The poetic Edda

by Unknown, Jackson Crawford

"The poems of the Poetic Edda have waited a long time for a Modern English translation that would do them justice. Here it is at last (Odin be praised!) and well worth the wait. These amazing texts from a 13th-century Icelandic manuscript are of huge historical, mythological and literary importance, containing the lion's share of information that survives today about the gods and heroes of pre-Christian Scandinavians, their unique vision of the beginning and end of the world, etc.

Genres: Mythology

589 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 27, 2023

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Unknown" when the author or editor (as applicable) is not known and cannot be discovered. If at all possible, list at least one actual author or editor for a book instead of using "Unknown".

Books whose authorship is purposefully withheld should be attributed instead to Anonymous.

Reviews

[Brother · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part with the sagas of the gods and words if wisdom is epic. The second part with men and folly is only 3 stars.

[Jeremy Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good piece of work, I think the translation is a fresh one, and it seems very accessible. I cannot vouch for its accuracy, but I enjoyed the stories very much and it gave an excellent insight into the old Norse stories and myths. I was quite surprised by the unsophisticated style of some of the gods, perhaps because contemporary interpretations of the likes of Thor, Odin, and Loki are looking through a more sophisticated cultural lens. The ancient Norse were perhaps not so nuanced. Thor likes to call everyone a sissy and threatens to pound their heads in continually. Loki, if he were a god of your personal acquaintance, would be nothing short of an irritating d***head. I loved the constant exchange of ridiculous insults and the sheer pettiness of some of the gods.

The author also included a verse at the end which was attributed I think, to his grandfather, and I think the intention here was to honour his dual heritage. It worked really well and I loved the Old West feel and sentiment.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm shocked how fun this was. falls off a bit on the last half tho

[Tullus Stefan · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the best and most easy to understand and follow translation of the Poetic Edda. There aren't that many options out there on the topic as a lot of them are very hard to read due to thei very archaic translation. Dr Crawford brings this book to a broader audience with his words, making it much more understandable and reachable to the common folk.
Another great thing I love about this book is that Dr Crawford spared us his explenations and opinions in the middle of the poems, as compared to other authors that break the rythm of the reading to insert some commentary section. The poems are as you want them to be, one stanza after the other. Dr Crawford provides his great explenations and commentry at the beginning of chapters and at the end of the book, whose pages and covers are of very good quality.
PS. Not letting this influence my opinion too much, but Dr Crawford's both literary and youtube work on the topic is to be admired. It is very extensive and every fan of anything norse / viking should check out his work.
PPS. The man is just incredibly smart and handsome and that voice very much befits his topics. He's a viking cowboy what else do you need?