Prose Edda: Tales from Norse Mythology

Front Cover
Dent, 1987 - Art - 252 pages
The only prose account of the old faith of the Vikings, the Asatru. This is the source material, handed down for centuries, about the lives of Odin, Thor and Loki. These gods are mentioned daily by millions of people.

The Asatru has always been a source of inspiration for great artists and this book collects the best works of art inspired by the Edda. many of these paintings have never before been collected in a book. Material from the 19th and 20th Century are presented.

From inside the book

Contents

Skaldskaparmal
59
Hattatal
165
Annotated Index of Names
219
Copyright

1 other sections not shown

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (1987)

Snorri Sturluson's fame as a historian---his main work is the 16 sagas included in Heimskringla (c.1230), a monumental history of Norway from its beginning until 1177---lies both in his critical approach to sources and in his fine, realistic exposition of event and motivation. A similar combination of scholarly and imaginative talent is seen in The Prose Edda (c.1220). Intended to be a handbook in skaldic poetry, it preserves invaluable mythological tales that were on the verge of being forgotten even in Sturluson's time. A large part of what we know about Nordic mythology stems from his Edda. The bibliography that follows also lists the anonymous Egil's Saga (1200--30), which many expert Scandinavian medievalists (e.g., Sigurdur Nordal and Bjorn M. Olsen) attribute to Sturluson. It is a fascinating account of life in Norway, England, and Iceland and of the poet-warrior Egil, whose skaldic verse is renowned for its unusual emotional and personal qualities. Snorri Sturluson's own life was as eventful as those about whom he wrote. Returning to Iceland from exile in 1239, he again became deeply involved in serious power struggles and was murdered in 1241.

Bibliographic information