Alexander S. Murray (1) (1841–1904)

Vidar Palsson
1.0 out of 5 stars AVOID THIS BOOK!!!
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2001

"I'll make this short: I'm Icelandic and I know both the Poetic and Prose Edda's by heart (the primary sources for the Norse mythology). I am also a historian, specialized in Icelandic medieval history. I began reading this book's chapter about Norse mythology and didn't have to read futher to see how unbelievably badly Alexander Murray has done his job. The Prose Edda is written in the wrong century, one of Iceland's top medieval scholar is named wrongly, and so on. He even states that the Edda poetry was composed by this scholar (he couldn't even name right), which they were not! An Icelandic bishop in the 17th century believed that it was true but we have known for hundreds of years that it's not true. I don't know how old (and wrong) Murray's sources are! The errors are countless. I was on the edge of throwing this book in the garbage when I suddenly decided to keep it. The reason: In the shelf it reminds me of working carefully when researching and writing. It's a clear example of how NOT to do things."

https://www.amazon.com/Whos-Who-Mythology-Alexander-Murray/dp/0517205416… (mer)