The Elder or Poetic Edda, Vol. 1: Commonly Known as Sæmund's Edda (Classic Reprint)

Explore the oldest Norse myths told with clarity and beauty. This edition presents the Mythological Poems as a thoughtful, near-literal translation by Olive Bray, aimed at readers who appreciate myth and old lore. It frames the poems with careful context, tracing their sources, dates, and the way they shape Scandinavian storytelling.

The introduction situates the Edda as a fountain of Germanic myth and poetic craft, and explains how the texts were gathered from medieval manuscripts. It discusses how later editors and scholars interpreted, corrected, and supplemented the verses to reveal their language, imagery, and beauty. The book is designed for metal readers who value the poetry itself as much as the history behind it.

- Read a faithful rendering of mythic lays that preserves their graphic, non-descriptive style.
- Learn how editors approached fragmentary pieces, textual gaps, and historical dating.
- See how Icelandic sagas, Snorri’s prose, and later scholarship illuminate the poems’ world.
- Gain appreciation for the myths’ enduring imagery and its influence on modern art and literature.

Ideal for readers of mythology and classical literature who seek a lucid entry into the old Norse world and its poetic language.