The poetic edda is an epochmaking cache of mythological and heroic tales that have compelled wagner, tolkien, borges and auden, among many others. The poetic edda also called the elder edda is a collection of epical poems about norse gods and heroes. Translations are very scarce and typically come from only a couple sources. The poetic edda begins with the seeresss prophecy which recounts the creation of the world, and looks forward to its destruction and rebirth. Born in ajax, ontario, dodds grew up in orono, ontario. In this rousing linebyline translation, awardwinning poet jeramy dodds transmits the old icelandic text into english, placing it in the hands of poetry fans and. Havamal, notable for its unforgettable flashes of beauty and despair, explores the nature of human knowledge. The poetic edda or elder edda was written down circa 1270 ce by an unknown.
Jeramy dodds reading from his translation of the poetic edda at awp minneapolis 2015. He studied english literature and anthropology at trent university, medieval icelandic studies at the university of iceland, and has worked as a research archaeologist in canada. Along with snorri sturlusons prose edda, the poetic edda is the most important extant source on norse mythology and germanic heroic legends. The bulk of these poems, however, is contained in a single manuscript, the codex regius, a work first compiled c. Edda, body of ancient icelandic literature contained in two thcentury books commonly distinguished as the prose, or younger, edda and the poetic, or elder, edda. For the prose edda, these two english translations are equally acceptable. Dodds has brought forth an exciting new translation of these medieval icelandic poems. Jeramy dodds transmits the old icelandic text into english without chipping the patina of the original. The poems of the poetic edda form the most complete and authentic body of surviving prechristian germanic religious and magical lore. Jeramy dodds is the author of crabwise to the hounds, which won the 2009 trillium book award for poetry and was shortlisted for the griffin. It is one of the few extent sources that provide a periscope into the viking age consciousness.
Jeramy dodds born 4 december 1974 in ajax, ontario is a canadian poet born in ajax, ontario, dodds grew up in orono, ontario. These verses are a treasure trove of mythic and spiritual verse holding an important place in nordic culture, literature, and heritage. The poetic edda literature hackett publishing company. Since the rediscovery of the poetic edda in the seventeenth century, its poetry has fascinated artists as diverse as thomas gray, richard wagner, and jorge luis borges. This volume presents four of the most intricate and fascinating mythological poems of the poetic edda, with parallel translations and individual introductions and commentaries. He studied english literature and anthropology at trent university, and then decided to go overseas to the university of icenland to specialize in medieval icelandic studies. Sep 11, 2014 the poetic edda begins with the seeresss prophecy which recounts the creation of the world, and looks forward to its destruction and rebirth.
Dec 11, 2014 the poetic edda is essentially a collection of multiple mythological poems and hero poems detailing the lives and adventures of several prominent norse gods, warriors, and kings. We have passed by this class of books, not because they are of later date than those mentioned in the last two sections, but because they could not be considered earlier without a break in the thread of the history. The codex regius is arguably the most important extant source on norse mythology and germanic heroic. One of the two works referred to as eddas, the poetic edda is actually not a single, fixed work, but a collective term for poetry on stories and themes from norse mythology as found in old icelandic manuscripts. Together, they are the primary sources of both norse mythology and the skaldic poetry of scandinavians during the viking age. The poetic edda index internet sacred text archive. It is somewhat difficult to classify accurately the books of this section. This translation of the poetic eddas by henry adams bellows is highly readable. Jeramy dodds, leigh kotsilidis, joshua trotter, and gabe foreman, guest edit an issue of riddle fence with artwork by team macho. Several versions exist, all primarily of text from the icelandic medieval manuscript known as the codex regius, which contains 31 poems. Coach house books, 2004 and the poetic edda coach house books, 2014, a translation from old icelandic. The poetic edda carolyne larrington oxford university. This text now form the primary document for the poetic edda but other poems of a similar type and age are often included. His first collection of poems, crabwise to the hounds, was shortlisted for the griffin poetry prize, the gerald lampert award, and won the trillium book award for poetry.
An english translation of the old icelandic poetic edda is his most recent publication. The national posts michael lista says jeramy doddss upcoming translation of the poetic edda is one of the most anticipated poetry collections of 2014. 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. Jeramy dodds has an informative intro explaining some of his translation decisions, which i thought were helpful, along with some history of the icelandic language. Books of the poetic edda the following 19 pages are in this category, out of 19 total.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Keeps a poetic flare and has extensive notes at the bottom. Gods, giants, violence, the undead, theft, trolls, dwarves, aphorisms, unrequited love, valkyries, heroes, kidnapping, dragons, the creation of the cosmos and a giant wolf are just some of the. I am right now reading a new translation of the nordic poetic edda th c.
Buy the poetic edda oxford worlds classics reissue by larrington, carolyne isbn. It is the fullest and most detailed source for modern knowledge of germanic mythology. Top american libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage library childrens library. The poetic edda is essentially a collection of multiple mythological poems and hero poems detailing the lives and adventures of several prominent norse gods, warriors, and kings.
The poetic edda the elder edda by anonymous and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Jeramy dodds reading from his translation of the poetic edda. 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. None of the poems can be dated with any certainty, but it is clear that many of the heroic poems go back to the lore of the 6th and 7th centuries. Hymiskvita is the boisterous tale of the giant hymir. What are the best translations of the prose edda by.
