Tree of Salvation: Yggdrasil and the Cross in the North

While giving this book 5 stars, I'm not exactly saying I agree with everything the author has put forward. But I will say that this is a fascinating tale of the meaning of the Norse myth of the world tree and how it prevailed during the conversion process to Christianity in Germanic lands. The tree Yggdrasil saved the human race from annihilation during the fall of the gods. This story was absorbed into Christian imagery rather than it being forgotten. The author sees Yggdrasil in old churches, art, artifacts, the rune row, all the way down to our Christmas tree. Most of his work takes place in Scandinavia, so if you love anything Nordic this will be a great read. The writing is engaging and accessible and it feels as if this was a labor of love on the part of the author.

This book far exceeded my expectations. I found it inspirational, thought-provoking and insightful. I was hooked when I read the scripture verse in the dedication ("each one heard them speaking in his own native language" Acts 2:6) and realized that the Lord was speaking to the Norsemen through their own stories and traditions, that He had prepared their hearts for the good news of the gospel long before they actually heard it. G. Ronald Murphy, S.J. has a wonderful way of bringing history to life and of opening up new worlds of ideas. I enjoyed the book so much that I ordered his translation of the "Heliland, the Saxon Gospel" and am finding it fascinating.

This book brings to light the vast parallels between the Christianity and the native forms of Paganism within Scandinavia during the late Viking age. Having been to Norway myself to see many of the sites written about in this work, and being a practitioner of Christian Norse Shamanism myself, I now view the discussed culture through a new set of eyes and possess a new perspective for that culture in transition. Instead of the harboring a tradition of long standing feuds between Christianity and Paganism, the author seeks to bring about harmony and show that belief in one religion is not exclusive of the other. If you are serious about looking into the spiritual possibilities that Christianity and Norse Paganism share more in common than either had previously admitted, then this book is the answer you have long searched for.

The Christmas Tree origins and Yggdrasil support each other to make the Star in the North even more wonderous. God Jul

The book covers a very interesting topic. The first couple of chapters and the last were very interesting and readable. The middle chapters were very dense reading.

I can't evaluate this work as art history, except to say it is extremely interesting. From a more general point of view, and theologically, it is very fine, offering an uncommon view of early medieval religious enculturation. The book is also elegantly written and beautifully made (in cloth).

Murphy does a fine job of tracing the spread of Christianity thru northern Europe. Good insights on the use of mythology by Christianity to help its message be understandable and comfortable to new converts. This method of catechesis is similar to the Heliand. A beautiful read.

I've struggled with lukewarm Christianity for about a decade, couldn't adapt to the seemingly arbitrariness of modern Heathenism...the ideas in this book are exactly what I have needed.