The Poetic Edda
by Anonymous
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- poems of c. 800-1200, written down c. 1270
- Era
- Medieval
- Form
- Epic poetry
- Language
- Other
- Length
- Medium · 300 pp120 to 300 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Poetic Edda, translated by Carolyne LarringtonOxford World's Classics, 2014Complete, accurate and readable, with notes that untangle the allusions; the standard student text.
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A collection of Old Norse poems preserved mainly in the Icelandic Codex Regius, written around 1270 but containing verse composed centuries earlier. The mythological poems include the Völuspá, in which a seeress recounts the creation of the world and foretells its destruction at Ragnarök; the Hávamál, sayings attributed to Odin; and comic and grim tales of Thor, Loki and the giants. The heroic poems tell the story of Sigurd, the dragon Fafnir, Brynhild and Gudrun, the same legend told in prose in the Völsunga saga and in German in the Nibelungenlied.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Poetic Edda are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
