The Poetic Edda: A Collection of Old Norse Poems

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Auden, W.H.; Taylor, Paul B., eds. (1969), The Elder Edda: A Selection, London: Faber., ISBN 0-571-09066-4 The Edda Oblongata (Langa Edda) is most noteworthy because of its odd shape, being long and narrow. Believed to have been written in 1680 it contains a number of colorful illustrations of the gods and mythological motifs. I recommend having a look for the illustrations alone! The Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda (Elder and Younger) Hyndluljóð is a late Eddic poem, believed to have been written in the second half of the 12th century or later. The poem tells the story of the goddess Freyja and the völva Hyndla riding together towards Valhalla. Freyja is on her boar Hildisvíni and Hyndla is on a wolf. Individual poems have individual clues to their age. For example, Atlamál hin groenlenzku is claimed by its title to have been composed in Greenland and seems so by some internal evidence. If so, it must have been composed no earlier than about 985, since there were no Scandinavians in Greenland until that time. Klaus von See: „Disticha Catonis und Hávamál.“ In: Klaus von See: Edda, Saga, Skaldendichtung. Heidelberg 1981, 27–44.

Reissued as Helgason, Jón, ed. (1955), Eddadigte, Copenhagen: Munksgaard , Codex Regius poems up to Sigrdrífumál , (3 vols.).Eddic poetry is to indebted narratives describing heroes, which was part of a long oral tradition, as well as textual. Upon the discovery of the Poetic Edda, the two “Eddas” came to be known as the Younger, and Elder Edda. The poems of the latter are seen as having been the source of much of Snorri’s prose writing in his own books. Codex Regius was written during the 13th century, but nothing was known of its whereabouts until 1643, when it came into the possession of Brynjólfur Sveinsson, then Bishop of Skálholt. At the time, versions of the Edda were known in Iceland, but scholars speculated that there once was another Edda, an Elder Edda, which contained the pagan poems that Snorri quotes in his Edda. When Codex Regius was discovered, it seemed that the speculation had proved correct, but modern scholarly research has shown that the Edda was likely written first and that the two were, at most, connected by a common source. [2] The translation selected for this edition is the authoritative and highly readable text by Oxford scholar and founder of the Eddic Research Network Carolyne Larrington, first published by Oxford University Press in 1996. Her addition of seven further poems not found in the Codex Regius completes this comprehensive presentation of the verse Eddic corpus. Formerly a student of the late, great authority on the Poetic Edda, Ursula Dronke, Carolyne Larrington has recently turned her attention to the novels of George R. R. Martin; her book Winter is Coming: The Medieval World of Game of Thrones(2016) analyses one of the most phenomenally successful modern responses to medieval storytelling traditions. ‘The poems … a millennium later speak individually to us in comic, tragic, grandiose, crude, witty, profound, and common-sense tones.’ Munch, P. A., ed. (1847), Den Ældre Edda. Samling af norrøne oldkvad, indeholdende Nordens ældste gude- og helte-sagn, Christiania [Oslo]: P.T. Malling

