What is Reddit's opinion of The Poetic Edda (Oxford World's Classics)?

As other people have said, read the sources themselves. Neil Gaiman is good but he doesn't get as good as the original! Caroline Larrington's translation of the Poetic Edda is quite cool: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199675341/ref=dp_ob_title_bk Here is a good translation of the Prose Edda with commentary: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prose-Edda-Mythology-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140447555/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AK4RMWSXZRA97ZZRP1WH

Just to make it clear, "The Prose Edda" and "The Poetic Edda" are very different texts from Medieval Iceland, which both happened to be called Eddas later because of a literary tradition. The Poetic Edda is a collection of short narrative poems on mythological and heroic subjects - these poems have no known authorship, and were likely written over a few centuries and then collected on one manuscript. The Prose Edda is basically a summary of Old Norse mythology written by an Icelandic bloke called Snorri Sturluson, about whom you will be hearing a lot further on. An amazing storyteller, Snorri did more or less what Neil Gaiman did, that is, wrote a book outlining the most important mythological stories - but he did so for 13th century audience, which makes for a more complex and more fascinating read.

If you are more interested in narratives about heroes like Ragnar loðblók, there are numerous Old Norse sagas to read. If you are interested in mythology more that with history, I recommend Saga of King Hrolf Kraki and Saga of the Volsungs to start with. They go heavy on Odin, dragons, berserkir, armies of living dead etc. Penguin has really good annotated editions of these sagas (both translated by Jesse Byock).

Also, last time I checked this was weirdly not on the reading list:

The vast majority of Norse myths come from two books that are surprisingly accessible to modern audiences if you have a good translation. And as it so happens, they are also pretty cheap!

My recommendation is to get this version of the Poetic Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199675341/ref=mp_s_a_1_1) and this version of the Prose Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Edda-Everymans-Library-Snorri-Sturluson/dp/0460876163/ref=mp_s_a_1_1).

The vast majority of Norse myths come from two books that are surprisingly accessible to modern audiences if you have a good translation. And as it so happens, they are also pretty cheap!

My recommendation is to get this version of the Poetic Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199675341/ref=mp_s_a_1_1) and this version of the Prose Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Edda-Everymans-Library-Snorri-Sturluson/dp/0460876163/ref=mp_s_a_1_1).

If you’re looking for a handbook overview, I recommend Larrington’s “Guide to the Gods and Heroes” (https://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Guide-Gods-Heroes/dp/0500251967/).

As another commenter said, to learn about Ragnar, you’ll want to find a version of the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok. I don’t have a recommended version of that one for you.

I don’t have any audio books for you but you should know that the vast majority of Norse myths come from two books that are surprisingly accessible to modern audiences if you have a good translation. And as it so happens, they are also pretty cheap!

My recommendation is to get this version of the Poetic Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199675341/ref=mp_s_a_1_1) and this version of the Prose Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Edda-Everymans-Library-Snorri-Sturluson/dp/0460876163/ref=mp_s_a_1_1).

If you’re looking for a handbook overview, I recommend Larrington’s “Guide to the Gods and Heroes” (https://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Guide-Gods-Heroes/dp/0500251967/).

Hope that helps!

> Also, I’m told the stories of the pantheon involve…

I think it might help you to give these stories a read for yourself, specifically from the source texts. My recommendation is to get this version of the Poetic Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199675341/ref=mp_s_a_1_1) and this version of the Prose Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Edda-Everymans-Library-Snorri-Sturluson/dp/0460876163/ref=mp_s_a_1_1). Give those a read and I’d be interested to hear whether you are inspired to update your theory.

Loki is a particularly intriguing character who may be a hypostasis of Odin according to one theory, may be one of Odin’s brothers who assisted in the creation of mankind according to another, and may be related to common-class folklore about a tricky hero who upsets the order imposed by nobility according to yet another. It’s unclear why he is portrayed as a helpful character and friend to the other gods in certain myths, and as a downright murderous villain in others. I’m personally pretty skeptical about the idea that he could be adapted from Jesus, but far be it from me to discourage out-of-the-box thinking :)

My recommendation is to get this version of the Poetic Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199675341/ref=mp_s_a_1_1) and this version of the Prose Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Edda-Everymans-Library-Snorri-Sturluson/dp/0460876163/ref=mp_s_a_1_1). Both come in hardcover.

