The third volume of the poetic edda went to press in ursulas 90th year. Setting text and translation side by side, dronke provides full introductions and commentaries for each of the poems. It is generally believed that none of the poems were actually composed in their. It is a collection of mythological and heroic poems of unknown authorship, composed over a long read more. The english translation chosen for the poetic edda is by henry adams bellows, from a 1936 publication that is now in public domain. The story that some of the dwarfs left the rocks and mountains to find a new home on the sands is mentioned, but unexplained, in snorris edda. Henryadamsbellows typesetbybogdanopanchuk, compiledonjuly30,2011 melbourne,australia. Media in category poetic edda the following 8 files are in this category, out of 8 total. The poetic edda ursula dronke oxford university press. In the same year again, the first volume of ursula dronkes edition of the poetic edda was published dronke 1969. Several versions exist, all primarily of text from the icelandic medieval manuscript known as the codex regius, which contains 31 poems. Contents general introduction 1 i lays of the gods 10 voluspo the wisewoman. The poetic edda, edited with translation, introduction. Jun 14, 2010 the poetic and the prose edda as sources to old norse paganism duration.
The poetic edda second edition, revised translated by lee m. Ursula dronke, who has died aged 91, was an inspirational scholar and teacher of old norse literature, and a specialist in the sagas and poetry of medieval iceland. Mar 25, 2012 ursula dronke, who has died aged 91, was an inspirational scholar and teacher of old norse literature, and a specialist in the sagas and poetry of medieval iceland. What is the best modern english translation of the prose. What is the best norwegian translation of the poetic edda. Anthony faulkes edda is similarly well noted and well written. The poetic edda is a collection of 39 poems composed by a variety of anonymous icelandic authors. At once he is welcomed and fed above all he is talked.
They are played out between the twilight of porrs old religion and. Heroic poems dronke poetic edda series volume 1 of poetic edda vol. The codex regius is arguably the most important extant source on norse mythology and. The poetic and the prose edda as sources to old norse paganism duration. Odin and his brothers, vili and ve slay the giant ymir and use his blood and bones to fashion the world and its inhabitants. The codex regius is arguably the most important extant source on norse mythology and germanic heroic. Ursula miriam dronke nee brown, 3 november 1920 8 march 2012 was a medievalist and former vigfusson reader in old norse at the university of oxford and an emeritus fellow of linacre college. One of the poems in the present volume, grottasongr the song of grotti. The poetic edda, edited with translation, introduction, and. Nordic eddas pdf poems of the ancient norse poetic edda for modern pagans who practice. A book of viking lore the lay of grimnir 2011 ursula dronke in the poetic edda, vol. A second, corrected edition was published by the viking society in 2005. While several versions exist, aw consist primarily o text frae the icelandic mediaeval manuscript kent as.
Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. This volume presents four of the most intricate and fascinating mythological poems of the poetic edda, with parallel translations and individual. Books of the poetic edda the following 19 pages are in this category, out of 19 total. One of the aspects of her work i like is the full accounting for her decisions on editing and translating.
Heroic poems edda smundar english selections snippet view 1969. The poetic edda volume iii mythological poems ii edited by ursula dronke. The poetic edda is not only of great interest to the student of antiquity. The variety and quality of the poems reveal the genius of the poets of the viking age. Everyday low prices and free delivery 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. 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. Actually, you can check out the myth right here at shmoop, but well give you a quick summary anyway. Prose edda is called the tricking of gylfi or, in old norse, gylfaginning. A close translation accompanies the text to give the nonspecialist reader a strong sense of the original. Unfortunately, she died before translating all of the poetic edda, but i am glad to have as much of her wellresearched and wellwritten work on the poetic edda as i can get.
This has puzzled scholars who interpret the asmegir as the. Ursula dronke, who has died aged 91, was an inspirational scholar and teacher of old. They are played out between the twilight of porrs old religion and the daybreak of the new. The poetic edda second edition, revised translated by lee. The poetic edda is the modren attribution for an unnamed collection o auld norse poems. 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 project gutenberg ebook of the elder eddas of saemund.
There are satisfactory translations in norwegian and swedish probably more so than in english. While several versions exist, aw consist primarily o text frae the icelandic mediaeval manuscript kent as the codex regius. The lafargetucker glossary to the poetic edda translates the term as intolerable expectation or suspense. Together with the poetic edda, it comprises the major store of scandinavian mythology.
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. She also taught at the university of munich and in the faculty of modern and medieval languages at cambridge university biography. The poetic edda is a later manuscript dating from the second half of the th century, but containing older materials hence its alternative title, the elder edda. The poetic and prose eddas are ancient norse texts containing information about the origins of the universe according to norse mythology. These amazing texts from a thcentury icelandic manuscript are of huge historical, mythological and literary importance, containing the lions share of information that survives today about the gods and heroes of pre.
