Reading this edition

The Poetic Edda brings together poems about the gods and heroic figures. The poems speak in different voices; read the individual poem alongside its introduction rather than treating the collection as a single continuous account.

What to read for

Creation and destruction, encounters among the gods, wisdom poetry, and the heroic stories.

Keep the source in view

This is an English translation. Names and spellings can differ from those in other editions; the translator’s introduction is commentary rather than part of the poems.

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