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bluestjuice's review against another edition
3.0
It's a mixed bag. This volume is a collection of (primarily Icelandic, although there are arguments about this) Scandinavian poetry, dating from probably about 900 to as late as 1400. Like most works that arise in an oral tradition, there is a lot of argument about when each piece is actually dated from, and of course the date at which it was composed may not correspond well with the date at which it was written down. Additionally, many of the poems have likely been modified many times over the intervening years, and there are lots of footnotes which try to make sense of these possibilities, and also give context and meaning to the many names and mythological references herein. Constantly referring to footnotes makes reading this less pleasurable than it could be, but it's also true that for the most part, the poetry is not complex, and the particular style of the verses tends to repeat lines over and over and over again in a way that is not my favorite (but is excellent for memorizing poems). My favorite pieces were the Hovamol, a collection of proverbs which seem surprisingly applicable for being 1000+ years old, and the Lokasenna, which features a spry smack-talk argument between Loki and the rest of the Aesir. I want to translate/abbreviate it into modern English in the worst way.
topher804's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
dr_matthew_lloyd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
slow-paced
5.0
queenaries's review against another edition
5.0
A little confusing but nevertheless important mythology information if you’re going into Norse paganism or working with Norse deities
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
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.