Both are surprisingly accessible to modern audiences if you have a good translation. And as it so happens, they are also pretty cheap!

My recommendation is to get this version of the Poetic Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199675341/ref=mp_s_a_1_1) and this version of the Prose Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Edda-Everymans-Library-Snorri-Sturluson/dp/0460876163/ref=mp_s_a_1_1).

If you’re looking for a handbook overview, I recommend Larrington’s “Guide to the Gods and Heroes” (https://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Guide-Gods-Heroes/dp/0500251967/).

My recommendation is to get this version of the Poetic Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199675341/ref=mp_s_a_1_1) and this version of the Prose Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Edda-Everymans-Library-Snorri-Sturluson/dp/0460876163/ref=mp_s_a_1_1).

To explain why, see this webpage. It’s a survey of different translations of the Poetic Edda with various information including critiques on each one. Note that what I’ve recommended here is Larrington’s revised edition.

The vast majority of Norse myths come from two books that are surprisingly accessible to modern audiences if you have a good translation. And as it so happens, they are also pretty cheap!

My recommendation is to get this version of the Poetic Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199675341/ref=mp_s_a_1_1) and this version of the Prose Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Edda-Everymans-Library-Snorri-Sturluson/dp/0460876163/ref=mp_s_a_1_1).

I wonder if you might not have quite the right idea about what these poems are like. Let me give you a quote from one of them:

> An ash I know that stands, Yggdrasill it’s called, a tall tree, drenched with shining loam; from there come the dews which fall in the valley, green, it stands always over Urd’s well. From there come girls, knowing a great deal, three from the lake standing under the tree; Urd one is called, Verdandi another —they carved on a wooden slip—Skuld the third; they laid down laws, they chose lives for the sons of men, the fates of men.

These are poems in the sense that, in Old Norse, they conform to certain rules of meter and alliteration. But when you read a good English translation, you are pretty much just reading a story telling you mythology.

With that said, I would actually recommend you start with the Prose Edda. It’s laid out in a way that introduces you to the mythology little by little in the form of a cohesive narrative.

My recommendation is to get this version of the Poetic Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199675341/ref=mp_s_a_1_1) and this version of the Prose Edda (https://www.amazon.com/Edda-Everymans-Library-Snorri-Sturluson/dp/0460876163/ref=mp_s_a_1_1).

If you’re looking for a handbook overview, I recommend Larrington’s “Guide to the Gods and Heroes” (https://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Guide-Gods-Heroes/dp/0500251967/).

This Poetic Edda and this Prose Edda

The Poetic Edda translated by Carolyne Larrington, 2014 and the Prose Edda translated by Anthony Faulkes, 1995 ;)

The vast majority of Norse mythology (including all of the myths you will ever encounter in popular media) is contained in two books: the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda.

The Poetic Edda is a collection of poetry about gods and heroes that was largely composed during the pagan era. The Prose Edda is a medieval scholarly work that recounts ancient myths in an effort to educate people on the references found in pagan poetry. You can read modern retellings, but these invariably alter the source material in ways the original composers of the ancient poetry did not intend. I highly recommend reading the actual sources rather than any modern retellings. Specifically:

This version of the Poetic Edda and this version of the Prose Edda.

You’re graduating, friend. Time to read the two books all these stories actually came from:

The Poetic Edda and The Prose Edda

Well you're asking in r/norsemythology so I'm going to recommend you get him the two main sources of Norse Mythology: the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda.

Around here we typically recommend Carolyne Larrington's 2nd edition from 2014. https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199675341

Anthony Faulkes, 1987 is the gold standard for the Prose Edda.

For the Poetic Edda I personally like Benjamin Thorpe's edition from 1866 as it's freely available and is a pretty faithful translation. I've also heard good things about Carolyne Larrington's edition but haven't read it myself. Keep in mind though since the Poetic Edda is, like the name implies, comprised of poetry a perfect translation is probably close to impossible.