The Poetic Edda (Oxford World´s Classics New Edition)

A new edition of the famous collection of Norse-Icelandic mythological and heroic poetry known as the Poetic Edda, with fully revised translations and updated introduction and notes. Includes three new poems and revised translations drawing on the latest scholarship. Expanded introduction provides an informative overview of the poems and an outline of Norse myth and heroic legend as well as the poems' later reception and influence on writers such as J. R. R. Tolkien and Alan Garner, and on popular culture, including film and television. Up-to-date bibliography. Appendix including an alternative version of 'The Seeress's Prophecy'. Revised Explanatory Notes. Genealogies of gods, giants, and heroes. Annoted Index of Names.

New to this edition

Revised and expanded introduction that looks at the work's influence on Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and children's authors, and on popular culture including films, TV (The Game of Thrones), and heavy metal. Fully revised translation drawing on the most recent scholarship and including three new poems, 'Groa's Chant', 'The Sayings of Fiolsvinn' (together comprising 'The Lay of Svipdag') and 'The Waking of Angantyr'. Expanded and updated Bibliography. Appendix: alternative version of 'The Seeress's Prophecy'. Revised notes.

'She sees, coming up a second time,
Earth from the ocean, eternally green;
the waterfalls plunge, an eagle soars above them,
over the mountain hunting fish.'


After the terrible conflagration of Ragnarok, the earth rises serenely again from the ocean, and life is renewed. The Poetic Edda begins with The Seeress's Prophecy which recounts the creation of the world, and looks forward to its destruction and rebirth. In this great collection of Norse-Icelandic mythological and heroic poetry, the exploits of gods and humans are related. The one-eyed Odin, red-bearded Thor, Loki the trickster, the lovely goddesses and the giants who are their enemies walk beside the heroic Helgi, Sigurd the Dragon-Slayer, Brynhild the shield-maiden, and the implacable Gudrun. New in this revised translation are the quest-poem The Lay of Svipdag and The Waking of Angantyr, in which a girl faces down her dead father to retrieve his sword.

Comic, tragic, instructive, grandiose, witty and profound, the poems of the Edda have influenced artists from Wagner to Tolkien and a new generation of video-game and film makers.

ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Readership: General readers of myths and legend, especially Norse mythology, students of medieval literature, mythology, religion, history.