The Poetic Edda (1st Edition)

Audiobook: An audiobook edition, narrated by Jackson Crawford, is also available from Downpour, Audible, and other audiobook retailers.

"The poems of the Poetic Edda have waited a long time for a Modern English translation that would do them justice. Here it is at last (Odin be praised!) and well worth the wait. These amazing texts from a 13th-century Icelandic manuscript are of huge historical, mythological and literary importance, containing the lion's share of information that survives today about the gods and heroes of pre-Christian Scandinavians, their unique vision of the beginning and end of the world, etc. Jackson Crawford's modern versions of these poems are authoritative and fluent and often very gripping.  With their individual headnotes and complementary general introduction, they supply today's readers with most of what they need to know in order to understand and appreciate the beliefs, motivations, and values of the Vikings."   
      —Dick Ringler, Professor Emeritus of English and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison

"[A]n excellent and entertaining work that succeeds in achieving its intended purpose: to create an accessible and readable English translation of the Poetic Edda. Crawford’s knowledge of and passion for the topic is clear throughout, and he strikes an excellent balance between approachability and authenticity. I will most certainly be using this translation when I teach Norse mythology in the future and will recommend it to anyone looking for an approachable introduction to the subject."
      —Natalie M. Van Deusen, University of Alberta, in Scandinavian-Canadian Studies

"Crawford's Edda is easy to pick up and read. Commentary is minimal but useful, and the verse itself is presented in a visually clear style. A published poet in his own right, Crawford renders his translation in a modest, cautiously elegant free verse with a rigorous consistency that gives the material fluency impossible in a translation reflecting the original Old Norse syntax. Crawford's sense of rhythm is perhaps his strongest suit here, contributing significantly to the readability of the verse. The diction is simple and clear. . . . [Crawford's verse has] a conservative sparseness that often comes close to echoing the terseness of the Old Norse Eddic metres.”
      —Pete Sandberg, University College London, in Saga-Book

From Dr. Jackson Crawford's YouTube channel - Pronunciation of Old Norse Gods' Names:

Contents

Introduction

Poems about Gods and Elves

Voluspa (The Prophecy of Ragnarok)
Havamal (The Counsel of Odin the One-Eyed)
Vafthruthnismal (Odin's Contest with Riddle-Weaver)
Grimnismal (The Words of Odin in Disguise)
For Skirnis (The Journey of Skirnir on Behalf of Frey)
Harbarthsljoth (The Taunting of Thor by Odin)
Hymiskvitha (The Fetching of the Cauldron)
Lokasenna (Loki's Taunts)
Thrymskvitha (The Theft of Mjollnir)
Volundarkvitha (The Escape of Volund the Smith)
Alvissmal (The Words of All-Wise)
Baldrs draumar (Balder's Dreams)
Rigsthula (The Tale of Rig)
Voluspa en skamma (The Short Prophecy of Ragnarok)
Grottasongr (The Song of Grotti)


Poems about Heroes

Helgakvitha Hjorvarthssonar (The Poem of Helgi, Son of Hjorvarth)
Helgakvitha Hundingsbana I (The First Poem of Helgi, Killer of Hunding)
Helgakvitha Hundingsbana II (The Second Poem of Helgi, Killer of Hunding)
Fra dautha Sinfjotla (The Death of Sinfjotli)
Gripisspa (Gripir's Prophecies to Sigurth)
Reginsmal (The Tale of Regin)
Fafnismal (The Tale of Fafnir)
Sigrdrifumal (The Meeting with Brynhild)
Brot af Sigurtharkvithu (Fragment of a Poem about Sigurth)
Guthrunarkvitha I (The First Poem of Guthrun)
Sigurtharkvitha en skamma (A Short Poem of Sigurth)
Helreith Brynhildar (Brynhild's Ride to Hel)
Drap Niflunga (The Death of the Niflungs)
Atlakvitha (The Fall of the House of Attila)
Guthrunarkvitha II (The Second Poem of Guthrun)
Guthrunarkvitha III (The Third Poem of Guthrun)
Oddrunargratr (The Weeping of Oddrun)
Guthrunarhvot (The Inciting of Guthrun's Sons)
Hamthismal (The Tale of Hamthir)

Appendix: The Cowboy Havamal
Glossary of Names

About the Author:

Jackson Crawford holds an MA in linguistics from the University of Georgia and a PhD in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. From 2011 to 2020 he taught the Old Norse language, as well as courses in Norse mythology and Old Norse saga literature, at major universities including UCLA, UC Berkeley, and the University of Colorado Boulder. During that time, he also served as a consultant on a popular video game, television programs, and major Hollywood films. Since 2020 he has been an independent educator, using his YouTube channel and popular translations of Norse myths and sagas from Hackett Publishing to reach hundreds of thousands of viewers and readers with well-sourced information about Norse language, mythology, and runes. His research interests today focus on the relationship of the runes to Mediterranean alphabets, as well as the use of linguistic criteria to determine the date of Old Norse texts.