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. This translation also features 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 speak to us as freely as when they were first written down seven hundred and fifty years ago.

Features

• An original translation of the famous collection of Norse-Icelandic mythological and heroic poetry known as the Poetic Edda
• The 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
• Appendix includes an alternative version of 'The Seeress's Prophecy'
• Genealogies of gods, giants, and heroes, and an annoted Index of Names

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.

Carolyne Larrington, Professor of Medieval European Literature and Official Fellow, St John's College, University of Oxford

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), Magical Tales: Myth, Legend, and Enchantment in Children's Books (with Diane Purkiss, Bodleian Library, 2013), and The Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Heroes (Thames and Hudson, 2017).

"Larrington's 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

"This is a lovingly presented translation of one of the most important works of Norse mythology ... A fabulous collection worthy of multiple readings." - Arthur Chappell, Concatenation.org