The prose edda, also known as the younger edda, snorris edda or simply edda, is an old norse work of literature written in iceland in the early th century. It is worthwhile to note that the term prose was only attached to the prose edda to distinguish it from the poetic edda. For the history and meaning of the name edda, see the eddas. There are two widelyavailable versions of the poetic edda. His debut poetry collection, crabwise to the hounds coach house books, 2008, received the 2009 trillium book award for. Codex regius was written in the th century but nothing is known of its whereabouts until 1643 when it came into the possession of brynjolfur sveinsson, then bishop of skalholt. Oct 15, 2014 buy the paperback book the poetic edda by jeramy dodds at indigo. It is generally believed that none of the poems were actually composed in their. Jeramy doddss first collection, crabwise to the hounds, won the trillium book award for poetry and was shortlisted for the griffin poetry prize. As such, theres a ton of magic, murder, and viking mayhem, but nothing resembling an overall plot. Buy the paperback book the poetic edda by jeramy dodds at indigo. His most recent publication is a translation of the poetic edda from old icelandic into english.
I appreciate that any notes on the text or translation appear either at the beginning or the end, so that it can be read seamlessly and uninterrupted. Jeramy dodds is the author of crabwise to the hounds, which won the 2009 trillium book award for poetry. What is the difference between the prose edda and the poetic. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the poetic edda. Poetic edda is the modern attribution for an unnamed collection of old norse anonymous poems, which is different from the edda written by snorri sturluson. The prose edda was written by the icelandic chieftain, poet, and historian snorri sturluson, probably in 122223. Together with the poetic edda, it comprises the major store of scandinavian mythology. The modern poetic translation of jeremy dodds cannot be recommended. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders.
Jun 20, 2017 along with snorri sturlusons prose edda, the poetic edda is the most important extant source on norse mythology and germanic heroic legends. Committed to vellum in iceland around 1270, the poetic edda has compelled the likes of richard wagner, j. The poetic eddas are the oral literature of iceland, which were finally written down from to 0 c. Jackson crawfords recent version of the poetic edda keeps much of the original meaning of the words, but uses very simple accessible language. Vikings, november 2019 subject of the month research guides.
The poetic edda second edition, revised translated by lee. 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. The collection of norseicelandic mythological and heroic poetry known as the poetic edda contains the great narratives of the creation of the world and the coming of ragnarok, the doom of the gods. Nov 18, 2014 the poetic edda translated by jeramy dodds is a highly readable and extremely engaging translation. What im looking for is a copy of the poetic edda that is as close to the original as possible but translated to english and unabridged, cause i want to enjoy the old norse stories as others enjoyed them ages ago. The national posts michael lista says jeramy dodds s upcoming translation of the poetic edda is one of the most anticipated poetry collections of 2014.
Those lays that are considered part of the poetic edda but are not found in the codex regius, are sometimes called the eddica minora lesser eddic lays. Born in ajax, ontario, jeramy dodds grew up in orono, ontario. The poetic edda is not only of great interest to the student of antiquity. The mythological poems explore the wisdom of the gods and giants, narrating the adventures of the god thor against the hostile giants and the gods rivalries amongst themselves. All the lays of the poetic edda are generally of anonymous authorship.
In this great collection of norseicelandic mythological and heroic poetry, the exploits of gods and humans are related. There are satisfactory translations in norwegian and swedish probably more so than in english. So important to the stock of norse mythology, this great. Dodds, jeramy translator published by coach house books 2014 isbn 10. A new edition of the famous collection of norseicelandic mythological and heroic poetry known as the poetic edda, with fully revised translations and updated introduction and notes includes three new poems and revised translations drawing on the latest scholarship. He is the winner of the bronwen wallace memorial award and the cbc literary award for poetry. The poems of the poetic edda were probably compiled by saemundr sigfusson in the 12th century in iceland. The poetic edda translated by jeramy dodds is a highly readable and extremely engaging translation. This is the first complete translation to be published in britain for fifty years, and it includes a scholarly introduction, notes, a genealogy of the gods and giants, and an.
The eddas are a primary source for our knowledge of ancient norse pagan beliefs. Reading writing interfaces from the digital to the bookbound. It takes the form of a working edition of the mythological poems of the ancient norse poetic edda for modern pagans who practice the magic and religion of the north. Jun 09, 2015 jeramy dodds reading from his translation of the poetic edda at awp minneapolis 2015. Anthony faulkes edda is similarly well noted and well written. During the th century these myths were collected and written down in codex regius. His first collection of poems, crabwise to the hounds coach house books, 2008, was shortlisted for the griffin poetry prize, the gerald lampert award, and won the trillium book award for poetry. The poetic edda ursula dronke oxford university press. The first translation ive read of the poetic edda i dont mean to imply ive read the original language edition. Jeremy doddss instinctive irony and musicality is a particularly apt fit for the. What are the best translations of the prose edda by snorri. Click here for more information and purchasing options. His most recent publications are a translation of the poetic edda coach house books, 2014 from old icelandic into english, and a collection of.