The Poetic Edda

The Poetic Edda

<p><cite>The Poetic Edda</cite> comprises a treasure trove of mythic and spiritual verse holding an important place in Nordic culture, literature, and heritage. Its tales of strife and death form a repository, in poetic form, of Norse mythology and heroic lore, embodying both the ethical views and the cultural life of the North during the late heathen and early Christian times.</p><p>Collected by an unidentified Icelander, probably during the twelfth or thirteenth century, <cite>The Poetic Edda</cite> was rediscovered in Iceland in the seventeenth century by Danish scholars. Even then its value as poetry, as a source of historical information, and as a collection of entertaining stories was recognized. This meticulous translation succeeds in reproducing the verse patterns, the rhythm, the mood, and the dignity of the original in a revision that <cite>Scandinavian Studies</cite> says "may well grace anyone's bookshelf."</p>