The Prose Edda Read Free

The opening section of
Heimskringla
, which covers the earliest mythic and legendary period, is called the
Saga of the Ynglings
. Like the
Edda
, this work tells ancient stories, and intersperses its prose with eddic and skaldic verses. However, the stories of the two works are often distinguished by differences of fact and detail.
The Parts of the
Edda
    The
Edda
is divided into four parts. It begins with a short
Prologue
, a self-standing unit that differs significantly from the rest of the
Edda
in sentence structure, subject matter and the kind of genealogical information it gives. In a Norse culture that was in the process of absorbing elements of classical learning, the
Prologue
attempts to elevate the status of the
Edda
by equating Norse stories with those from the Graeco-Roman tradition. It also tries to make the
Edda
’s stories more palatable to medieval Christians by harmonizing Norse beliefs with Christian concepts. The
Prologue
may have been part of the original text, or some or all of it may have been added later.
    The second and main section is known as
Gylfaginning
and is the core of the
Edda
. No one can learn about Scandinavian mythology without it, since it is our best source for the story of the creation, the struggles of the gods, and the events leading to the destruction of the universe. The text of
Gylfaginning
is remarkably similar in all the important manuscripts of the
Edda
.
Gylfaginning
means the ‘deluding [
ginning
] of Gylfi’, a reference not to the stories that King Gylfi of Sweden learns from the Æsir, but to Gylfi’s realization that he was the victim of an elaborate optical illusion.
    Gylfaginning
is written entirely as a dialogue between Gylfi and three formidable god-like figures who are at the centre of the deception. Gylfi disguises himself as a traveller named Gangleri, a name meaning ‘strider’, ‘walker’, or ‘wanderer’, and journeys to visit the Æsir. This mysterious people is saidto be newly arrived in the North, and Gangleri seeks to discover the source of their power. In the Æsir’s majestic but illusory hall, Gangleri/Gylfi meets three manifestations of Odin: High, Just-as-High and Third. These strange, lordly individuals sit on thrones one above the other. Gangleri questions them and, story by story, they reveal what they know.
    Gangleri’s dialogue with Odin’s three manifestations resembles contests of wisdom found in eddic poems such as
The Lay of Vafthrudnir
(
Vafprúðnismál
), where Odin pits his mastery of mythic knowledge against the giant Vafthrudnir. Norse wisdom contests were adversarial, and Gangleri is told at the start that he will not escape unharmed unless he grows wiser. Gangleri’s method is to probe the Æsir with questions such as ‘Who is the highest or the oldest of all the gods?’ ‘How were the earth and the sky made?’ The richly detailed answers often touch on troubling topics, many anticipating the destruction of the world.
    The third section is called
Skaldskaparmal
(
Skáldskaparmál
), and, unlike
Gylfaginning
, it varies considerably from manuscript to manuscript. The name
Skaldskaparmal
is telling.
Skáld
, as mentioned earlier, is the Old Norse word for ‘poet’.
Skapr
means ‘creation’ or ‘craft’, while
mál
is ‘language’ or ‘diction’, hence
Skáldskaparmál
means the ‘language of poetry’ or ‘poetic diction’. The stories in
Skaldskaparmal
give background for references and allusions found in Old Norse verse, and these explanations are a priceless repository of Scandinavian lore. (See Appendix 2 for a discussion of the poetic devices, kennings and
heiti
.)
    There is little doubt that
Gylfaginning
and
Skaldskaparmal
were written at different times and in somewhat different styles. Whereas
Gylfaginning
is entirely in dialogue,
Skaldskaparmal
is written in a combination of dialogue