The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology (Penguin Classics)

For anyone drawn to myth, legend, or epic storytelling—this edition of The Prose Edda is a gem. It's a bridge to the Viking Age, capturing gods, magic, and destiny with elegance and clarity. Whether you're an academic, a fantasy fan, or curious about where Aryan mythic threads weave into modern culture, you'll find immense value here.Highly recommended if you're:Exploring Norse myths for the first time—and want a beautifully compiled source.A mythology buff seeking the foundational text of Scandinavian lore.A storyteller or world-builder seeking rich mythological templates and archetypes.

Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241) was a famous Icelandic author, statesman, and one of Iceland's wealthiest men. During Snorri's time Iceland was increasingly dominated by Norway and Norwegian culture. Snorri's Prose Edda was written in response to these new trends as a handbook for those "aspiring Icelandic skalds [poets] who wanted to master the traditional forms of verse and the older stories essential to the imagery of Old Norse Poetry" (xi). The Prose Edda's stories were based on the oral tradition from the Viking Golden Age (800-1000). The Edda is divided into four parts (the Prologue, the Gylfaginning, the Skaldskaparmal, and the List of Meters). Sadly, this volume only includes a sample stanza of the List of Meters due to its dense didactic content. For me the Prologue is by far the most interesting part of the entire Edda. Firstly, Snorri might not have been the author which raises some interesting questions about later additions to his text. Secondly, the Prologue consciously attempts to reconcile Norse myth with Christian beliefs. For example, the Prologue states that after the Fall Norse myth was developed in an attempt to understand the world and that they "understood all matters in an earthly way because they had not been granted no spiritual wisdom (ie. of the Christian God's existence)" (4). Also, Graeco-Roman myths are fitted into the Norse mythology and pantheon for the author states that Odin was descended from the Trojans.The second section, the Gylfaginning, consists of a dialogue between King Gylfi and the Aesir (Mysterious God people). King Gylfi asks questions to the three manifestations of Odin about the All Father, The Primeval Cow Audhumla, the origins of the Gods, Ice Giants, the Birfrost bridge to Heaven, etc. This is the core of the Edda and is a virtual encyclopedia of Norse Mythology. The third section, called the Skaldskaparmal, gives background for references and allusions found in Old Norse verse. This section gives thousands of kennings (words substituted for other words - for example, whale road = ocean). However, this the Skaldskaparmal is not simply a list of kennings for poets but also provides the background and stories from which the kennings come from. For example, the story about the origin of poetry (a mead made from a man created from the spittle of the Gods) introduces tens of kennings created from obscure details of each story. This section is a treasure trove of poetic lore as well as important Norse stories.This Penguin edition is absolutely wonderful (besides the lack of the List of Meters). The introduction covers all pertinent information including the historical background about Iceland and Norway, a brief section on Snorri Sturluson, questions of the Edda's authorship, analysis of each section, and the text's Christian influences. Also included are three illuminating Appendixes (about the Norse Cosmos, Kennings, and the sources of the Gylfaginning), a diagram of the World Tree, and a useful map. Although the Prose Edda often seems to didactic and encyclopedic for easy reading the myths are absolutely fascinating and clearly the Prose Edda is not only "Scandinavia's best known work of literature" but also "the most extensive source for Norse Mythology" (ix). A must buy for anyone interested in Norse Mythology and Medieval Icelandic Literature and history.

This is a wonderful, erudite translation of Snorri Sturluson’s original ‘Edda’, which literally means ‘great-grandmother’ - it refers metaphorically back to the time when the people of Iceland still followed the Old Norse religion.Written less than 200 years after the Icelandic conversion to Christianity, it is a syncretic work with echoes of deep history and genetics which were not scientifically known at the time of the original writing, but which are nonetheless versions of our contemporary truth as communicated through long stretches of time and space by persistent myth and folktale-ish themes.Appropriately enough for an otherwise potentially heretical document written in the heart of the dark ages, the Edda begins with a brief disclaimer acknowledging the truth of the Old Testament creation story, and explaining how mankind fell into spiritual error after Noah’s flood.Then the story takes an interesting turn - it introduces a group of highly advanced and noble beings originating in Asia, called the Aesir, who venture into Darkest Europe, intermarry with the families of local chieftains, enlighten them with their advanced technological, political, and religious ideas, and spread their language among the various tribes and peoples they encounter.This is a folkish way of telling the story we now know is written into the European genome and connects related languages from Iberia to Scandinavia to Russia to Northern India : The Proto-Indo European expansion.There is also a very entertaining interview which takes place between a Swedish King (named ‘Strider’) and three of these wandering Aesir magicians (see ‘The Gylfaginning’). They spin quite a yarn for Strider about Odin, Thor, Loki, Valhalla, Ragnarok et cetera, then magically disappear on him. Strider goes back home and tells people what he has learned, and a new religion is born. Meanwhile, the magicians, to keep up appearances with all the malarkey they have just made up, assign new identities to some of their own members, based on their old eastern mythologies - Trojan Hector becomes Thor, and Greek Odysseus becomes Loki.And for those of you who spend too much time watching the news and may be thinking Ragnarok is finally - for real - on its way, there is some good news to be found in the small print of these tales - as far as I can tell, the Norse Goddesses manage to escape unscathed during the end-times, and their heavenly abodes (see Gimle, Vingolf, Folkvangr & Sessrumnir) remain unmolested by frost giants, serpents, dragons, wolves, and other cosmic troublemakers, remaining safe-havens throughout time and eternity for themselves and the righteous among men.Recommended for all Vikings, Valkyries, and associated wanna-be’s.