25 Dec 2025
The Eddas are two medieval Icelandic literary works, the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, serving as the most crucial sources for Norse mythology, tales of gods (like Odin, Thor, Loki) and heroes, and Scandinavian lore, compiled in the 13th century from older oral traditions. The Poetic Edda is an anonymous collection of poems, while the Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson, is a handbook for poets explaining myths and verse, with both providing insight into the pre-Christian Viking world.
They are the primary, detailed sources for understanding Germanic and Norse mythology.
The (Elder) Poetic Edda (PDF) - By Lee M. Hollander
The Poetic Edda comprises a treasure trove of mythic and spiritual verse holding an important place in Nordic culture, literature, and heritage. Its tales of strife and death form a repository, in poetic form, of Norse mythology and heroic lore, embodying both the ethical views and the cultural life of the North during the late heathen and early Christian times.
Collected by an unidentified Icelander, probably during the twelfth or thirteenth century, The Poetic Edda was rediscovered in Iceland in the seventeenth century by Danish scholars. Even then its value as poetry, as a source of historical information, and as a collection of entertaining stories was recognized. This meticulous translation succeeds in reproducing the verse patterns, the rhythm, the mood, and the dignity of the original in a revision that Scandinavian Studies says "may well grace anyone's bookshelf."
The (Younger) Prose Edda (PDF) - By Snorri Sturluson
Beautifully designed and carefully proofed for digital publication, this edition includes:
12 unique illustrations relevant to its content;
*Table of Contents with Quick Navigation.
The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda (Icelandic: Snorra Edda) or simply Edda, is an Old Norse compilation made in Iceland in the early 13th century. Together with the Poetic Edda, it comprises the major store of pagan Scandinavian mythology. The work is often assumed to have been written, or at least compiled, by the Icelandic scholar and historian Snorri Sturluson around the year 1220.