The Eddur

The term Edda (Old Norse Edda, plural Eddur) applies to the Old Norse Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, both of which were written down in Iceland during the 13th century in Icelandic, although they contain material from earlier traditional sources, reaching into the Viking Age. The books are the main sources of medieval skaldic tradition in Iceland and Norse mythology.

Etymology
There are several theories concerning the origins of the word edda. One theory holds that it is identical to a word that means "great-grandmother" appearing in the Eddic poem Rígsþula.[1] Another theory holds that edda derives from Old Norse óðr, "poetry." A third, proposed in 1895 by Eiríkr Magnússon, but since discredited, is that it derives from the Icelandic place name Oddi, site of the church and school where students, including Snorri Sturluson, were educated.[2] The derivation of the word "Edda" as the name of Snorri Sturluson’s treatise on poetry from the Latin "edo", "I compose (poetry)" by analogy with "kredda", "superstition" from Latin "credo", "creed" is now widely accepted.[3]

The Poetic Edda
Main article:Poetic EddaThe Poetic Edda, also known as Sæmundar Edda or the Elder Edda, is a collection ofOld Norsepoems from theIcelandicmedievalmanuscriptundefinedCodex Regius("Royal Book"). 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 concerningNorse deities. The poems in the second part narrate legends aboutNorse heroes and heroines, such asSigurd,BrynhildrandGunnar.

The Codex Regius was written down in the 13th century but nothing is known of its whereabouts until 1643 when it came into the possession ofBrynjólfur Sveinsson, then theChurch of Iceland's Bishop ofSkálholt. At that time, versions of the Prose Edda were well known in Iceland, but scholars speculated that there once was another Edda—an Elder Edda—which contained thepaganpoems Snorri quotes in his book. When the Codex Regius was discovered, it seemed that this speculation had proven correct. Brynjólfur attributed the manuscript toSæmundr the Learned, a larger-than-life 12th century Icelandic priest. While this attribution is rejected by modern scholars, the name Sæmundar Edda is still sometimes encountered.

Bishop Brynjólfur sent the Codex Regius as a present to KingChristian IV of Denmark, hence the name Codex Regius. For centuries it was stored in theRoyal LibraryinCopenhagenbut in 1971 it was returned to Iceland.

In 2009,HarperCollinsposthumously publishedJ.R.R. Tolkien's retelling of the Poetic Edda. Titled, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, the book was composed in anEnglish languagerecreation of Old Norsealliterative verse.

The Prose Edda
Main article:Prose EddaThe Prose Edda, sometimes referred to as the Younger Edda or Snorri's Edda is anIcelandicmanual of poetics which also contains many mythological stories. Its purpose was to enableIcelandicpoets and readers to understand the subtleties ofalliterative verse, and to grasp the mythological allusions behind the many kennings that were used inskaldic poetry.

It was written by the Icelandic scholar and historianSnorri Sturlusonaround 1220. It survives in seven main manuscripts, written down from about 1300 to about 1600.

The Prose Edda consists of aPrologueand three separate books: Gylfaginning, concerning the creation and foretold destruction and rebirth of the Norse mythical world; Skáldskaparmál, a dialogue betweenÆgir, a Norse god connected with the sea, and Bragi, theskaldicgod of poetry; and Háttatal, a demonstration of verse forms used in Norse mythology.