The Prose Edda
by Snorri Sturluson · first published 2005
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2010–2026first – last mentioned
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…Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - Charming and enjoyable story. 4/5 Black Beauty by Anna Sewell - Pretty sure this is the first book I ever read that's written from an animal's POV. I liked it. 4/5 The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson (Penguin Classic) - I really liked it. Helped me understand a bit more about Norse mythology. 4.5/5 Rejection Proof by Jia Jiang - I read this earlier in the year; it's about a guy…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…separately). There are more sagas, though. Just not of the Icelanders. For example the saga of the Volsungs. If you are interested in general norse mythology then yes, Gaiman's book is really nice. The Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda are primary sources and not a difficult read. Everything I mentioned (except Gaiman's) is published by Penguin and is a good translation.
on “Study: DNA corroborates “Well-man” tale from Norse saga” ↗In the Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson describes the Vikings as being descended from Trojans. Much like Virgil claimed the Romans descend from Aeneas (a Trojan prince) in the Aeneid. So Roman (and Greek) influence wouldn't…
on “Findings show that the Vikings' self-image was influenced by Ancient Rome” ↗…Doryeong had saved during the flood. Namu Doryeong and the human boy married the two daughters, and they formed the next race of humans. » - Scandinavia: « According to the Gylfaginning section of the Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson, Bergelmir and his wife alone among the giants were the only survivors of the enormous deluge of blood which flowed from Ymir's wounds when he was killed by Odin and his brothers Vili…
on “Earth may have been a 'water world' 3B years ago, scientists find” ↗…only source you need. It would have been considered heresy to to otherwise, and it was common at the time for Christian scholars to reframe pagan gods as wicked sorcerers or demons and the like. In the Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson states the gods are human descendants of Trojan heroes. It's also likely the descriptions of "light elves" and "dark elves" (basically angels and demons) along with Ragnarok (Apocalypse)…
on “The Icelandic Saga Database” ↗…poetry. After Christianity took over, Odin continued to gain importance in the mythology (which was after all continued by poets telling stories for aristocracy) and by the time Snorri Sturluson wrote The Prose Edda was the familiar allfather, king of the gods, etc.
on “Thursday = Thor's day” ↗Also Snorri Sturluson recontextualized the Norse gods as descendants of Troy in the Prose Edda, because he was writing in the context of a post-Christianized society in which acknowledging pagan gods would have been heresy.
on “New paintings found at Pompeii” ↗What Tolkien was really inspired by was Norse, Gaelic and Germanic mythos. Not to forget Middle and Old English Poems. Norse: - The Poetic Edda - Prose Edda - Beowulf - Volsung Saga Middle English: - Pearle, (The concept of The Ring being "My Precious") Welsh: - Culhwch and Olwen, inspired Beren and Luthien (Silmarillion) - Red Book of Herghest (Welsh…
on “Tolkien Expressed a “Heartfelt Loathing” for Walt Disney” ↗If you ever read the Prose Edda (the Atlakvida or Lay of Atli) or Nibelungenlied (Song of the Nibelungs) and find a mention of Atli or Etzel, that's actually (spoiler) Attila the Hun.
on “Ring brings Viking, Islamic civilizations closer together” ↗https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prose_Edda#Prologue > The Prologue is the first section of four books of the Prose Edda, consisting of a euhemerized Christian account of the origins of Norse mythology: the Nordic gods are described as human Trojan…
on “Findings show that the Vikings' self-image was influenced by Ancient Rome” ↗…currently reading through the Poetic Edda. I thought I had a decent grasp of Norse mythology, but I am clearly missing references left and right. (I know, because they are footnoted) I think reading the Prose Edda with its background first would probably have been helpful.
on “Advice on Reading Homer in Translation” ↗It's in the beginning of the Prose Edda. It's part a genre one could call "universal history", which is tying your group's history into the narrative of the world. It was pretty common in medieval Christianity; I'm not sure if places like Japan…
on “Late Bronze Age Collapse” ↗