Date of creation : About 1220 AD
Its original title in Old Norse is "Snorra - Edda".
This literary work of mixed style was written by the Christian poet and politician Snorri Sturluson, who was a native of the Nordic countries. It tells the Norse myths and legends.
It is known to be the most widespread written source of information on Norse mythology and its pantheon.
The Edda consists of four parts : "The Edda Prologue", "The Gylfaginning", "The Skáldskarparmal" and "The Háttatal."
This literary work is the "equivalent" of Homer's Odyssey, with each part having a
meaning. In the order given above, the first is a 'Christianization' of the origin of the Norse myths. The second tells the stories of the Aesir gods and their banquet in Asgard. The third is a poetic compendium of heroic myths and stories and the last is a compendium for the scalds to know the metres (repetitive musical unit) to perform.
Love the Norse mithology. It reminds me a comics serie I was reading when I was 10 yo.
I never heard about Snorri Sturluson... Your post made my mouth water. I want more!
Thank you for this short introductin. What does Edda mean? You mention the fact that it is written in 'mixed style' - what does this mean and imply? Thanks