The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology

2022 Reprint of the 1929 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition and not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Written in Iceland a century after the close of the Viking Age, The Prose Edda is the source of most of what we know of Norse mythology. Its tales are peopled by giants, dwarves, and elves, superhuman heroes and indomitable warrior queens. Its gods live with the tragic knowledge of their own impending destruction in the cataclysmic battle of Ragnarok. Its time scale spans the eons from the world's creation to its violent end. This edition captures the magisterial sweep and startling psychological complexity of the Old Icelandic original. Over a period of twenty years Snorri Sturluson, scholar, courtier and poet, compiled the prose Edda as a textbook for young poets who wished to praise kings. His work surveys the content, style and meters of traditional Viking poetry and includes a lengthy poem of Snorrie's own, honoring the king of Norway. Ironically, Snorri was killed in his cellar in Iceland in 1241 on the instigation of the king of Norway, as a result of political intrigue. The Edda contains the most extensive account of Norse myths and legends that have survived from the Middle Ages as well as the famous stories of Odin winning back the mead of poetic inspiration and Thor fishing for the Midgard serpent.