About the book: 1979 / The book introduces the reader to the world of Old Norse myth and epic. The focus is on the interpretation of heroes in the songs of the Edda and in the sagas. Is it true that the heroes of the Edda embodied examples of ideal behavior, loyalty and duty? How to explain the comic depiction of the gods in a number of Edda songs? These and other problems are discussed in the book based on a study of a wide range of monuments of Old Icelandic writing.