The persistence of Odin's self-sacrifice in Scandinavian folk tradition was documented by Bugge (1889) in a poem from Unst on the Shetland Islands: The AM 748 I 4to is an interesting manuscript for what it adds to the Codex Regius. While it is short with only six poems, it is the only one which includes Baldrs Draumar. Being an important part of the Old Norse myths, Baldrs Draumar tells of how Baldur is having troublesome dreams. The story and consequences following the sad death of Baldur sets in motion a series of events leading to Ragnarok. The Elder or Poetic Edda has been translated numerous times, the earliest printed edition being that by Cottle 1797, though some short sections had been translated as early as the 1670s. Some early translators relied on a Latin translation of the Edda, including Cottle. [7] The parallelism of Odin and Christ during the period of open co-existence of Christianity and Norse paganism in Scandinavia (the 9th to 12th centuries, corresponding with the assumed horizon of the poem's composition) also appears in other sources. To what extent this parallelism is an incidental similarity of the mode of human sacrifice offered to Odin and the crucifixion, and to what extent a Pagan influence on Christianity, has been discussed by scholars such as Sophus Bugge. [11]Bellows, Henry Adams, ed. (1923), "The Poetic Edda: Translated from the Icelandic with an Introduction and Notes", Scandinavian Classics, New York: American-Scandinavian Foundation, vol.XXI & XXII Rúnatal [ edit ] "Odin's Self-sacrifice" (1908) by W. G. Collingwood. The younger Jelling stone (erected by Harald Bluetooth c. 970) shows the crucifixion of Christ with the victim suspended in the branches of a tree instead of on a cross. [9] Wimmer, E. A.; Jónsson, Finnur (1891), Håndskriftet Nr 2365 4to gl. kgl. samling på det store Kgl. bibliothek i København (Codex regius af den ældre Edda) i fototypisk og diplomatisk gengievelse., Copenhagen: Samfund til udgivelse at gammel nordisk litteratur , lithographic edition

This article or section should specify the language of its non-English content, using {{ lang}}, {{ transliteration}} for transliterated languages, and {{ IPA}} for phonetic transcriptions, with an appropriate ISO 639 code. Wikipedia's multilingual support templates may also be used. See why. ( October 2021) Most likely though, there were other versions of the poems of the Poetic Edda written long before the Codex Regius that Snorri might have had access to. Sadly, both time and the Christian reformation claimed many old books and manuscripts to deteriorate and to book burnings. The Poems of the Poetic Edda

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The poem mainly consists of Hyndla reciting names from Óttarr’s ancestry. The wise-woman Hyndla, being asked by Freyja to trace the ancestry of her favorite Ottar for the purpose of a wager, gives a complex genealogy including many of the heroes who appear in popular sagas. Völuspá in skamma – The short Völuspá As noted above, the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson makes much use of the works included in the Poetic Edda, though he may well have had access to other compilations that contained the poems and there is no evidence that he used the Poetic Edda or even knew of it. Hrynhenda, a variant of dróttkvætt, where each line comprises four metrical feet rather than three, giving a more flowing feel. Several of the legendary sagas contain poetry in the Eddic style. Its age and importance is often difficult to evaluate but the Hervarar saga, in particular, contains interesting poetic interpolations. The Poetic Edda, also known as the Sæmundar Edda, or the Elder Edda, is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends.

Poetry was a common way of telling Norse mythological tales and was an integral part of their society, religious and otherwise. Queen Gunnhild commissioned the poem Eiríksmál, an anonymous skaldic poem written in the mid-10th century, in honor of her husband, Eirik Bloodaxe. The Codex Regius was written during the 13th century, but nothing was known of its whereabouts until 1643, when it came into the possession of Brynjólfur Sveinsson, then Bishop of Skálholt. At the time, versions of the Prose Edda were known in Iceland, but scholars speculated that there once was another Edda, an Elder Edda, which contained the pagan poems that Snorri quotes in his Prose Edda. When Codex Regius was discovered, it seemed that the speculation had proved correct, but modern scholarly research has shown that the Prose Edda was likely written first and that the two were, at most, connected by a common source. [2] Larrington, Carolyne, ed. (1996), The Poetic Edda, Oxford World's Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-282383-3 Because of its structure, which comprises clearly defined rhythmic stanzas, ljóðaháttr lends itself to dialogue and discourse.

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With little in the way of mythological facts, the poem is more pure entertainment and quite graphic in its descriptions. Poor Gerd is promised quite a bleak future to put it mildly unless she agrees to the proposal. Hárbarðsljóð – The Lay of Hárbard The poem is notable for its complex and nuanced portrayal of Völund as both a skilled craftsman and a (very) vengeful hero. Alvíssmál – The Lay of Alvís