The Poetic Edda: A Dual-Language Edition

doi:10.11647/obp.0308

The Poetic Edda: A Dual-Language Edition - cover image

DOI

https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0308

License

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Copyright

Edward Pettit

Published On

2023-03-03

ISBN

Paperback978-1-80064-772-5

Hardback978-1-80064-773-2

PDF978-1-80064-774-9

HTML978-1-80064-778-7

XML978-1-80064-777-0

EPUB978-1-80064-775-6

AZW3978-1-80064-776-3

Language

English
Norse, Old

Print Length

894 pages (xvi+878)

Dimensions

Paperback178 x 62 x 254 mm(7" x 2.44" x 10")

Hardback178 x 65 x 254 mm(7" x 2.56" x 10")

Weight

Paperback1524g (53.76oz)

Hardback1761g (62.12oz)

Media

Illustrations2

OCLC Number

1372397104

LCCN

2021385335

BIC

DSBB
D
2ACSX
DC

BISAC

LIT011000
FIC014020
POE022000

LCC

PT7234.E5

Keywords

translation
Old Norse-Icelandic mythology
heroic legend
medieval poems
Poetic Edda
Elder Edda

The Poetic Edda

A Dual-Language Edition

Edward Pettit (author)

This book is an edition and translation of one of the most important and celebrated sources of Old Norse-Icelandic mythology and heroic legend, namely the medieval poems now known collectively as the Poetic Edda or Elder Edda.

Included are thirty-six texts, which are mostly preserved in medieval manuscripts, especially the thirteenth-century Icelandic codex traditionally known as the Codex Regius of the Poetic Edda. The poems cover diverse subjects, including the creation, destruction and rebirth of the world, the dealings of gods such as Óðinn, Þórr and Loki with giants and each other, and the more intimate, personal tragedies of the hero Sigurðr, his wife Guðrún and the valkyrie Brynhildr.

Each poem is provided with an introduction, synopsis and suggestions for further reading. The Old Norse texts are furnished with a textual apparatus recording the manuscript readings behind this edition’s emendations, as well as select variant readings. The accompanying translations, informed by the latest scholarship, are concisely annotated to make them as accessible as possible.

As the first open-access, single-volume parallel Old Norse edition and English translation of the Poetic Edda, this book will prove a valuable resource for students and scholars of Old Norse literature. It will also interest those researching other fields of medieval literature (especially Old English and Middle High German), and appeal to a wider general audience drawn to the myths and legends of the Viking Age and subsequent centuries.

Endorsements

I especially welcome the fact that this prose translation is aimed at understanding the text, rather than preserving a certain style. This is a most valuable contribution to the field and of great value to both students and scholars.

Henrik Williams

Professor of Runology, formerly of Scandinavian Languages, at Uppsala University

Reviews

Having this work published, especially in Open Access, is a great service to readers and students of Norse mythology. The work is entertaining enough that anyone interested in the Middle Ages, especially the Viking world, should check it out. The printed version of this text goes nearly 900 pages, making it quite a tome.

Medievalist.net,

Full Review