Anthony R. Schlotzhauer has narrated 3 audiobooks on Listento.it by 4 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.7★ across 8 ratings. The most-rated is Odin: The Origins, History and Evolution of the Norse God.
Odin: The Origins, History and Evolution of the Norse God
Summary
A one-eyed old man, with a gray cloak and a wide-brimmed hat leaning on a staff. A wanderer who appears when least expected, bringing triumph or doom. The god of prophecy, poetry and fate. A shape changer. A sorcerer. The god Odin cuts a dramatic figure in Norse mythology and is still a part of the popular imagination. He is the inspiration for figures like J.R.R. Tolkien's Gandalf the Grey, and he still appears in modern literature as varied as Marvel Comics and Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods. Alongside his son Thor, Odin is one of the best known Norse gods, and it's often easy to forget that he was once at the heart of a pantheon devoutly worshiped by millions of Europeans. Odin has numerous names and titles (over 200 by one account), but his best known title is "The All-Father," the co-creator of Earth ("Midgard"), humanity and all of the creatures that inhabitant this world. He is also, importantly, the god of prophecy, ecstasy, and poetry, all roles that were closely connected in the Norse world. Odin was a god of life and death as well, and was famous for taking the souls of warriors who died in combat back to his realm of Valhalla. This role was tied to his position as a god of war, a position that does not perhaps seem obvious to a modern reader for a god of knowledge and wisdom. However, Odin was the king of the gods and the master of Asgard; therefore, in the Norse understanding, one of his crucial tasks was the defense of that realm through military might if necessary. His living followers would call upon him in battle, and he was said to have taken champions and even led human armies to triumph.
©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors
Southwest France & the Spanish Pyrenees
Summary
The medieval fortified town of Carcassonne is one of the most visited cities in France. There are ski resorts and spas throughout this area, as well as innumerable historic sites and monuments. Coverage extends from Languedoc-Rouissillon and Aquitaine in France to Spanish Catelonia, Aragon, and Navarre. Ancient cathedrals abound, and the church in the tiny village of Rennes le Chateau is thought to have been visited by Mary Magdalene and to be where the Holy Grail is hidden. By contrast, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is one of the most unusual churches in the world with its melting sand-castle appearance and odd bubble-shaped spires. At Cap d'Agde, also known as Naked City and the world's mecca of nudism, visitors can bank, shop, or beachcomb in the buff. Tourists delight in the vast selection of mountain-climbing destinations, ski resorts, spa villages, Gallo-Roman ruins, and prehistoric cave paintings in the region. Some of the best food in all of Europe is found in this part of France where black truffles, cassoullet, Roquefort cheese, and Bordeaux wine all originated. On the Spanish side of the range, Catelonia is marked by breathtaking cliffs, expanses of beaches, and the thriving, hip seaside city of Barcelona. In the Navarre region, men taunt large, dangerous animals for Pamplona's annual Running of the Bulls. The authors guide us through every corner of this fascinating region, where they have spent much of their time over many years.
©2012 Hunter Publishing, Inc. (P)2015 Hunter Publishing, Inc.
Thor
Summary
"Across the rainbow bridge of Asgard, Where the Booming Heavens Roar, You'll behold in breathless wonder, the God of Thunder, Mighty Thor!" (Theme song from the television show Mighty Thor [1966]) "In swelling rage | then rose up Thor, - Seldom he sits | when he such things hears, - And the oaths were broken, | the words and bonds, The mighty pledges | between them made." (Völuspá Line #26 from the "Poetic Edda") A hammer no mortal can lift. A flame-haired, fiery storm god. A comic book alien-hero-god who defends humanity. The swastika. Even the name "Thursday" ("Thor's Day"). Despite the virtual disappearance of the indigenous Norse religion and mythology several centuries ago, modern society still regularly encounters the storm god Thor, who continues to be brought back to life in the form of literature and was recently the protagonist in a big-budget Hollywood movie. What is it about this god, out of the hundreds (if not thousands) of deities that were consigned to the dustbin of history by the world's major religions, that so captures people's imaginations today? A better understanding of Thor's appeal can be found in just about every aspect of the history and evolution of the figure over the centuries, including the origins of the god, the evocative imagery used to describe him, and even the parallels between Thor and similar gods and heroes.
©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors