A review by eisneun
The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes by Unknown

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.