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dee9401's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this volume up serendipitously, as part of a trade at one of my local used book stores. This was a fantastic volume. I'd never read any Norse mythology or epic poetry, only the snippets I'd picked up in comic books or movies. This was so much better and having read reams of Greek and Roman mythology and epics, it was cool to see the various similarities we humans have in explaining the world around us.
Several of the poems reminded me of Hesiod's Theogony (e.g. The Seeress's Prophesy, Vafthrudnir's Sayings, Grimnir's Sayings) as well as his Works and Days (e.g. The Sayings of the High One). The former when the Poetic Edda covers the history of the universe and the gods and people in it; the latter when it covers morals, duties, social contracts, and such. The Lay of Atli & the Greenlandic Poem of Atli were had similar instances to the Atreus and Thyestes dining "fiasco." I also saw the idea of asking for a decent burial from the one who kills you, like Hector asking Achilles in the Iliad, in the Greenlandic Poem of Atli (Verse 102-4, p. 233).
I loved the creation myth in the Seeress's Prophecy, especially this: "From the south, Sun, companion of the moon, / threw her right hand round the edge of the heaven, / Sun did not know where her hall might be, / the stars did not know where their place might be, / the moon did not know what power he had" (Verse 5, p. 4).
The Sayings of the High Ones had many useful nuggets, many of which pop up throughout the world and throughout time as useful aphorisms. For example: "The foolish man lies awake all night / and worries about things; / he's tired out when the morning comes / and everything's just as bad as it was" (Verse 23, p. 17). Also, on gluttony, we have: "Cattle know when they ought to go home, / and then they leave the pasture; / but the foolish man never knows / the measure of his own stomach" (Verse 21, p. 17). Finally, in today's world, this is still sage advice: "You should never bandy words / with a stupid fool" (Verse 122, p. 31).
The translation by Carolyne Larrington was wonderful. Her general introduction and the introductions to each poem were short, fantastic and eminently useful.
Several of the poems reminded me of Hesiod's Theogony (e.g. The Seeress's Prophesy, Vafthrudnir's Sayings, Grimnir's Sayings) as well as his Works and Days (e.g. The Sayings of the High One). The former when the Poetic Edda covers the history of the universe and the gods and people in it; the latter when it covers morals, duties, social contracts, and such. The Lay of Atli & the Greenlandic Poem of Atli were had similar instances to the Atreus and Thyestes dining "fiasco." I also saw the idea of asking for a decent burial from the one who kills you, like Hector asking Achilles in the Iliad, in the Greenlandic Poem of Atli (Verse 102-4, p. 233).
I loved the creation myth in the Seeress's Prophecy, especially this: "From the south, Sun, companion of the moon, / threw her right hand round the edge of the heaven, / Sun did not know where her hall might be, / the stars did not know where their place might be, / the moon did not know what power he had" (Verse 5, p. 4).
The Sayings of the High Ones had many useful nuggets, many of which pop up throughout the world and throughout time as useful aphorisms. For example: "The foolish man lies awake all night / and worries about things; / he's tired out when the morning comes / and everything's just as bad as it was" (Verse 23, p. 17). Also, on gluttony, we have: "Cattle know when they ought to go home, / and then they leave the pasture; / but the foolish man never knows / the measure of his own stomach" (Verse 21, p. 17). Finally, in today's world, this is still sage advice: "You should never bandy words / with a stupid fool" (Verse 122, p. 31).
The translation by Carolyne Larrington was wonderful. Her general introduction and the introductions to each poem were short, fantastic and eminently useful.
gijs's review against another edition
3.0
Part of the foundational texts of the Norse sagas; a classic. Mandatory reading for Tolkien and Wagner fans! For a modern adaptation be sure to also check out Neil Gaiman’s ‘Norse mythology’.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
5.0
I've always been fascinated with the Nordic mythology and the gods and what not. We're shockingly easy to read, must be because of the (I'm guessing, great) translation. Very interesting read
sonotnic's review against another edition
4.0
The Elder Edda: A Book of Viking Lore, translated with an introduction and notes by Andy Orchard, was interesting to have on hand during our study of Norse mythology, but neither I nor the 10-year-old found it to be all that readable, although we do still frequently ask each other "Do you know yet, or what?" and then giggle hysterically. We did read the brief but entertaining Þrymskviða (Thrymskvida) in full just to get a sense of the original Poetic Edda, but we most often used it to settle discrepancies between retellings, such as, "Was it Loki's or Heimdallr's idea to dress Thor as the bride Freyja? (It was Heimdallr.)
punk_r0ck_dyk3's review against another edition
4.0
This was awesome, it was everything it needed to be and really helpful. I would say if your new to Norse mythology to start with something else because is does not include background information.
velociranga's review against another edition
4.0
I slowly worked my way through the historic Norse poems here, finishing my little adventure into this ancient culture (after reading [b:The Prose Edda|24658|The Prose Edda|Snorri Sturluson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411896509l/24658._SY75_.jpg|1198450] earlier in the year). It was such an interesting insight into the culture of the time, the storytelling traditions it established, and the many, many modern works it has inspired/provided materials for/been copied by (especially Lord of the Rings and the Ring cycle).
I think I generally preferred the Prose Edda more, as it told longer and more detailed tales. I felt like I got more information and perspective on the world, compared to these shorter tales. The Prose Edda I read also showed more of the "kennings", word-play titles that require unpacking metaphors and historical/literary references. I really enjoyed hearing about the layers of references that built these, but the translation of the Poetic Edda I read (by Jackson Crawford) gave only the final product. This made reading the poems easier and gave the meanings clearly, but did remove some of the linguistic and literary fun I had with the Prose Edda.
But overall, I loved reading these! Another review here mentioned how often people look up references to classic texts via other summaries or analysis, when the original text is more direct and interesting. Especially when these translations are so clear, and the stories so interesting still. It makes me want to return to these in the future when those situations arise, journeying back into the past to rediscover these epic tales.
I think I generally preferred the Prose Edda more, as it told longer and more detailed tales. I felt like I got more information and perspective on the world, compared to these shorter tales. The Prose Edda I read also showed more of the "kennings", word-play titles that require unpacking metaphors and historical/literary references. I really enjoyed hearing about the layers of references that built these, but the translation of the Poetic Edda I read (by Jackson Crawford) gave only the final product. This made reading the poems easier and gave the meanings clearly, but did remove some of the linguistic and literary fun I had with the Prose Edda.
But overall, I loved reading these! Another review here mentioned how often people look up references to classic texts via other summaries or analysis, when the original text is more direct and interesting. Especially when these translations are so clear, and the stories so interesting still. It makes me want to return to these in the future when those situations arise, journeying back into the past to rediscover these epic tales.
cazxxx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
twistedreader93's review against another edition
I can’t really give this a rating because I’m just starting on my journey of Norse paganism and I’m just trying to learn as much as I can