Heathen Book Club

Primary Sources and Old Texts

1. Beowulf (Various Translations) – Essential for understanding Anglo-Saxon warrior culture, folklore, and the role of the supernatural.
2. The Poetic Edda (Translated by Carolyne Larrington, Jackson Crawford, or Ursula Dronke) – Key collection of Norse mythological and heroic poetry.
3. The Prose Edda (Translated by Jesse Byock or Anthony Faulkes) – Snorri Sturluson’s 13th-century work providing mythological context.
4. The Old English Rune Poem – A key text for understanding Anglo-Saxon runic and symbolic thought.
5. Widsith and Deor – Early English heroic poetry with references to Germanic heroes and gods.
6. Saxo Grammaticus – Gesta Danorum – Contains legendary accounts of the gods, including an euhemerized Odin.
7. The Merseburg Charms – Two Old High German incantations reflecting pre-Christian beliefs.
8. Tacitus – Germania – A Roman account of Germanic tribes, albeit with limitations and biases.

Scholarship and Historical Studies

9. Edward Pettit – The Waning Sword: Conversion Imagery and Celestial Myth in ‘Beowulf’ – A deep and well-researched study on light vs. darkness imagery in Beowulf and its connections to pre-Christian cosmology.
10. Stephen Pollington – The Elder Gods: The Otherworld of Early England – A fantastic exploration of Anglo-Saxon religion and cosmology.
11. Stephen Pollington – Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plant Lore, and Healing – Discusses Old English magical and medicinal practices.
12. Stephen Pollington – Rudiments of Runelore – A good introduction to the meanings and history of runes.
13. Claude Lecouteux – The Return of the Dead: Ghosts, Ancestors, and the Transparent Veil of the Pagan Mind– Examines ancestor worship and beliefs about the afterlife in medieval Germanic societies.
14. Claude Lecouteux – The Tradition of Household Spirits – A look at domestic deities, elves, and ancestral spirits.
15. Claude Lecouteux – Phantom Armies of the Night: The Wild Hunt and the Ghostly Processions of the Undead– A study on the Wild Hunt and related folklore.
16. H.R. Ellis Davidson – Gods and Myths of Northern Europe – A classic but still useful introduction to Norse and Germanic mythology.
17. H.R. Ellis Davidson – The Road to Hel: A Study of the Conception of the Dead in Old Norse Literature – A crucial text on afterlife beliefs.
18. Rudolf Simek – Dictionary of Northern Mythology – An essential reference on figures and concepts from Germanic mythology.
19. Richard North – Heathen Gods in Old English Literature – Explores pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon religion through literary sources.
20. Alaric Hall – Elves in Anglo-Saxon England: Matters of Belief, Health, Gender and Identity – A scholarly deep dive into the role of elves in Anglo-Saxon thought.
21. Neil Price – The Viking Way: Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia – A must-read on seiðr, shamanism, and magic in Norse culture.
22. Georges Dumézil – Gods of the Ancient Northmen – A structuralist approach to Indo-European mythology and the tripartite function in Norse deities.
23. John Lindow – Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs – A comprehensive reference on Norse myths.
24. John Lindow – Murder and Vengeance Among the Gods: Baldr in Scandinavian Mythology – Analyzes the Baldr myth in depth.
25. Sarah Semple – Perceptions of the Prehistoric in Anglo-Saxon England: Religion, Ritual, and Rulership in the Landscape – Examines how early medieval peoples viewed prehistoric sites and their significance in Anglo-Saxon religion.
26. Sarah Semple – Anglo-Saxon Perceptions of the Prehistoric: Ritual, Religion, and Rulership (various articles) – Studies the role of ancient monuments in shaping Anglo-Saxon religious and political identities.

Runology and Magic

27. Stephen Pollington – Runes: Literacy in the Germanic Iron Age – A study on the function and meaning of runes.
28. Bertil Calgren – Runes and Germanic Linguistics – A linguistic and historical look at runes.
29. Claude Lecouteux – The Book of Grimoires: The Secret Grammar of Magic – Covers medieval magical traditions with links to pre-Christian beliefs.

Folklore, Folk Magic, and Popular Heathenry

30. Jakob Grimm – Teutonic Mythology – A vast (though sometimes outdated) collection of folklore, myths, and Germanic religious practices.
31. Claude Lecouteux – The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes – Connects vampiric folklore to Germanic ancestor worship and draugar beliefs.
32. E.O.G. Turville-Petre – Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia – A detailed study of Old Norse religious beliefs.
33. Tylluan Penry – Magic on the Breath: Spirituality and Folklore of the Common People – Discusses historical folk beliefs, charms, and common people’s religious practices.
34. Tylluan Penry – Seeking the Green: The Traditional Path and Its Evolution in Modern Paganism – A good resource on folk traditions and their transformation in modern practices.