Given the ubiquity of shows like vikingsmovies like The man from the northand the next Thor: lover and thunder (this slice differentiated by the presence of a bonus Thor), Norse mythology has been very fashionable lately.

Aside from its uncomfortable associations with white supremacy (which is in no way the fault of the Norwegians of old), there’s plenty to be fascinated by. ancient tales: a theater-loving squirrel responsible for a number of major conflicts, boats made entirely of fingernails, and the time Thor almost married Loki. All of this is quite foreign to minds steeped in Greek mythology, which is itself full of glorious weirdness. The thing is, the further you stray from the realm of myth and folklore, the more interesting things get.

Many films based on legends could be described as revisionist takes, but this misses a key element of mythology and folklore: in every cultural context, stories bend and shape with the storyteller and the listeners. Those less malleable don’t have nearly the lifespan of those tales, many of which have survived for centuries or millennia.