kodkod's review against another edition
2.0
The historical significance of this work can't be understated and it's worth checking out for that reason alone. However, it's definitely bottom of the barrel as far as palatable retellings/translations go. Not sure whether the crude, unromantic summarization of The Saga of the Volsungs or the shoehorned Classics retcon pained me more (ex- Snorri insists that Thor and Hector are the same.. because chariots and stuff). From a hobbyist perspective, [b:The Norse Myths|497366|The Norse Myths|Kevin Crossley-Holland|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446493100l/497366._SX50_.jpg|25499] by [a:Kevin Crossley-Holland|13878|Kevin Crossley-Holland|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1237493211p2/13878.jpg], or even [b:Norse Mythology|37903770|Norse Mythology|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516128292l/37903770._SX50_.jpg|51396954] by [a:Neil Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg], offer a more enjoyable and dynamic entry point on the subject.
methylblue's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
For those interested in the breaking down of the meter and poetic practices used in skaldic and Eddic poetry they might find a better use of their time in consulting modern resources. The writing style is somewhat crude, especially in the description on various metaphors used in old norse poetry. That being said, the myths and stories certainly retain their charm and I for one appreciate reading them in the abbreviated form used by Snorri Sturluson, even more than their poetic form sometimes. I was led to believe that the "Edda" translation by Anthony Faulkes is the best and having cross referenced some passages I have to agree. I recommend skipping Snorri's description of the meter and other things related to the poetry, found in the edition I mentioned, entirely. One could also argue for skipping the explanation of various metaphors but I don't encourage this entirely. They are quite beautiful and interesting and provide a window into the culture of nordic countries in antiquity and Early Middle Ages.
Skim through it and read what interests you in that part of the book. Also, don't take every fact mentioned off the cuff by Snorri seriously. I'm glad to have read this book, to anyone interested in the topic I suggest reading the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda as well.
Skim through it and read what interests you in that part of the book. Also, don't take every fact mentioned off the cuff by Snorri seriously. I'm glad to have read this book, to anyone interested in the topic I suggest reading the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda as well.
krispijn's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
fieldofhats's review against another edition
slow-paced
It’s extremely hard for me to rate this book because, on the hand it’s one of the only primary sources we have for the mythology of the pantheon I follow as a Pagan; but on the other, it’s really, really dull. I would NEVER recommend this to someone who isn’t a scholar or a Norse Pagan. This is straight-up medieval literature. This was intended as a handbook and reference of the various Old Norse poetic meters for the practicing Icelandic/Scandinavian poet, it was not meant for entertainment. Because of that, it reads like a dictionary. But worse. It was definitely a slog to get through, and I skimmed most of the Hattatal; I didn’t understand what Snorri was saying, and without clear examples in a language I understand, I couldn’t keep up with the various verse-forms. There was an english translation below each poem, but it was a literal translation, which loses all the poetic intentions.
If you want to read the mythological stories from this book, read Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology or Kevin Crossley-Holland’s Norse Myths. Their versions cover many (if not most) of the stories from the Prose Edda in an accurate manner, and are actually readable and fun.
If you want to read the mythological stories from this book, read Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology or Kevin Crossley-Holland’s Norse Myths. Their versions cover many (if not most) of the stories from the Prose Edda in an accurate manner, and are actually readable and fun.
domani_emu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
eb00kie's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
The Prose Edda is shorter and simpler. It's lacking the lyrical majesty of the Poetic Edda and many of its stories, but it makes for a good companion. It would be best if it be read before the Poetic Edda.
binstonbirchill's review against another edition
5.0
This is "our most extensive source for Norse mythology" (see back cover). It is quite an interesting read. Many of the names I'm familiar with because of music (so called 'viking' metal). JRR Tolkien was quite obviously a fan. The amount of information contained in this book is similar to the Silmarillion, or rather the Silmarillion is similar to this... Basically it's a fascinating read and will take multiple readings to fully extract all the information contained within and that's a good thing.
emmavani's review against another edition
5.0
Very fun and concise way to learn about Nordic mythology! In about 150 pages you get Odin and Thor and Loki’s origin stories and a good sense of the different AEsir in Asgard. Really fun stories about the beginning of the world (Odins skull became the sky, and the gods placed four dwarves at the corners of the world to mark North, South, East, and West, etc) and a grim introduction to Ragnorak
ostrava's review against another edition
5.0
Though there's some Christian influences that I'm not enough of an expert to notice, the myths are enjoyed more as a constant narration like the one in the Gylfaginning (which happened to be my favourite section in all of the Eddas).
The whole thing is just amazing. So many cool stories, so much cool imagery... chaotic too, but it works in its favor imo.
I skipped the Háttatal and I think I might have read an abridged version of the Skáldskaparmál, but it's all good. The first chapter is what matters, really.
The whole thing is just amazing. So many cool stories, so much cool imagery... chaotic too, but it works in its favor imo.
I skipped the Háttatal and I think I might have read an abridged version of the Skáldskaparmál, but it's all good. The first chapter is what matters, really.