Edda | Icelandic Mythology, Poetry & Sagas

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border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Edda">Edda</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/topic/Edda">Introduction</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref2014"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/Edda#ref2014">The Prose Edda.</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref2015"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/Edda#ref2015">The Poetic Edda.</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Edda/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-student-links"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> For Students </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div 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Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. </div> <div class="label mt-20 mb-10">Select Citation Style</div> <select class="js-citation-format-select form-select"> <option selected value="mla">MLA</option> <option value="apa">APA</option> <option value="chicago">Chicago Manual of Style</option> </select> <div class="citation font-serif border rounded p-15 mt-20" data-authors="The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica" data-title="Edda" data-published-date="15 Feb. 2019" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Edda" > <div class="citation-text"></div> </div> <button class="js-copy-citation-button mt-20 btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="file_copy"></em> <span class="js-citation-status-text">Copy Citation</span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-share-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=178885] .md-share-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="share"></em> Share </button> <div class="md-share-modal size-lg d-none qa-share-modal"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10" data-icon="share"></em> Share </div> <div class="label my-20">Share to social media</div> <div class="md-social-toolbar-circle d-flex align-items-start inverted" data-value="share" title="Edda" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Edda" > <a class="social-icon facebook justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Facebook</span></a> <a class="social-icon x justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="x" href="https://x.com/britannica" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>X</span></a> </div> <div class="label pt-20 mt-20 mb-5 border-top">URL</div> <a class="font-serif text-truncate d-inline-block" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Edda">https://www.britannica.com/topic/Edda</a> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-feedback-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal=".md-feedback-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="message"></em> Feedback </button> </div> <div> <button class="qa-external-website-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=178885] .md-websites-modal"> <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 mr-5" data-icon="link"></em> External Websites </button> </div> </div> <div class="md-feedback-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom"> Feedback </div> <form method="post" action="/submission/feedback/178885"> <div class="my-20"> Corrections? 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.worldhistory.org/Edda/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Ancient History Encyclopedia - Edda</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title">Britannica Websites</div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-subtitle">Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.</div> <ul class="list-unstyled bps-topic-web-sites lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Edda/310703" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Edda - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: Eddaic literature</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written and fact-checked by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Edda/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref173110"></span>Edda</strong>, body of ancient <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Icelandic-literature" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Icelandic literature</a> contained in two 13th-century books commonly distinguished as the <em><span id="ref173111"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Prose-Edda" class="md-crosslink ">Prose,</a></em> or <em>Younger, Edda</em> and the <em>Poetic,</em> or <em>Elder, Edda.</em> It is the fullest and most detailed source for modern knowledge of Germanic mythology.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref2014"><h2 class="h1">The Prose Edda.</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <em>Prose Edda</em> was written by the Icelandic chieftain, poet, and historian <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Snorri-Sturluson" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Snorri Sturluson</a>, probably in 1222–23. It is a textbook on poetics intended to instruct young poets in the difficult metres of the early Icelandic skalds (court poets) and to provide for a Christian age an understanding of the mythological subjects treated or <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="alluded" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alluded" data-type="MW">alluded</a> to in early poetry. It consists of a prologue and three parts. Two of the sections—<em><span id="ref173112"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Skaldskaparmal" class="md-crosslink ">Skáldskaparmál</a></em> (“The Language of Poetry”), dealing with the elaborate, riddle-like kennings and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="circumlocutions" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circumlocutions" data-type="MW">circumlocutions</a> of the skalds, and <em><span id="ref173113"></span>Háttatal</em> (“A Catalog of Metres”), giving examples of 102 metres known to Snorri—are of interest chiefly to specialists in ancient Norse and Germanic literature. The remaining section, <em><span id="ref173114"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gylfaginning" class="md-crosslink ">Gylfaginning</a></em> (“The <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Beguiling" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Beguiling" data-type="MW">Beguiling</a> of Gylfi”), is of interest to the general reader. Cast in the form of a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dialogue" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialogue" data-type="MW">dialogue</a>, it describes the visit of Gylfi, a king of the Swedes, to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Asgard" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Asgard</a>, the citadel of the gods. In answer to his questions, the gods tell Gylfi the Norse <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="myths" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/myths" data-type="MW">myths</a> about the beginning of the world, the adventures of the gods, and the fate in store for all in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Ragnarok" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Ragnarǫk</a> (Doom [or Twilight] of the Gods). The tales are told with dramatic artistry, humour, and charm.