Overview

'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.

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9780199675340

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Larringtons version of The Poetic Edda has been beautifully translated, and the flow of each poem is perfect. Kirsty Hewitt, Book Hugger A 750-year-old haul of Icelandic verse might not sound like cutting-edge entertainment but these sinewy sagas include such modern elements as gutsy heroines and ultra-violence. Christopher Hirst, Independent these sinewy sagas include such modern elements as gutsy heroines and ultra-violence Independent

A 750-year-old haul of Icelandic verse might not sound like cutting-edge entertainment but these sinewy sagas include such modern elements as gutsy heroines and ultra-violence. Christopher Hirst, Independent these sinewy sagas include such modern elements as gutsy heroines and ultra-violence Independent

Author Information

Carolyne Larrington has published widely on Old Norse myth, legends, and literature, inlcuding co-editing two volumes of essays on eddic poetry wiht Paul Acker. Her books include King Arthur's Enchantresses: Morgan and Her Sisters in Arthurian Tradition (IB Tauris, 2006) and Magical Tales: Myth, Legend and Enchantment in Children's Books (with Diane Purkiss, Bodleian Library, 2013).

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