Poetic Edda by Unknown
The "Poetic Edda" is a foundational work of Old Norse literature, composed between the ninth and twelfth centuries. It consists of a collection of mythological and heroic poems that explore themes of creation, fate, and the complexities of human and divine relationships. One notable poem, "Völuspá," features Odin, the chief god, seeking prophecies from an ancient wise woman, who recounts the world's creation, the existence of the cosmic tree Yggdrasil, and the impending battles between gods and monstrous forces, including the infamous wolf Fenrir.
The "Poetic Edda" also delves into various heroic tales, such as the exploits of Thor and his encounters with giants, as well as the tragic stories of heroes like Sigurth and Balder. These narratives reflect the values, beliefs, and mythology of early Scandinavian culture, emphasizing bravery, loyalty, and the inevitability of fate. As a significant cultural artifact, the "Poetic Edda" offers insights into the rich tapestry of Norse mythology and serves as a crucial resource for understanding the region's historical and literary heritage. It continues to be studied and interpreted through various critical lenses, revealing its enduring impact on literature and cultural identity.
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Poetic Edda by Unknown
First transcribed:Edda Sæmundar, ninth to twelfth century (English translation, 1923)
Type of work: Poetry
Type of plot: Saga
Time of plot: Mythical times
Locale: Early Scandinavia and Asgard, home of the northern gods
Principal characters
Odin , chief of the godsFrigg , Odin’s wifeBalder , the beloved, Odin’s sonThor , the thunder god, Odin’s sonLoki , a mischief maker, son of a giantFreyja , the goddess of love, who carries off half the slain from the battlefield
The Poem:
Voluspo. Odin, chief of the gods, calls an ancient wise woman to prophesy for him. She tells first of the creation of the earth from the body of the giant Ymir and catalogs the dwarfs who live beneath the earth. She then describes Yggdrasil, the great ash tree that supports the universe. Its roots reach clear to the underworld, and it is guarded by the three Norns—Past, Present, and Future—who control the destinies of human beings. She also tells briefly how Loki tricked the giant who built Asgard, the home of the gods, and how Loki himself was punished when he killed Odin’s much-loved son Balder. He was bound to a rock so that the venom of a serpent dripped onto his face. The prophet last foretells a great battle. Odin and the other gods will confront the forces of evil, such as the wolf Fenrir, one of Loki’s children, who is fated to kill Odin himself. In conclusion, the wise woman foretells the emergence of a new world that will rise out of the destruction of the old one.
The Ballad of Grimnir. Odin makes a wager with his wife, Frigg, about the relative virtues of two men they have saved from being lost at sea. Frigg accuses King Geirröth, the man Odin has saved, of miserliness and lack of hospitality. Odin goes to Geirröth disguised as Grimnir and is taken prisoner and tortured. The king’s son, Agnar, befriends the prisoner, however, and is rewarded with the mythological lore that makes up most of the poem.
The Lay of Hymir. Thor seeks a kettle big enough to brew ale for a feast of all the gods. He and the god Tyr go to the home of the giant Hymir, where they escape the wrath of Hymir’s nine-hundred-headed grandmother. Hymir then provides a feast for them at which Thor eats two oxen. Finally, they join in a fishing contest in which Thor demonstrates his prowess by hooking Mithgarthsorm, the great serpent that surrounds the earth. Thor and Tyr steal the kettle and carry it home.
The Lay of Thrym. Loki manages to recover Thor’s hammer when the giant Thrym steals it and holds it hostage, demanding Freyja for his wife. Thor goes to Thrym, disguised as Freyja in bridal dress, and takes Loki, disguised as his serving woman, with him. After Thor and Loki have some difficulties in accounting for their huge appetites and masculine looks, Thor is given the precious hammer as a wedding gift, whereupon he slays Thrym and the two return to Asgard.
Balder’s Dream. Acting on an ominous dream his son Balder has had, Odin rides into the underworld, where a wise woman tells him that the blind god Hoth, guided by Loki, will throw the dart of mistletoe that will kill the otherwise impervious Balder. The murder will later be avenged by Vali, whom Odin conceives for that purpose.
Lay of Völund. Völund is a hero who, along with his brothers, captures and lives with the swan maidens, Valkyries who live on earth disguised as swans. When the swan maidens leave, the brothers seek them. In doing so, Völund is captured by a Swedish king, Nithuth, who accuses him of stealing his treasure. While making his escape, Völund kills Nithuth’s sons and sends their skulls, set in silver, to their father. He then makes good his escape by flying away on wings he has made for himself.
