Edred Thorsson

While the history of magic in Iceland is fairly accurate (although in my opinion biased and not in line with modern religious studies scholarship), the portion of the book intended to guide the reader in the theory and practice cannot be called Icelandic magic. The author lets slip that what he chose to write about was based on his own practice and experience, which can only be tangentially inspired by his academic study. It does not deserve to be titled "Icelandic" magic, nor does any of ritual seem to be sourced from historical records of Icelandic magicians. By best assumption after powering through disappointment after disappointment is that everything in the book is guesswork and personal preference cleverly hidden under a basic understanding of Icelandic history. Lastly, I was not able to find clear evidence in a short search, but I would not be surprised if the author has either white supremacist or neo-nazi ties in his personal life that could explain some peculiar biases evidenced in the text. There's nothing of substance in the book to make the couple of hours it takes to read worth it.… (mehr)