The Poetic Edda (Oxford World's Classics) | 
 enlarge | Creator: Carolyne Larrington
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
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Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 34254
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0192839462
Dewey Decimal Number: 839.61
EAN: 9780192839466
ASIN: 0192839462
Publication Date: June 10, 1999
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Product Description
Young were the years when Ymir made his settlement, there was no sand nor sea nor cool waves; earth was nowhere nor the sky above, chaos yawned, grass was there nowhere. The sun turns black, earth sinks into the sea, the bright stars vanish from the sky; steam rises up in the conflagration, a high flame plays against heaven itself. Seeress's Prophecy 3, 57 The collection of Norse-Icelandic mythological and heroic poetry known as the Poetic Edda contains the great narratives of the creation of the world and the coming of Ragnarok, the Doom of the Gods. The mythological poems explore the wisdom of the gods and giants, narrating the adventures of the god Thor against the hostile giants and the gods' rivalries amongst themselves. The heroic poems trace the exploits of the hero Helgi and his valkyrie bride, the tragic tale of Sigurd and Brynhild's doomed love, and the terrible drama of Sigurd's widow Gudrun and her children. Many of the poems predate the conversion of Scandinavia to Christianity, allowing us to glimpse the pagan beliefs of the North. Since the rediscovery of the Poetic Edda in the seventeenth century, its poetry has fascinated artists as diverse as Thomas Gray, Richard Wagner, and Jorge Luis Borges. This is the first complete translation to be published in Britain for fifty years, and it includes a scholarly introduction, notes, a genealogy of the gods and giants, and an index of names.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Glaring translation problems June 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
While reasonably readable, this translation suffers from some serious issues that will be troublesome to anyone with a serious interest in these texts.
First of all, the most immediately glaring issue is the translation of "Voelva" to "Seeress." To use a more well known example to give a sense of why this is a problem, it's like translating "Ninja" to "Asian warrior" but even less specific.
Voelvas played a specific role in Norse society (and larger heathen Germanic society, for that matter) and making a translation decision like that isn't exactly helpful. A simple footnote explaining what a Voelva is to the general reader would have solved any problems. In fact, I am sure many people would find it not only educational but also helpful in understand what is going on, adding to the entire experience.
This is just one example. As another reviewer noted, the old Norse names are sometimes pointlessly translated into the main text. This is pointless because there is an included Index of Names (with translations when given) and some of these etymologies are troublesome, so why confuse readers and cloud issues further? The names themselves are poetry - leave them be!
Still, you could certainly do worse than this translation and these problems aren't so much problem with Larrington's translation as much as they are problems with (as I see it) the standards of the Poetic Edda translations we've seen in general. I was just hoping for more.
With the rise of Germanic Heathenry and, subsequently, the appearance of a more critical reader base, translators are going to have to shape up if they want their translations to be relevant in the face of independent publishing.
 Wonderful epic; So-so translation April 26, 2008
As a fan of Richard Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" (and as an admirer of The Nibelungenlied), I just had to read The Poetic Edda. This epic is as grand as Beowulf, and as ethereal as The Kalevala. Many of the Norse mythological figures (Thor, Loki, Fafnir, etc.) are present, and do so many things. I would have to say that this is one of my favorite European epics, ranking with The Nibelungenlied and the Kalevala.
And now for the translation. Many reviewers here have agreed that Carolyne Larrington is a bit off in places (with many desciptive narratives taken way too literally). To me, the thing that bothers me the most is the use of modern language in a few parts. Loki uses the modern phrase "What's up with the ..." in one page, and then he just flat out says "You farted", without being so roundabout, in another page.
But of course, not every translation for a non-English story is perfect. So this one should be a good one for beginners. Now I heard there was another translation for the Edda that was far more complex (in fact, TOO complex for the average reader). I guess I should try my luck and see if I can go through it in less than a month.
All in all, The Poetic Edda is a wonderful epic, and I do believe that High School students will probably be interested in it (if it's not required reading, of course).
 In Need of Commentary/Notes - Read Snorri's Prose Edda first May 30, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Handy book with nice format and readable translation. However there's virtually no context here as far as a meaningful introduction to the individual works or the work as a whole. The individual introductions are cursory at best, written in a dismissive "Oxford" tone which assumes the reader is familiar with the works and their context. Imagine mixing up the books of the Bible, and removing most of the study annotations now included in most versions. Reading the Prose Edda first was EXTREMELY helpful, as Snorri does what the editor of this book should have tried harder to do herself. If you know little or nothing of Norse mythology, you'll be lost if you start with this book; but after the Prose Edda, things become much more meaningful.
A good introduction April 23, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Translating poetry will always be problematic. There is the decision to make whether to emulate the form, or concentrate on the meaning.
Larrington tends toward the latter. This is probably the best kind of translation for those wanting to become familiar with the narrative. Once the reader knows the tales, it is time to move on to a version like Hollander. Harder to read but more reminiscent of the poetry of the original. I like to go close to transliterating, using the English cognates when possible, although it certainly makes the meaning difficult, it does have a satisfying effect. However, to really appreciate the striking rhythm & alliteration of the verse form, one really needs to recite the Old Norse out loud.
Neither kind of translation will capture the subtleties of the words chosen for their ambiguity or being suggestive of other words. Both kinds of translation, as well as the original, have an important place in one's library.
Sweyn
The Rune Primer
 THE NORDIC ILIAD November 25, 2004
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
The Edda is for the Nordic European countries, what the Iliad meant for the old Greek. It is THE TREASURY - in a poetical form - of their MYTHOLOGY and of lots of their heroic stories and the wisdom of their proverbs.
This book embodies the ethics and the cultural life during the transition period from paganism to christianity (about 8th until 13th century). A world opens of gods, supernatural beings and creatures AND of the protagonists of a heroic (pre-)history. The existence of man in his natural environment and the place of "the family" in the world they lived in, as for so gets a meaningful, coherent interpretation.The songs of the gods make a mysterious power of attraction on the reader of today. In the "vision of the famous visionary VOLUSPA", birth and decline of the old world of gods are treated AND at the same time the author made a sketch of the new world order. This vision remains, up until these days, the peak, THE highlight of Nordic literature. The heroic poems are a true glorification of the past. The power of the characters in the poems, as well as the events that take place here, go beyond the "normal-human life" out of later times. What is more, the tragic adventures and fortunes of the family, the race of the "NIBELUNGEN" have been a tremendous source of inspiration for so many writers, thinkers, even musicians. I hereby think in special about the famous, outstanding collection of opera's by the German composer Richard WAGNER: his "RING DES NIBELUNGEN", which gives such a fantastic, colourful insight in what happened centuries ago! This work is one of the main sources for Nordic AND German mythology which gives a splendid view on the misty (sic!!) "WALHALLA" of the Western European, more specific the Icelandic-Scandinavian AND German, Dutch even English ancestors.
THE EDDA IS A BOOK FOR EVERYONE, as the Iliad or Odyssey are, and like the two latter is SO IMPORTANT for the development and evolution of Europe. A book from the top of the shelves of REAL GREAT WORLD LITERATURE, easily readable for ALL OF YOU.
A PIECE OF MY HEART, WARMLY AND VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY WHOLE BEING !!
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