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A review by leonard_gaya
The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes by Unknown
5.0
The Poetic Edda is the great-grandmother of Icelandic literature. It takes us back to a poetic time when civilisation was young and rough, when gods, elves, giants, dwarves, and men shared the same world, a time before Christianity but preserved by Christian missionaries, the time of Norse myths and heroic deeds. These skaldic songs, disjointed fragments collected from ancient sources, weave a captivating tapestry encompassing comedic sketches and tragic narratives.
With its brevity and allusive power, the Völuspa (Prophecy of the Seeress) covers the grandeur of creation and the foretelling of Ragnarök, the world’s cataclysmic end. Brief allusions hint at larger story cycles. Snorri Sturluson’s Gylfaginning (in the [b:Prose Edda|24658|The Prose Edda|Snorri Sturluson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1632521075l/24658._SY75_.jpg|1198450]) is a retelling and expanded commentary of the same narrative.
The Havamal and Sigrdrifumal stand as sapiential books, offering wisdom sayings through repetitions to reinforce moral advice to the young, while Alvissmal’s kennings (periphrastic metaphorical verses) paint a vivid picture of the natural world.
Other poems display varied narrative styles, from comedic banter and exchanges of insults, like Harbarthsljoth and Lokasenna, to Q&A formats, like Vafthruthnismal, Alvissmal or Gripisspa (James Joyce would have qualified this style as “catechetical”).
The second half of the Edda focuses on the epic narratives and tragedies of the Völsungs, with tales like Helgakvitha Hjorvarthsonnar and other interconnected stories. Poems like Reginsmal, Fafnismal, and Sigrdrifumal explore the adventures of the young Sigurth (Siegfried), the slaying of dragons, and encounters with Valkyries. Later poems like Sigurtharkvitha and Guthrunarkvitha explore tragic tales of star-crossed lovers, fatal betrayals, revenge, and their devastating consequences.
The Eddic poems, filled with haunting imagery and ethical dilemmas, have left, directly or indirectly, an indelible mark on art, literature and popular culture. From [b:The Nibelungenlied|18261|The Nibelungenlied|Unknown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547357597l/18261._SY75_.jpg|1145339] to [a:Snorri|13879|Snorri Sturluson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1208866690p2/13879.jpg]’s Edda; from [a:Shakespeare|947|William Shakespeare|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1654446514p2/947.jpg]’s tragedies to [a:Richard Wagner|13890|Richard Wagner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400001058p2/13890.jpg]’s operas and [a:J.R.R. Tolkien|656983|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1648968349p2/656983.jpg]’s Middle-Earth novels; from [a:Neil Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg]’s modern adaptation to [a:George R.R. Martin|346732|George R.R. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1649011787p2/346732.jpg] to countless video games. In short, The Poetic Edda continues relentlessly to capture readers and audiences.
Finally, a word on translations. I went back and forth between Lee M. Hollander’s and Jackson Crawford’s versions, which couldn’t be more dissimilar. While Hollander uses an archaic and slightly starchy style, Crawford delivers the Edda right to your gut. His translation even offers a version of the Havamal that could fit in a John Ford movie (Vikings, Cowboys, same difference!). Here is a quick example based on stanza 54:
Hollander:
Crawford:
Crawford (old cowboy version):
Here is my reading pal Michelle's review.
With its brevity and allusive power, the Völuspa (Prophecy of the Seeress) covers the grandeur of creation and the foretelling of Ragnarök, the world’s cataclysmic end. Brief allusions hint at larger story cycles. Snorri Sturluson’s Gylfaginning (in the [b:Prose Edda|24658|The Prose Edda|Snorri Sturluson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1632521075l/24658._SY75_.jpg|1198450]) is a retelling and expanded commentary of the same narrative.
The Havamal and Sigrdrifumal stand as sapiential books, offering wisdom sayings through repetitions to reinforce moral advice to the young, while Alvissmal’s kennings (periphrastic metaphorical verses) paint a vivid picture of the natural world.
Other poems display varied narrative styles, from comedic banter and exchanges of insults, like Harbarthsljoth and Lokasenna, to Q&A formats, like Vafthruthnismal, Alvissmal or Gripisspa (James Joyce would have qualified this style as “catechetical”).
The second half of the Edda focuses on the epic narratives and tragedies of the Völsungs, with tales like Helgakvitha Hjorvarthsonnar and other interconnected stories. Poems like Reginsmal, Fafnismal, and Sigrdrifumal explore the adventures of the young Sigurth (Siegfried), the slaying of dragons, and encounters with Valkyries. Later poems like Sigurtharkvitha and Guthrunarkvitha explore tragic tales of star-crossed lovers, fatal betrayals, revenge, and their devastating consequences.
The Eddic poems, filled with haunting imagery and ethical dilemmas, have left, directly or indirectly, an indelible mark on art, literature and popular culture. From [b:The Nibelungenlied|18261|The Nibelungenlied|Unknown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547357597l/18261._SY75_.jpg|1145339] to [a:Snorri|13879|Snorri Sturluson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1208866690p2/13879.jpg]’s Edda; from [a:Shakespeare|947|William Shakespeare|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1654446514p2/947.jpg]’s tragedies to [a:Richard Wagner|13890|Richard Wagner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400001058p2/13890.jpg]’s operas and [a:J.R.R. Tolkien|656983|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1648968349p2/656983.jpg]’s Middle-Earth novels; from [a:Neil Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg]’s modern adaptation to [a:George R.R. Martin|346732|George R.R. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1649011787p2/346732.jpg] to countless video games. In short, The Poetic Edda continues relentlessly to capture readers and audiences.
Finally, a word on translations. I went back and forth between Lee M. Hollander’s and Jackson Crawford’s versions, which couldn’t be more dissimilar. While Hollander uses an archaic and slightly starchy style, Crawford delivers the Edda right to your gut. His translation even offers a version of the Havamal that could fit in a John Ford movie (Vikings, Cowboys, same difference!). Here is a quick example based on stanza 54:
Hollander:
Middling wise every man should be:
beware of being too wise;
happiest in life most likely he
who knows not more than is needful.
Crawford:
You should be
only a little wise,
never too wise.
The happiest people
throughout their lives
are the moderately wise.
Crawford (old cowboy version):
Don’t git too goddamned smart, now,
there’s a measure for ever’thing.
And don’t think it’s for nothing
that the stupid people
tend to be the happier ones, too.
Here is my reading pal Michelle's review.