World of Myth
The EddasThe Poetic Edda
Old Norse poems from unknown authors, compiled in the 13th century. It includes mythological and heroic tales of Norse gods and heroes. The poems cover creation myths, the adventures of gods and mortals, and prophesies, including the foretelling of Ragnarök.
The Prose Edda
Written by Snorri Sturluson around 1220, it is a manual for poets and a compendium of Norse mythology. It contains narratives of the gods, their origins, and their eventual downfall. The Prose Edda is divided into sections that include a prologue, a handbook on poetic meter, and myths and stories.
These texts are crucial for understanding Norse mythology and have had a profound influence on later literary works.
Sämunds Edda (1913), the first edition of Erik Brate’s translation from Icelandic to Swedish of the Poetic Edda. (Creative Commons)
“A seeress requests an audience and announces that the god Óðinn wants her to recount her earliest memories. She tells of giants who fostered her, nine worlds, a glorious tree (the world-tree, Yggdrasill) beneath the ground, and Ymir, a giant who lived when there was otherwise only a void. She recalls how the sons of Burr (Óðinn, Vili and Vé) raised up earth, and mentions the young sun, stars and moon, before they had established their places. “
-Pettit, Edward. The Poetic Edda
Title page of a manuscript of the Prose Edda, showing Odin, Heimdallr, Sleipnir and other figures from Norse mythology from the 18th century Icelandic manuscript ÍB 299 4to, page 58r. (Icelandic National Library)
“In the beginning, before the heaven and the earth and the sea were created, the great abyss Ginungagap was without form and void, and the spirit of Fimbultyr moved upon the face of the deep, until the ice-cold rivers, the Elivogs, flowing from Niflheim, came in contact with the dazzling flames from Muspelheim. This was before Chaos.
And Fimbultyr said: Let the melted drops of vapor quicken into life, and the giant Ymer was born in the midst of Ginungagap. He was not a god, but the father of all the race of evil giants. This was Chaos.”
-Sturluson, Snorri. The Younger Edda; Also Called Snorre’s Edda, or The Prose Edda
