Thursday, August 3, 2006

Norse Edda from Iceland

















'Sæmundar og Snorra Edda' is the name (however accurate or otherwise) given to a 1760 Icelandic manuscript by Ólafur Brynjúlfsson.

There are two major sources that chronicle the legends of Norse mythology.

The 'Poetic Edda' (or 'Sæmundar Edda' or 'Elder Edda') is a collection of alliterative poems (Edda) from the 13th century Icelandic Codex Regius. [Erroneously attributed to a 12th century Icelanic priest, Sæmundar Sigfússon - so sayeth the modern scholars]. The poems are thought to date from the 10th century.

The 'Younger Edda' (or 'Prose Edda' or 'Snorri Edda'), which includes a narrative of Norse mythology and a manual for understanding the nuances of the alliterative poetics, was written by the Icelandic historian and parliamentarian, Snorri Sturluson, also in the 13th century.

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