Encyclopedia of Norse and Germanic Folklore, Mythology, and Magic

This volume by Lecouteux (formerly medieval literature & civilization, Sorbonne), the author of a dozen books on pagan and medieval spirits and spells, covers hundreds of years and ranges of myths from Russia, Silesia, Ireland, and Iceland. It omits Finnish legends and 19th-century fairy tales. Plot points, many stark, some moving, are far outnumbered by dictionarylike name entries (with occasional etymology). This is not the place to go for storytelling: the tale of Svanhildr, for instance, is rendered incomprehensible unless one already knows its variants. Translation is sometimes unreliable (a "kenning" is not an extended metaphor). Cross-referencing is inconsistent (e.g., "alf" and "didken" are not linked, and neither one points to "niss," "tomte," or "elves"). "Beatrick" and "Angane" are similar figures, but they are not cross-referenced. There is no way to locate the multiple wild men and adventurous women figures of these stories unless one is already familiar with their identities. A finding list of related characters and items would have been useful. Readers will encounter such terms (not in the glossary) as theriomorphic, capitulary, hypostasis, and chthonian. Impressively scholarly references follow entries, with 13 large-format pages of bibliography (from the age of Caesar to 2015) at the end—but, crucially, there is no index. The author is an expert talking to other insiders. More than 100 black-and-white illustrations, many clearly from old woodcuts (but without dates or sources), add interest but little information.