The Lay of Helgi the Son of Hjorvarth. Helgi is befriended by a Valkyrie who sends him a sword that allows him to do great deeds. Together with Atli, he subdues the ferocious daughter of a giant. Later, as a king in his own right, he marries Svava, the Valkyrie who aided him. He dies in a duel with King Alf.
The First Lay of Helgi Hundingsbane. At an early age, Helgi, a son of Sigmund, begins to do valorous deeds. Urged on by the Valkyrie Sigrun, he later engages another king, Granmar, in a sea battle in order to release Sigrun from her obligation to marry Granmar’s son Hothbrodd.
Of Sinfjotli’s Death. Helgi’s brother Sinfjotli is killed by his stepmother, Borghild, in revenge for his murder of her brother. She kills him by making him drink poisoned ale.
Gripir’s Prophecy. Sigurth, another of Sigmund’s sons, receives a prophecy about his life. Gripir tells him that he will avenge his father’s death and fight a terrible dragon named Fafnir. Then Gripir tells him how he will be sent to court Brynhild for King Gunnar, whose form he will take on. As Gunnar, he rides through a ring of fire and wins Brynhild. When she learns of his deception, however, she goads her brother-in-law to kill him.
The Ballad of Regin. Regin tells Sigurth how Loki has killed Regin’s brother Otr, having mistaken him for an actual otter. Otr’s father, Hreithmar, demands payment in gold as recompense. When Hreithmar refuses to share the “man-money” with his sons Fafnir and Regin, Fafnir kills him and takes all the treasure. Once Sigurth comes of age, Regin urges him to fight with Fafnir.
The Ballad of Fafnir. In Sigurth’s battle with the dragon Fafnir, the hero tastes blood from the dragon’s heart and immediately discovers that he can understand the speech of birds. When he learns from the birds that Regin plans to kill him, he kills Regin as well as the dragon.
The First Lay of Guthrun. In Guthrun’s lament for her dead husband, Sigurth, she tells of his being killed as the result of Brynhild’s fury at his deception when he courted her disguised as Gunnar. Brynhild blames the murder on her brother Atli, who forced her to marry Gunnar.
The Short Lay of Sigurth. Brynhild describes her rage at having to marry Gunnar. In the end she kills herself.
The Greenland Lay of Atli. When Guthrun’s brothers visit her at her husband Atli’s court, Atli kills them. In revenge, Guthrun kills Atli’s sons and feeds their hearts to her husband; then she stabs him and burns the court to the ground.
Bibliography
Acker, Paul, and Carolyn Larrington, eds. The “Poetic Edda”: Essays on Old Norse Mythology. New York: Routledge, 2002. Collection of essays presents analyses of the major poems in the work from feminist, structuralist, poststructuralist, and other modern standpoints. Includes introductions that provide an overview of the Poetic Edda’s critical history.
Bellows, Henry Adams, ed. and trans. The Poetic Edda. New York: American-Scandinavian Foundation, 1957. Includes a general introduction that gives an excellent overview of the poems, their origins, manuscript texts, and verse forms.
Kellogg, Robert. “Literacy and Orality in the Poetic Edda.” In Vox Intexta: Orality and Textuality in the Middle Ages, edited by A. N. Doane and Carol Braun Pasternack. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1991. Discusses the Poetic Edda as a collaboration between the oral and the literate worlds. Examines evidence of the oral origins of the poems that make up the work.
MacCulloch, John A. Eddic [Mythology]. Vol. 2 in The Mythology of All Races. New York: Cooper Square, 1964. Retells the stories told in the Poetic Edda, analyzing and ordering them by subject and discussing their relationships to the mythologies of other peoples.
Ólason, Vésteinn. “The Middle Ages: Old Icelandic Poetry.” In A History of Icelandic Literature, edited by Daisy Neijmann. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. Offers a discussion of the Poetic Edda within its historical context.
Ross, Margaret Clunies. A History of Old Norse Poetry and Poetics. Rochester, N.Y.: D. S. Brewer, 2005. Guide to the literature of early Scandinavia places the Poetic Edda within its social context. Describes both eddic and skaldic poetic genres and the various styles and subjects of Old Norse poetry.
Tucker, John, ed. Sagas of the Icelanders. New York: Garland, 1989. Collection of essays covers subjects of general interest in early Icelandic literature, including the figure of the heroine, the poets’ rhetorical modes, and the figure of the poet. Some essays discuss individual characters from the stories, including some of the gods.