Part i, prologue and gylfaginning, was published by the clarendon press, oxford, in 1982, and reissued in paperback by the viking society for northern research in 1988. Elder edda vsp, vkv, ls, skm, rg ursula dronke, vol. The mythological poems of the elder edda hold the keys to the understanding and. 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. Born in sunderland and raised in newcastle upon tyne, where her. What is the difference between the prose edda and the poetic. What is the best modern english translation of the prose and. The poetic edda index internet sacred text archive.
Dronke is a feminist scholar, but at least shes excellent at it. This prelate, who was a zealous collector of ancient manuscripts, found in the year 1643, the pg ix. My woolcloaks singed, though i lift it aloft, my capes burning in front of my eyes. Part iii, hattatal, was published by the clarendon press in. B taylor the elder edda as the song of the sybil 1969 patricia terry in poems of the elder edda as voluspa revised 1989 1996 carolyne larrington in the poetic edda as the seeresss prophecy 1997 ursula dronke in the poetic edda. For the prose edda, these two english translations are equally acceptable. Ursula miriam dronke was a medievalist and former vigfusson reader in old norse at the. This volume presents four of the most intricate and fascinating mythological poems of the poetic edda, distinct in theme and style.
The poems of the poetic edda have waited a long time for a modern english translation that would do them justice. I consider myself an amateur history buff, but only on a few select topics. Soundwaves and the big bang in the poetic edda hidden. I realized recently that my knowledge of norse culture and mythology is severely lacking compared to greek, roman, hindu, etc, some of the other majors ive spent a lot of time and effort digesting. Dronkes edition of the poetic edda with translation and commentary three volumes published of a. She also taught at the university of munich and in the faculty of modern and medieval languages at cambridge university. The poems of the poetic edda were probably compiled by saemundr sigfusson in the 12th century in iceland. Edited with translation, introduction and commentary. This volume of ursala dronke s presentation of the older poetic edda isnt just another translation of the voluspa, rigsthula, volundarkvida, lokasenna and skirnismal eddas, but is a badly needed critical edition that brings together all the source material, provides a translation in modern english, and offers commentary that discusses the meaning of difficult terms, provides historical. Jan 18, 2005 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Edited with translation, introduction, and commentary by ursula dronke. The poetic edda comprises a treasure trove of mythic and spiritual verse holding an important place in nordic culture, literature, and heritage.
Volume iii mythological poems ii dronke poetic edda dronke, ursula. Poets who have acknowledged their debt to the poetic edda include vilhelm ekelund, august. This volume of ursala dronkes presentation of the older poetic edda isnt just another translation of the voluspa, rigsthula, volundarkvida, lokasenna and skirnismal eddas, but is a badly needed critical edition that brings together all the source material, provides a translation in modern english, and offers commentary that discusses the meaning of difficult terms, provides historical. The poems of the poetic edda form the most complete and authentic body of surviving prechristian germanic religious and magical lore. What is the best modern english translation of the prose and poetic eddas. What are the best translations of the prose edda by. Jan 01, 20 this is the third published volume of ursula dronkes longrunning edition of the old norseicelandic mythological and heroic poems in the codex regius of the poetic edda, most of them unique to this late thirteenthcentury manuscript, gks 2365 4to, now in reykjavik, but formerly in the royal library, copenhagen.
Publication date 1923 publisher new york the americanscandinavian foundation. Along with snorri sturlusons prose edda, the poetic edda is the most important extant source on norse mythology and germanic heroic legends. Saga book volume xvii 17 part 4 by dronke, ursula et al editors and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. 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. Publication date 1923 publisher new york the americanscandinavian foundation collection robarts. 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. What are the best translations of the prose edda by snorri. Keeps a poetic flare and has extensive notes at the bottom. The eddic manuscript of the codex regius to be fairly honest, ive only really myself read it in icelandic and english but in general, as far as translations and editions of the edda are concerned, i myself have a very simple set of criteria.
Bellows translation has been corrected where there have been clear issues with the numbering of stanzas and where the author has clearly strayed from the old norse original text. Ursula dronke was a brilliant, vital, and impressive representative of a world that seems to be fast disappearing from our grasp. Translations are very scarce and typically come from only a couple sources. Pdf translating the poetic edda carolyne larrington. Jackson crawfords recent version of the poetic edda keeps much of the original meaning of the words, but uses very simple accessible language. This new edition of mythological poems from the poetic edda takes the reader deep into the imagination of the viking poets c. This is a notable contribution to eddie scholarship.