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> </section><span class="marker h3"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref2015"><h2 class="h1">The <span id="ref173115"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Poetic-Edda" class="md-crosslink ">Poetic Edda</a>.</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <em>Poetic Edda</em> is a later manuscript dating from the second half of the 13th century, but containing older materials (hence its <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="alternative" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alternative" data-type="MW">alternative</a> title, the <em>Elder Edda</em>). It is a collection of mythological and heroic poems of unknown authorship, composed over a long period (<span class="text-smallcaps">ad</span> 800–1100). They are usually dramatic <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dialogues" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialogues" data-type="MW">dialogues</a> in a terse, simple, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="archaic" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archaic" data-type="MW">archaic</a> style that is in decided contrast to the artful poetry of the skalds.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The mythological cycle is introduced by <em>Vǫ</em><em>luspá</em> <span id="ref173116"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Voluspa" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true"></a>(“Sibyl’s Prophecy”), a sweeping <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/creation-myth" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">cosmogonic myth</a> that reviews in flashing scenes the history of the gods, men, and dwarfs, from the birth of the world to the death of the gods and the world’s destruction.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">It is followed by <em><span id="ref173117"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Havamal" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hávamál</a></em> (“Sayings of the High One”), a group of disconnected, fragmentary, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="didactic" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/didactic" data-type="MW">didactic</a> poems that sum up the wisdom of the wizard-warrior god, <span id="ref173118"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Odin-Norse-deity" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Odin</a>. The precepts are <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="cynical" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cynical" data-type="MW">cynical</a> and generally amoral, evidently dating from an age of lawlessness and treachery. The latter part contains the strange <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/myth" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">myth</a> of how Odin acquired the magical power of the runes (alphabetical characters) by hanging himself from a tree and suffering hunger and thirst for nine nights. The poem ends with a list of magic charms.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">One of the finest mythological poems is the humorous <em><span id="ref173119"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/rymskvida" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Thrymskvida</a></em> (“Lay of Thrym”), which tells how the giant Thrym steals the hammer of the thunder god <span id="ref173120"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thor-Germanic-deity" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Thor</a> and demands the goddess <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Freyja" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Freyja</a> in marriage for its return. Thor himself journeys to Thrym, disguised as a bride, and the humour derives from the “bride’s” astonishing manners at the wedding feast, where she eats an ox and eight salmon, and drinks three vessels of mead.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The second half of the <em>Poetic Edda</em> contains lays about the Germanic heroes. Except for the <em>Völundarkvida</em> (“Lay of Völundr”; <em>i.e.,</em> Wayland the Smith) these are connected with the hero <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Siegfried" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Sigurd</a> (Siegfried), recounting his youth, his marriage to Gudrun, his death, and the tragic fate of the Burgundians (Nibelungs). These lays are the oldest surviving poetic forms of the Germanic <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="legend" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legend" data-type="MW">legend</a> of deceit, slaughter, and revenge that forms the core of the great <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="medieval" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medieval" data-type="MW">medieval</a> German epic <em><span id="ref173121"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nibelungenlied" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Nibelungenlied</a>.</em> Unlike the <em>Nibelungenlied,</em> which stands on the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="threshold" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/threshold" data-type="MW">threshold</a> of romance, the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="austere" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/austere" data-type="MW">austere</a> Eddic poems dwell on cruel and violent deeds with a grim stoicism that is unrelieved by any civilizing influences.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; 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Edda | Icelandic Mythology, Poetry & Sagas | Britannica