Still, scholars speculated that there was likely another Edda, an Elder Edda, which contained the pagan poems Sturluson quotes in the Prose Edda.īrynjólfur gave the Codex Regius as a gift to a Danish king – thus “royal book” from the Latin C odex Regius. At the time, there were other versions of the Edda in Iceland. The Codex Regius was written during the 13th century, but its whereabouts were unknown until 1643 when Brynjólfur Sveinsson, then Bishop of Skálholt, managed to acquire it.

About the Poetic Edda Author Snorri Sturluson.

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Which Parts of the Poetic Edda Should You Read First?.

In What Language Was the Poetic Edda Written?.

What Was the Purpose of the Poetic Edda?.

What Does Edda Mean in the Poetic Edda?.

a conservative sparseness that often comes close to echoing the terseness of the Old Norse Eddic metres. Crawford’s sense of rhythm is perhaps his strongest suit here, contributing significantly to the readability of the verse. A published poet in his own right, Crawford renders his translation in a modest, cautiously elegant free verse with a rigorous consistency that gives the material fluency impossible in a translation reflecting the original Old Norse syntax. Commentary is minimal but useful, and the verse itself is presented in a visually clear style. “Crawford’s Edda is easy to pick up and read. Van Deusen, University of Alberta, in Scandinavian-Canadian Studies I will most certainly be using this translation when I teach Norse mythology in the future and will recommend it to anyone looking for an approachable introduction to the subject.” Crawford’s knowledge of and passion for the topic is clear throughout, and he strikes an excellent balance between approachability and authenticity. “n excellent and entertaining work that succeeds in achieving its intended purpose: to create an accessible and readable English translation of the Poetic Edda.

Dick Ringler, Professor Emeritus of English and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison With their individual headnotes and complementary general introduction, they supply today’s readers with most of what they need to know in order to understand and appreciate the beliefs, motivations, and values of the Vikings.” Jackson Crawford’s modern versions of these poems are authoritative and fluent and often very gripping. These amazing texts from a 13th-century Icelandic manuscript are of huge historical, mythological and literary importance, containing the lion’s share of information that survives today about the gods and heroes of pre-Christian Scandinavians, their unique vision of the beginning and end of the world, etc. Here it is at last (Odin be praised!) and well worth the wait. “The poems of the Poetic Edda have waited a long time for a Modern English translation that would do them justice.

The Poetic Edda by Unknown