The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology (Snorri Sturluson)

This book was incredible. Snorri manages to construe every story with such eloquence and subtle humor is amazing.

One of the most important texts available for the study of Icelandic culture and mythology.

Be forewarned when purchasing this edition of the Prose Edda; while it is attractive and reasonably priced, it contains a mutilated Skáldskaparmál and Háttatal, so you're only getting a small part of the Prose Edda. Skáldskaparmál in particular is loaded with unique information about the gods and lore that you don't find elsewhere - very important for a heathen, or, really, anyone interested in the subject. In brief, you're missing 3/4ths of the Prose Edda here. Otherwise, you do get a very readable and uncensored (well, as uncensored as Snorri gets) translation of the introduction and Gylfaginning, conveniently titled and sorted chapters, a could-be-better and simplistic but accurate little map showing the nine worlds/Yggdrasil, and some of the figures associated with the cosmology of it, a suitable introduction, acceptable footnotes, some family charts, and a map of the Nordic countries (and what would become the UK). Before you get this, know that an edition that is just as go... Read more

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 consciou... Read more

This is a really fantastic book and the very best starting point for anyone interested in Old Norse stories. I read this much more quickly than I thought I would and I was very disappointed to get to the end - I wanted more! Well written, good translation. Only problem with this text is the endnotes are a bit distracting - there are too many of them and in reading them they break up the flow of the text. This small distraction is well compensated for by the magic of the text as a whole.