For other uses, see Edda (disambiguation).

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v t e
The term "Edda" (/'?d?/; Old Norse Edda, plural Eddur) applies to the Old Norse
Prose Edda and has been adapted to fit the collection of poems known as the Poet
ic Edda which lacks an original title. Both works were written down in Iceland d
uring the 13th century in Icelandic, although they contain material from earlier
traditional sources, reaching into the Viking Age. The books are the main sourc
es of medieval skaldic tradition in Iceland and Norse mythology.
Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
2 The Poetic Edda
3 The Prose Edda
4 See also
5 Notes
Etymology[edit]
There are several theories concerning the origins of the word edda. One theory h
olds that it is identical to a word that means "great-grandmother" appearing in
the Eddic poem Rgsula.[1] Another theory holds that edda derives from Old Norse r, "
poetry." A third, proposed in 1895 by Eirkr Magnsson is that it derives from the I
celandic place name Oddi, site of the church and school where students, includin
g Snorri Sturluson, were educated.[2] The derivation of the word "Edda" as the n
ame of Snorri Sturluson s treatise on poetry from the Latin "edo", "I do" by analo
gy with "kredda", "superstition" from Latin "credo", "creed" is now widely accep
ted, though this acceptance may stem from its agreement with modern usage rather
than historical accuracy.[3]
The Poetic Edda[edit]
Main article: Poetic Edda
The Poetic Edda, also known as Smundar Edda or the Elder Edda, is a collection of
Old Norse poems from the Icelandic medieval manuscript Codex Regius ("Royal Boo
k"). Along with the Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most expansive source on
Norse mythology. The first part of the Codex Regius preserves poems that narrate
the creation and foretold destruction and rebirth of the Old Norse mythological
world as well as individual myths about gods concerning Norse deities. The poem
s in the second part narrate legends about Norse heroes and heroines, such as Si
gurd, Brynhildr and Gunnar.
The Codex Regius was written down in the 13th century but nothing was known of i
ts whereabouts until 1643 when it came into the possession of Brynjlfur Sveinsson
, then the Church of Iceland's Bishop of Sklholt. At that time, versions of the P
rose Edda were well known in Iceland, but scholars speculated that there once wa
s another Edda an Elder Edda which contained the pagan poems Snorri quotes in his bo
ok. When the Codex Regius was discovered, it seemed that this speculation had pr
oven correct. Brynjlfur attributed the manuscript to Smundr the Learned, a largerthan-life 12th century Icelandic priest. While this attribution is rejected by m
odern scholars, the name Smundar Edda is still sometimes encountered.
Bishop Brynjlfur sent the Codex Regius as a present to King Christian IV of Denma
rk, hence the name Codex Regius. For centuries it was stored in the Royal Librar

y in Copenhagen but in 1971 it was returned to Iceland.

The Prose Edda[edit]
Main article: Prose Edda
The Prose Edda, sometimes referred to as the Younger Edda or Snorri's Edda is an
Icelandic manual of poetics which also contains many mythological stories. Its
purpose was to enable Icelandic poets and readers to understand the subtleties o
f alliterative verse, and to grasp the mythological allusions behind the many ke
nnings that were used in skaldic poetry.
It was written by the Icelandic scholar and historian Snorri Sturluson around 12
20. It survives in seven main manuscripts, written down from about 1300 to about
1600.
The Prose Edda consists of a Prologue and three separate books: Gylfaginning, co
ncerning the creation and foretold destruction and rebirth of the Norse mythical
world; Skldskaparml, a dialogue between gir, a Norse god connected with the sea, a
nd Bragi, the skaldic god of poetry; and Httatal, a demonstration of verse forms
used in Norse mythology.