The Prose Edda: Tales from Norse Mythology

by Snorri Sturluson

Book Overview

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 robust new...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140447555
• ISBN13: 9780140447552
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

The current standard English edition of the Prose Edda

This is Anthony Faulkes' acclaimed translation of what is now more commonly (and specifically) known as the Prose Edda. This translation has some features going for it from the onset that other English language translations of the Prose Edda do not; it includes the books Skáldskaparmál and Háttatal, which most translations lack. For example, the most modern major translation of the Prose Edda (Jesse Byock's translation) features a butchered and very simplified version of these two books. These two books are immensely important for the ancient skaldic lays, kennings, and lists they contain, and as one interested in these subjects, you cannot do without them. For those unaware, the Prose Edda consists of four books. Of these books, the best known is Gylfaginning, which presents quite a lot of Norse lore in a prose-based question-answer format. For those of you who have this translation, you may be interested in Faulkes' extensive and enlightening translation notes, freely available online, plus many other interesting (and free) Viking Society PDF articles and essays: http://vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/

Captures the wonderful dry humor!

I agree with the review from 1998, and wanted to add that this translation really captures the dry humor in Sturluson's Edda. The Scandanavians (myself included) have wonderful dry humor, and Norse mythology is full of it as well. This is an excellent translation that does not lose the essence of the Edda. But, like the reviewer before me recommended, do not buy this translation if you're looking for an easy-to-read story book, because Sturluson's Edda was never that. It is the primary resource that Norse mythology writers use to tell their tales of the Norse heroes and gods. Most excellent for academic purposes or Norse mythology fanatics like me! Also, I recommend Norse mythology over Greek or Roman any day. The Norse aren't whiny and annoying like the poor saps in Greek and Roman mythology.

Every page taught me more and more.

I read this text while at university, and in the years since it is never far from my mind. I recommend it to anyone interested in literature, myth, language, or just exhibits an enquiring mind. What intrigued me the most was the skaldic verse form. To my mind it is the most complicated and creative form I have ever witnessed. Without this book, so much about Scandinavian mythology would have been lost to us forever. Snorri Sturlusson was certainly a special man, with a great gift and a proud endevour. Through his work, his ancestors are still breathing, and waiting in Valhalla.

An excellent translation of Sturluson's edda

This is an excellent translation of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda. The text is very easy to read; it doesn't seem translated in the least. A big plus is the fact that the book contains both the original names of characters in old Icelandic, and a translation in English. Sturluson is a great writer, and I would recommend this book to anyone who is the least bit interested in the old Norse tales