in 2018.
Details
Date: Thursday 3 August 2023
Time: 1pm-2pm (BST)
Price: £35 (plus £2.20 booking fee); £50.20 (plus £2.89 booking fee) with a copy of The Norse Myths that Shape the Way We Think; or £62 (plus £3.43 booking fee) with a copy of both books The Norse Myths that Shape the Way We Think and The Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Heroes
A catch up recording will be shared after the class and will be available for two weeks.
This masterclass is available globally. See this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.
1pm BST | 2pm CEST | 5am PDT | 8am EDT
You will be sent a link to the webinar 24 hours and 30 minutes before the course start time. Please email masterclasses@theguardian.com if you do not receive the access link 24 hours before the scheduled start time.
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Returns policy
Once a purchase is complete we will not be able to refund you where you do not attend or if you cancel your event booking. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.
