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The Asatru Edda: Sacred Lore of the North
From the ashes arises the sacred lore of the North, the ancient stories and proverbial wisdom of the satr religion. Mighty Gods and fierce Giants battle in the never-ending struggle between order and chaos, while men seek honor and glory in the eyes of their beloved deities. After many years of research and piecing together sources, now comes the first known holy text ever presented for the satr faith. Giving these ancestral accounts in their true, epic form, The satr Edda is designed as a religious work by and for the men and women of this path. In reconstructing this sacred epic, the idea is to create a living storytelling tradition that will honor the legacy of the ancient Teutonic peoples, while providing an in-depth source of satr wisdom for our modern world.
424 pages, Paperback
First published April 23, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 30, 2015
A fantastic tome that any Heathen should have handy. It isn't perfect, but it is a wonderfully hefty reference.
May 9, 2020
I've done a book review of this one in video format, which can be see right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O139y...
December 29, 2019
It was okay. A bit boring at times, a bit sexy at times. Overall, meh. From a Rainbowdinist ;0
August 8, 2022
The same people who criticized this book are also the same people who haven't read the lore or have and have a very biased opinion on the lore i.e. the Eddas are some how christian, pre-Christian Northern European peoples didn't have their own eschatology nor cosmology, etc. Hence, because this book fits so much lore into a chronological framework, it revolutionizes the way we view the lore of Northern Europe. Which is unorthodox to some while others will love and appreciate what Mark Puryear has done to piece all the scattered lore into an epic mythology.
This book takes its framework from the late eighteenth century Swedish scholar, Dr. Viktor Rydberg. He challenged the Biblical school which was heralded by the Norwegian scholar Sophus Bugge at the time. Sophus Bugge conceded an entire mythological school (Biblical School) when he read Viktor Rydberg's Epic Method and wrote to Viktor Rydberg in February of 1887:
"I have read and wth every page my enthusiasm grows. I have been wonderfully taken by the rich, fresh images. I have read with happiness and in full agreement, surprised to find here combinations that in part have wound around n my own thoughts, but also - for the sake of truth - many times in disagreement and inclined to make an opposite interpretation (for example my applications of the principle of polyonymy). Forgive these words from one, who confronted with such a magnificent and in many respects important work such as yours, has realized that he is nothing more than a philologist. I deeply regret that your Investigations arrived too late to have any influence on my final volume of mythological studies. Please accept my warm thanks for your work, which is more dear to e because you sent it with a friendly word"
If you are still convinced by demagogues that the Eddas are "Christian"then here are comparisons of the purely heathen Vafthrudnismal and the christianized Solarljod;
Without and within
I seemed to traverse
all the seven nether homes:
up and down,
I sought an easier way,
where I might
have the readiest path
Solarljod 52
Of the mysteries of the jotuns
and of all the gods
I can tell truth
because into every
world have I been;
into nine homes I have come
down to Niflhel;
men die from Hel into there
Vafthrudnismal 43
Both passages are describing the realms of death or damnation in the Underworld. The Solarljod passage turns the number of these realms into seven, where the earlier Vafthrudnismal shows that the original number is nine. The former goes into the punishments of these realms, which is cited from Voluspa 39. In Solarljod, the author often invokes the Christian god and the later half of the poem is a description of the Christian Paradise. This is example is a true influence of christian influence while the later is a pure heathen source.
Dr. Viktor Rydberg wrote "Investigations into Germanic Mythology" and "Our Father's Godsaga" which is largely what the Asatru Edda and Odinist Edda is based on. The Asatru Edda and Odinist Edda also add in the Merseburg Incantations, Saxo Grammaticus, etc. into their work to write a sacred lore for serious heathens.
This book presents everything you will want to know about the lore instead of searching hours or days to study more about the lore of the Teutonic peoples. I highly recommend it.
This book takes its framework from the late eighteenth century Swedish scholar, Dr. Viktor Rydberg. He challenged the Biblical school which was heralded by the Norwegian scholar Sophus Bugge at the time. Sophus Bugge conceded an entire mythological school (Biblical School) when he read Viktor Rydberg's Epic Method and wrote to Viktor Rydberg in February of 1887:
"I have read and wth every page my enthusiasm grows. I have been wonderfully taken by the rich, fresh images. I have read with happiness and in full agreement, surprised to find here combinations that in part have wound around n my own thoughts, but also - for the sake of truth - many times in disagreement and inclined to make an opposite interpretation (for example my applications of the principle of polyonymy). Forgive these words from one, who confronted with such a magnificent and in many respects important work such as yours, has realized that he is nothing more than a philologist. I deeply regret that your Investigations arrived too late to have any influence on my final volume of mythological studies. Please accept my warm thanks for your work, which is more dear to e because you sent it with a friendly word"
If you are still convinced by demagogues that the Eddas are "Christian"then here are comparisons of the purely heathen Vafthrudnismal and the christianized Solarljod;
Without and within
I seemed to traverse
all the seven nether homes:
up and down,
I sought an easier way,
where I might
have the readiest path
Solarljod 52
Of the mysteries of the jotuns
and of all the gods
I can tell truth
because into every
world have I been;
into nine homes I have come
down to Niflhel;
men die from Hel into there
Vafthrudnismal 43
Both passages are describing the realms of death or damnation in the Underworld. The Solarljod passage turns the number of these realms into seven, where the earlier Vafthrudnismal shows that the original number is nine. The former goes into the punishments of these realms, which is cited from Voluspa 39. In Solarljod, the author often invokes the Christian god and the later half of the poem is a description of the Christian Paradise. This is example is a true influence of christian influence while the later is a pure heathen source.
Dr. Viktor Rydberg wrote "Investigations into Germanic Mythology" and "Our Father's Godsaga" which is largely what the Asatru Edda and Odinist Edda is based on. The Asatru Edda and Odinist Edda also add in the Merseburg Incantations, Saxo Grammaticus, etc. into their work to write a sacred lore for serious heathens.
This book presents everything you will want to know about the lore instead of searching hours or days to study more about the lore of the Teutonic peoples. I highly recommend it.
July 4, 2019
Short and simple? Garbage.
August 9, 2022
Aside from slight biases of The Norroena Society, this is a well structured text. It presents a cohesive narrative to the otherwise disconnected oral traditions of the original Eddas. Is it historically accurate (in order or presentation)? No, but it owns that and is trying to present something different. Which I believe to be more valuable to a modern practice. The translation(s) itself is overall good, and the stories are faithfully told and well woven into the narrative.
June 5, 2021
If you want a Christian bible with Nordic names.. be my guest
October 27, 2024
I have nothing but recommendation for the Norrœna teams dedication to the accurate reconstruction of the Germanic Faith. This book is paramount to that goal.
September 5, 2022
It’s too UPG and It’s obviously a bible with a Nordic pagan theme. They twisted up some of the stories from the eddas and created their own fantasies. For instance the book says Mani (who is a moon god) is the father of Nanna and Nanna is Mani’s sister who becomes a moon goddess, Odin ban’s seidr because it’s “black magic” while Odin himself practices seidr in the eddas. I tried to keep an open mind but the more I was reading through the book it was becoming more unbearable for me.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews