Edda
Snorri Sturluson
Translated and edited by
Anthony Faulkes
University of Birmingham
Published by Everyman in 1987, reissued in 1992, 1995
But the king´s heart swells, bulging with courage in battle, where heroes sink down...
Over a period of twenty years Snorri Sturluson, scholar, courtier and poet, compiled the prose Edda
as a textbook for young poets who wished to praise kings. His work surveys the content, style and metres
of traditional Viking poetry and includes a lengthy poem of Snorri´s own, praising the king of Norway.
Ironically, Snorri was killed in his own cellar in Iceland in 1241 on the instigation of the king of Norway,
as a result of political intrigue.
The Edda contains the most extensive account of Norse myths and legends that has survived from the
Middle Ages as well as the popular stories of Odin winning back the mead of poetic inspiration and Thor
fishing for the Midgard serpent. Despite Iceland´s Christianity, Snorri shows considerable sympathy
for and understanding of his pagan forefathers. He retells the old stories in a laconic, ironic, sometimes
allusive and abrupt style, the flavour of which this first complete and literal translation into English
attempts to preserve.
The only edition available with introduction, text summaries, indexes and chronology of early Icelandic literature.
(The text above comes from the back of the book)