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The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology (Penguin Classics) Kindle Edition

by Jesse L. Byock (Author, Editor, Translator, Contributor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,220 ratings
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The Prose Edda is the most renowned of all works of Scandinavian literature and our most extensive source for Norse mythology. Written in Iceland a century after the close of the Viking Age, it tells ancient stories of the Norse creation epic and recounts the battles that follow as gods, giants, dwarves and elves struggle for survival. It also preserves the oral memory of heroes, warrior kings and queens. In clear prose interspersed with powerful verse, the Edda provides unparalleled insight into the gods' tragic realization that the future holds one final cataclysmic battle, Ragnarok, when the world will be destroyed. These tales from the pagan era have proved to be among the most influential of all myths and legends, inspiring modern works as diverse as Wagner's Ring Cycle and Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
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  1. Print length
    233 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Penguin
  5. Publication date
    July 28, 2005
  6. File size
    1968 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Snorri Sturluson (1179–1241) was the son of an upstart Icelandic chieftain. He rose to become Iceland’s richest and, for a time, most powerful leader.

Jesse Byock is a professor of Icelandic and Old Norse studies at UCLA. He is the translator of The Saga of the Volsungs and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki for Penguin Classics.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002RI9HRU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin; Illustrated edition (July 28, 2005)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 28, 2005
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1968 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 233 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,220 ratings

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
2,220 global ratings
The Prose Edda
5 Stars
The Prose Edda
Great book. I have the Poetic Edda so I knew it was time to get this one. It’s really good but it is a Christians view of the Norse beliefs. Even so if your wanting to gain more knowledge about the pagan beliefs then this is a must have. The book was in great condition when I got it with no damage at all. I would highly recommend this book.I hope you found this review helpful and if so it would be awesome if you could tap that helpful icon below. Thank you so much.
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Top reviews from the United States

Karla Amaya
5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Cool Translation Of The Classic Tales of Norse Mythology
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2023
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Being a fan of Norse mythology since childhood, I always wanted to have my own book of Norse myths. Although I do want a couple of other books, this one came to me when I needed it for my college mythology class and it feels good to have it with me. I enjoy reading it and it really lets your imagination roam free as you think of Odin, Frigga, Thor, Sif, Loki, Freya, and all the heroes though I won't be too mad if you think of the Marvel versions because they are still entertaining.
This Penguin version of Norse mythology is very good and has every Norse myth you know and love along with notes and apprendices from the translated author to let you understand each myth though it would be nice to have a pronunciation for the names mentioned as not all of us may know the Norse language. I recommend this version of Norse myths to all students but also to fans of Norse mythology.
6 people found this helpful
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Mithridates VI of Pontus
5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Read
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2008
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Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241) was a famous Icelandic author, statesman, and one of Iceland's wealthiest men. During Snorri's time Iceland was increasingly dominated by Norway and Norwegian culture. Snorri's Prose Edda was written in response to these new trends as a handbook for those "aspiring Icelandic skalds [poets] who wanted to master the traditional forms of verse and the older stories essential to the imagery of Old Norse Poetry" (xi). The Prose Edda's stories were based on the oral tradition from the Viking Golden Age (800-1000). The Edda is divided into four parts (the Prologue, the Gylfaginning, the Skaldskaparmal, and the List of Meters). Sadly, this volume only includes a sample stanza of the List of Meters due to its dense didactic content. For me the Prologue is by far the most interesting part of the entire Edda. Firstly, Snorri might not have been the author which raises some interesting questions about later additions to his text. Secondly, the Prologue consciously attempts to reconcile Norse myth with Christian beliefs. For example, the Prologue states that after the Fall Norse myth was developed in an attempt to understand the world and that they "understood all matters in an earthly way because they had not been granted no spiritual wisdom (ie. of the Christian God's existence)" (4). Also, Graeco-Roman myths are fitted into the Norse mythology and pantheon for the author states that Odin was descended from the Trojans.

The second section, the Gylfaginning, consists of a dialogue between King Gylfi and the Aesir (Mysterious God people). King Gylfi asks questions to the three manifestations of Odin about the All Father, The Primeval Cow Audhumla, the origins of the Gods, Ice Giants, the Birfrost bridge to Heaven, etc. This is the core of the Edda and is a virtual encyclopedia of Norse Mythology. The third section, called the Skaldskaparmal, gives background for references and allusions found in Old Norse verse. This section gives thousands of kennings (words substituted for other words - for example, whale road = ocean). However, this the Skaldskaparmal is not simply a list of kennings for poets but also provides the background and stories from which the kennings come from. For example, the story about the origin of poetry (a mead made from a man created from the spittle of the Gods) introduces tens of kennings created from obscure details of each story. This section is a treasure trove of poetic lore as well as important Norse stories.

This Penguin edition is absolutely wonderful (besides the lack of the List of Meters). The introduction covers all pertinent information including the historical background about Iceland and Norway, a brief section on Snorri Sturluson, questions of the Edda's authorship, analysis of each section, and the text's Christian influences. Also included are three illuminating Appendixes (about the Norse Cosmos, Kennings, and the sources of the Gylfaginning), a diagram of the World Tree, and a useful map. Although the Prose Edda often seems to didactic and encyclopedic for easy reading the myths are absolutely fascinating and clearly the Prose Edda is not only "Scandinavia's best known work of literature" but also "the most extensive source for Norse Mythology" (ix). A must buy for anyone interested in Norse Mythology and Medieval Icelandic Literature and history.
58 people found this helpful
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wiredweird
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2021
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I can't claim any scholarly expertise, but I've enjoyed reading a number of the Norse sagas. I knew of prose edda by name, but had little idea what was in it.

So this reading came as a happy surprise. I kept in mind the translator's notes about Christian accretions to the original, but I respect his choice of presenting it as it's known today. The content, accretions and all, was a real pleasure. I remember, as a kid, taking pleasure in the Norse myths that I found. This brought them to mind, filled in a lot of missing detail, and took them far beyond what I remember reading.

The afterword on "kenning" was instructive as well - the narrative art of allusive naming. Reading this, it almost sounds like the skalds of the day made recitations of the stories into a connect-the-dots word game, where people and things might be referred to by their properties, locale, noted feats, relationships, or any other trait that came to the teller's mind. The listeners then had to identify the kenning, often through webs of references to other well-known tales. Not having grown up in the tradition, I'd be baffled to hear a story told that way today, but I can appreciate the artistry and the listener participation it must have evoked.

Again, I can't comment on the scholarship of this translation, but I found it readable and enjoyable. On top of that, it relit my interest in reading more of the literature that comes to us from medieval Iceland and the region.

-- wiredweird
11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Hélène Parent
5.0 out of 5 stars Commande bien reçue
Reviewed in Canada on December 15, 2023
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Désolée. J’ai bien reçu le livre commandé. Je l’ai finalement trouvé au fond de la boîte. Mon erreur. La commande est complète. Merci
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Angela Maria Corrêa
5.0 out of 5 stars Elogio
Reviewed in Brazil on June 8, 2023
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Bem escrito e agradável de ler
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Damian Cortes
5.0 out of 5 stars Pues es un libro, de buena editorial
Reviewed in Mexico on April 15, 2021
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Llegó con una página pegada, pero eso es problema de la producción del libro y a veces ocurre.
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Kursat
5.0 out of 5 stars Super book.
Reviewed in Germany on February 6, 2022
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Everyone should read this book
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable book to read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2020
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I enjoyed this, easy to read but a good collection of tales from a culture I know of but didnt know.
Being british there are little references to things that influence back home i found interesting.
2 people found this helpful
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