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henry_michael03's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
cheesiest_doodle's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
eisneun's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the great works of Western European literature -- which is not to say that it is perfect. The sagas were passed down orally for centuries, and only written down about 1000 years ago, though no one knows for sure. It gives a glimpse into the culture of Northern Europe, but what's really interesting to me is how human a lot of the stories are. Although "Viking culture" is obviously present throughout these stories, and there is no small amount of bloodshed, the characters are in many ways like us. I have both the softcover and the audiobook because, although I prefer reading, in this case it's nice to hear it because that's the way it was presented in the past. I also like the modern cowboy rendering of the Havamal at the end of the book, showing how relevant and applicable (more or less) the Havamal is to modern life.
diverdovvn's review against another edition
3.0
Look man, it's viking poetry. It's not bad but it isn't my shit. I can't say I enjoyed reading it per say, I just liked learning more about the Norse Gods. It's hard to imagine that this is where 90% of the information on them comes from.
justiceofkalr's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting to see how this influenced Tolkien, but also really fascinating in it's own right.
jameshaus's review against another edition
5.0
Really good edition meant to inspire future scholars of Norse mythology. Copious footnotes which give you a sense of just how fragmented and contentious interpretation of each individual stanza can be. Lokasenna was my favorite because it basically involved Loki absolutely ruining a feast with his animosity towards the gods until Thor shows up and threatens to conk him on the head. Strongly inspires me to read the prose Edda next.
orfaux's review against another edition
It was a difficult read to follow through in evenings. I loved the Elder Edda albeit it was difficult but I felt like I needed a break before reading the heroic Edda.
laurenjpegler's review against another edition
2.0
one of those times where i’d rather read a retelling…