Guide to Reading the Eddas

In ancient times, Norse mythology was passed down through the Scandinavian oral tradition. When this process was interrupted by the Christianization of Scandinavia, the myths began to fade from popular memory…but not before Icelandic scholars wrote them down during the Medieval ages.

While many Medieval texts and sagas reference Norse gods and goddesses, two works known as the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda are thought to contain the most authentic expressions of original Norse mythology. For this reason, they’re often read by those developing a Heathen or Norse Pagan practice, or by those who simply wish to dive deeper into Norse mythology.

Despite having similar-sounding names, the two Eddas are different works, penned by different authors at different periods of time.

The Prose Edda, or Elder Edda, is a mythography written around 1220 CE by the scholar and politician Snorri Sturluson. Under the pretense of writing a textbook about the poetic art known as kenning, he tells the stories of the Norse gods in vivid detail.

The Poetic Edda, or Younger Edda, is a text of unknown authorship that contains Old Norse poems, many of them also reflecting the original myths of the gods. Its oldest and best manuscript is the Codex Regius, which was written around 1270 CE. However, the Poetic Edda might be older than the Prose Edda on account of the fact Snorri quotes it a few times.

While the Prose Edda was written in Icelandic, the Poetic Edda was written in Old Norse, which was a very complex and advanced language that supported multiple dimensions of meaning behind phrases and words. Even the shortest sentences can contain a vast ecosystem of meaning. Because this mechanics of these languages are very difficult to replicate in English, no English translation of the Eddas actually captures all the layers of meaning behind the words.

My recommendation for reading the Eddas is to choose whatever translation best suits your needs and exploring others from there. I’ve put together this guide so you can make an informed decision about which translation to start with.

The Norse people didn’t use the Eddas to learn about their own mythology. These texts were authored with the expectation that those reading them would already know the stories by heart, which actually makes them a very poor introduction to the Norse myths.

If you’re not familiar with the stories themselves, I suggest reading a retelling first. The only retelling I’ve encountered that’s easy to read, culturally-informed, and accurate to the Norse worldview is the D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths, which you can find online.

The Eddas were never intended to be scripture and don’t operate as such. While they’re very culturally-important, they’re not divinely-inspired nor are they meant to provide instructions on how to live life as a Heathen.

Once you’re acquainted with the Norse myths, then it’s time to start with the Eddas. You can read either the Poetic Edda or Prose Edda first, but I recommend starting with the Poetic Edda first considering Snorri quotes it within his Prose Edda.

Below is a list of common translations and some notes about their character. I’ve provided both copyrighted versions and public domain versions for your convenience.

Dr. Crawford’s The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes was designed for legibility and ease of reading. This is a good translation if you want a simpler translation, or if English is your second language.

Larrington strikes a nice balance between poetry and clarity. This is the one I personally started with. While her translation isn’t as academically rigorous as her mentor’s is (Ursula Dronke), its scope is great for a general audience and has good annotations.

I’ve not personally read the Hollander edition, but I’ve heard that it aims to capture more of the “poetry” part of the poems than other editions do. Pick this one up if you’re looking for a more florid translation.

The Dronke translation is the Holy Grail of translations, designed for a full academic breakdown of the contents. It’s a textbook, and unfortunately priced like one. I was informed you could request this version through an inter-library loan at a university, so I’ll pass on this recommendation here. If you can get your hands on a copy, consider yourself one lucky dog.

Edward Pettit has made an absolutely stellar public domain version of the Poetic Edda that contains both the original Old Norse text and an English translation, something we only otherwise see in the Dronke version. It also comes with academic notes, summaries, and further reading. You can download a free copy here.

I don’t typically recommend older Public Domain translations of the Eddas since they use very archaic language, but they make for good cross-reference material. Bellows tends to be the most referenced of these public domain works since the language is still comprehensible to modern audiences. You can read in on Project Gutenberg here.

Thorpe’s translation tends to be another commonly-cited public domain version, probably due to the simpler translation he went with.

There are more translations of the Poetic Edda I haven’t accounted for, simply because I’m not familiar with them. For examples of all the different translations, visit here.

Currently, the only version of the Prose Edda I can personally vouch for is the Anthony Faulkes translation, titled Edda, which I’ve found to be rather good. There are other versions out there, though, so don’t hesitate to try them!

This is a Public Domain version of the Prose Edda. You can read it here.

Another Public Domain version of the Prose Edda. You can read it here.

Q: Why the D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths?
A: Ingrid D’Aulaire was from Scandinavia and grew up hearing these stories told to her. Because of this, she and her husband Edgar were able to expertly weave both the cultural understanding and the academic knowledge of these stories together into one cohesive narrative. This book is as close to the oral tradition as you will get without having direct access to it.

Q: What about Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology?
A: I don’t recommend using Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology because it’s a work of creative literature and not a retelling. I don’t recommend using Marvel’s Thor movies for the same reason. Gaiman introduces character motivations, subplots, personalities, and character arcs that don’t exist in the Norse myths. Doing this removes the cultural context that makes these tales mythology and turns them into popular entertainment.

Q: Can I listen to a podcast or watch an online video instead?
A: Podcasts and video explainers are fun, but I’ve found they’re prone to error and misrepresentation. Again, these stories were originally told in a very complex language and used the surrounding culture as context. Anglophones tend to misrepresent them due to a general unfamiliarity with these things.

Q: What if I’ve already heard/read the myths somewhere before?
A: That’s fine. Most people get into Norse mythology because they’ve seen the gods portrayed in media or read the myths somewhere before. Now it’s just a matter of making sure you have accurate information.

Q: Should I read the Eddas the same way I’ve read the Bible?
A: No. If you try, you’ll become very confused very quickly. The Eddas were not designed to be scripture, and therefore don’t contain the will of the gods, nor do they outline any Heathen orthodoxy. Instead, they’re a record of cultural stories and poems designed to convey the Norse people’s collective knowledge of the world. The paganism of the Norse and the Heathenry of today don’t operate on a mechanic of giving people directives about how they should be or behave. The only appears in Heathenry today when people are unfamiliar with how to “be religious” outside of a Christian paradigm.

Q: What about the Hávamál? Doesn’t that give advice on how to live and behave?
A: Not necessarily. The Hávamál contains pieces of advice, but because these words were allegedly spoken by Odin—a god known for testing the minds of men—it’s unlikely that they’re meant to be taken wholesale. My personal experience with the Hávamál is that it’s a riddle to solve rather than instructions to follow.