The Poetic Edda (Oxford World's Classics)
Product ID: 8190482
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'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. Review: A fine introduction to Nordic thoughtways. - Professor Larrington wrote an amazing compilation of what original manuscripts provided modern scholarship. It is a delight to read and learn. Review: The only complete English translation of the poetic Edda that is almost reliable - This is not to review the Eddic poems themselves, but Larrington's translation of them. I've given her translation five stars because it is the most accurate complete translation available in English, and as such, along with Ursula Dronke's editions, the only English translation to be recommended as an aid to the student reading the poetic Edda in Old Norse. That being said, while it is the best available, it is still not completely reliable, so be careful. For a proper study of the Poetic Edda you'll need to also consult the glossary of Lafarge and Tucker, the massive Frankfurt commentary (in German), as well as the editions of Jónas and Gísli published in Icelandic. For the reader not intending to read the Old Norse, I would say any of the translations of the Edda from Larrington, Orchard, Crawford, or Dodd can be recommended, each for different reasons.
| Best Sellers Rank | #63,070 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #4 in Medieval Literary Criticism (Books) #5 in Norse & Icelandic Sagas (Books) #1,469 in Classic Literature & Fiction |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 1,242 Reviews |
M**N
A fine introduction to Nordic thoughtways.
Professor Larrington wrote an amazing compilation of what original manuscripts provided modern scholarship. It is a delight to read and learn.
S**S
The only complete English translation of the poetic Edda that is almost reliable
This is not to review the Eddic poems themselves, but Larrington's translation of them. I've given her translation five stars because it is the most accurate complete translation available in English, and as such, along with Ursula Dronke's editions, the only English translation to be recommended as an aid to the student reading the poetic Edda in Old Norse. That being said, while it is the best available, it is still not completely reliable, so be careful. For a proper study of the Poetic Edda you'll need to also consult the glossary of Lafarge and Tucker, the massive Frankfurt commentary (in German), as well as the editions of Jónas and Gísli published in Icelandic. For the reader not intending to read the Old Norse, I would say any of the translations of the Edda from Larrington, Orchard, Crawford, or Dodd can be recommended, each for different reasons.
S**W
Looks super nice and arrived super early
Super nice looking book and it arrived super early!
J**N
Fantastic book
Great book, for the ones who want to understand history before Christianity, colonized the world. Must have for any Norse pagans or people wanting to get back to there heritage. If you are into the Norse gods or Runic folklore you have to own yourself a copy
J**.
Good read, minor nuances.
Solid translation. However, there are a few mispellings and some incorrect information. (One example being the introduction mentions Loki as Odin's half brother, which is incorrect. In spellings, works like fjord are translated into fiord, not sure if thats on the author or not. In my opinion words like fjord do not need a respelled translation as fjord is still spelled fjord in current day) Overall, a good read for those who prefer an easier translation to comprehend.
J**W
recommend
Translation is a big deal. The smallest words interpreted different ways can change the whole meaning. This book was recommended by the Norroena Society as being one of the more accurate translations. Trying to translate the meaning and thinking of an ancient society that has been lost and crushed by Christian rule has a huge impact on the end result. What were the social norms at the time? How did our ancestors view nature, god's, marriage, property, community, and family? It's interesting to read the same stanza from different translations and the message is completely different in parts while the same in others.
J**H
Love this book.
An absolute must read.
K**N
Great Edition
Great read with prefaces helping understand the readings that are translated. Arrived quickly.
R**S
Great choice!
Great edition! It is worth, because the literary review is amazing.
B**H
In mythology the oldies are invariably the goodies.
I give my fullfledged endorsement to Larrington's translation of the Edda's with the qualification that I am not an expert in the field. I rate it highly for technical and for personal reasons. The binding is strong, the type is clear and I have not found any misspellings or other signs of careless publication. As with all edited literary material, the introduction is important and this introduction clearly lays out Larrington's explanation of her approach to the word choice rhyme and meter of this translation of an ancient treasury of Norse myth. She also argues for greater attention to be paid to the female figures, "powerful actors themselves in the unfolding drama." I bought this copy of the Poetic Edda as a gift for a man of 20, and was delighted to see how quickly he grasped its parentage to much of the literature he has read and loved. This and the more didactic Prose Edda are valuable volumes for readers of any age who want to know more and go back further into the world of the Norse gods and heros.
C**S
No compatible with kindle paperwhite but worth it
Great book
B**T
Great read, very well done
I am not a scholar of the Edda, but based on my hobby reading I can only say this is greatly recommendable: the translater somehow seems to have find a wonderful middle ground between an easy read, great English with real depth, and a real feeling for the source and it's language. Very happy to have found this book!
T**I
One of the best translations of the epic.
The translation in this book is easy to understand, and it includes key notes for all important points, making understanding the Edda extremely easy.
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