Snorre Sturleson

Snorre Sturleson (1178-1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He was the author of the Prose Edda or Younger Edda, which consists of Gylfaginning (The Fooling of Gylfi), a narrative of Norse mythology, the Skaldskaparmal, a book of poetic language, and the Hattatal, a list of verse forms. He was also the author of the Heimskringla, a history of the Norwegian kings that begins with legendary material in Ynglinga Saga and moves through to early medieval Scandinavian history. For stylistic and methodological reasons, he is often taken to be the author of Egils Saga. As a historian and mythographer, he is remarkable for proposing the theory that mythological gods begin as human war leaders and kings whose funeral sites develop cults. As a chief and statesman Snorre behaved exactly the opposite of the resolute and often heroic characters of the sagas, to such a degree that his authorship of them is sometimes questioned. His name is also spelt Snorri Sturlusson/Sturlson/Sturlason.

The Younger Edda

The Poetic Edda is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous poems, which is distinct from the Prose Edda written by Snorri Sturluson. Several versions exist, all primarily of text from the Icelandic medieval manuscript known as the Codex Regius, which contains 31 poems. The Codex Regius is arguably the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends. The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda (Icelandic: Snorra Edda) or, historically, simply as Edda, is an Old Norse textbook written in Iceland during the early 13th century. The work is often assumed to have been to some extent written, or at least compiled, by the Icelandic scholar, lawspeaker, and historian Snorri Sturluson c. 1220.

The Elder Eddas, and The Younger Eddas (Esprios Classics)

Saemund Sigfusson

I found information on a Saemund Sigfusson while reading family documents. I then learned that Odinist Masons in France had seen him as instrumental in the building of the first Gothic cathedral in Chartres. When it comes to the Eddas, what was Saemund Sigfusson's role? Who knows for sure? Be that as it may be, the texts stand by themselves because they are a cultural landmark. Moreover, is it not interesting to see what the views of some specialists were in 1906? So, because there are readers who prefer a hard copy, here is the English translation again, a hundred years after its first publication, but this time with a new feature: an extensive index which should be useful to about anyone.

The Elder Eddas and the Younger Eddas

Seamund Sigfusson

Edda is an Old Norse term that has been attributed by modern scholars to the collective of two Medieval Icelandic literary works: what is now known as The Elder Edda/Poetic Edda and the Younger Edda/Prose Edda. The Younger Eddas was written by the Icelandic scholar and historian Snorre Sturleson. The Elder Eddas was written by was an Icelandic priest and scholar Seamund Sigfusson Both works were written down in Iceland during the 13th century in Icelandic. They contain material from earlier traditional sources, reaching into the Viking Age, and are the main sources of Norse Mythology.

Elder and Younger

Edda

Alex Struik

I. A. Blackwell

The "Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson" also known as the "Prose Edda" is believed to have been put together by the Icelandic poet, politician, and historian Snorri Sturluson in the 14th Century and consists of a Christian's interpretation of the origins of Nordic mythology. The Prose Edda is related to the Poetic Edda in that the Prose Edda cites various poems collected in the Poetic Edda as sources. The two Eddas are the most important extant sources on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends, and from the early 19th century onwards have had a powerful influence on later Scandinavian literatures. Poets who have acknowledged their debt to the Poetic Edda include Vilhelm Ekelund, August Strindberg, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ezra Pound and Karin Boye.

Snorre Sturleson

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