| Eddaic Poetry: An Introduction & Explanation By Baron Fridrikr Tomasson |
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The “Poetic Edda” contains poems that are the oldest form of Norse poetry. They are the stories and poems that most people identify with when they think of the Vikings. They are the tales of Oðin & Þor, Freya & Freyr, Loki & Baldr. “Their history is strangely mysterious. We do not know who composed them, or when or where they were composed; we are by no means sure who collected them or when he did so; finally, we are not absolutely certain as to what an "Edda" is, and the best guess at the meaning of the word renders its application to this collection of poems more or less misleading.” http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe02.htm Although much of the history and origins of the Eddas remain hidden in the fogs of history, we do have some ideas about them. They are the origin of much of both Norse and Germanic mythology, including the Wagner Ring Cycle. They do present the Norse concept of the origin of the universe, presented in the Voluspo (Wise-Woman’s Prophecy), as well as lessons for men to live by (the Havamal). Kari Ellen Gade presents an outline of the qualities of the Eddaic poetry: Eddic poetry relates heroic and mythological events, such as Þor’s fight with giants, the beginning and end of the world, or Sigurdr’s slaying of the dragon… Eddic poetry… contains poetic circumlocutions, but the constructions are, as a rule, simpler…. On the whole, Eddic poetry more or less reflects the same stage of development as do Old English and Old Saxon poetry. (Gade: 2) A further description of the basic qualities of Eddaic poetry is provided by Turville-Petre: The origin of the name “Edda is … obscure. It could mean “great-grandmother,” for much of the book consists of tales which could have been told by a man’s great-grandmother. It may also mean “the Book of Oddi”, for it was at Oddi, in the south of Iceland, that Snorri {Sturluson, the man who wrote down much of the Eddas} grew up and acquired much of his learning. Alternatively, it could be a derivative of odr (poetry)… The Edda is commonly about ancient myths and legends… The Eddaic poetry is in “free” measures. This implies that syllable and line-endings are not measured strictly, although the stresses are…. Eddaic poems are timeless; they are ascribed to no named authors and only painstaking research may show when or where they were composed, when and where some of the events which may have ultimately inspired them may have taken place. (Turville-Petre: xi-xvi) The verse form of the Poetic Edda varies from six to eight syllables per line. The lines often break into two units, and most lines contain alliteration. Simple kennings (metaphoric phrases) are often present. When reading the eddas, you should remember that they are originally intended to be spoken aloud, not read silently. The Poetic Edda consists of about 36 poems, both myths of the gods and legends of heroes, of various ages and origins. There is a great deal of dispute as to the accuracy of many of the poems, for additions and deletions have been made in the texts over the centuries. The list of poems in the Poetic Edda: The Mythic Lays The Heroic Lays http://www.northvegr.org/lore/poetic2/index.php Although time does not permit me to describe all of the poems in the Poetic Edda, I will talk about three or four. The first, and to many, the most important of the poems in the Poetic Edda is Voluspo or The Wise Woman’s Prophecy. Bellows describes it as follows: The general plan of the Voluspo is fairly clear. Oðin, chief of the gods, always conscious of impending disaster and eager for knowledge, calls on a certain “Volva”, or wise-woman, presumably bidding her rise from the grace. She first tells him of the past, of the creation of the world, the beginning of years, the origins of the dwarfs, … of the first woman and man, of the world-ash Yggdrasil, and of the fuirst war, between the gods and the Vanir. … She discloses some of Oðin’s secrets and the details of his search for knowledge. Rewarded by Oðin for what she has thus far told, she then turns to the real prophecy, the disclosure of the final destruction of the gods… ragna rok, the fate of the gods. (http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe03.htm) Here are several passages, in the original and in Bellows’s translation: 1. Hljóðs bið ek allar | helgar kindir, 2. Ek man jötna | ár um borna, 3. Ár var alda | þar er Ýmir bygði, 4. Áðr Burs synir | bjöðum um ypðu, 1. Hearing I ask | from the holy races, 2. I remember yet | the giants of yore, 3. Of old was the age | when Ymir lived; 4. Then Bur's sons lifted | the level land, http://www.northvegr.org/lore/poeticon/001.php The second poem from the Poetic Edda I want to mention is the Rigsþula “the song of Rig” which Bellows describes as “essentially unlike anything else which editors have agreed to include in the so-called Edda. It is definitely a cultural poem, explaining, on a mythological basis, the origin of the different castes in early society: the thralls. The peasants, and the warriors. From the warriors, finally, springs the one who is destined to become a king, and so, the whole poem is a song in praise of the royal estate.” (http://www.sacredtexts.com/neu/poe/poe14.htm) In his article, “The Historical Worth of the Rigsþula”, Frederic Amory hypothesizes that the poem comes from 2. Kom hann at húsi, | hurð var á gætti, 3. Rígr kunni þeim | ráð at segja; 2. Forward he went | on the midmost way, 3. Rig knew well | wise words to speak, 4. Þá tók Edda | ökkvinn hleif, 5. Rígr kunni þeim | ráð at segja, 4. A loaf of bread | did Edda bring, 5. Rig knew well | wise words to speak, The third poem from the Poetic Edda I will speak of is an example of the Viking sense of humor. ThrymskviÞa eðr Hamarsheimt, The Lay of Thrym, or the Hammer Recovered. In this tale, the Giant, Þrym has stolen Þor’s hammer and he demands that Freya, the goddess of the earth & fertility become his bride. His real plan is to gain control of both the goddess and the Brisinga necklace, a thing of great magic. There follows several comic scenes, among which is Þor, dressed in drag as Freya, being “married” to the giant, Þrym. While this is definitely a tale of the craftiness and deceitfulness of the gods, it is hard to believe that the listener wouldn’t be amused by the almost slap-stick quality of the plot. Quotations from ThrymskviÞa eðr Hamarsheimt follow: 1. Vreiðr var þá Vingþórr | er hann vaknaði 2. Ok hann þat orða | alls fyrst of kvað: 1. Wild was Vingthor | when he awoke, 2. Hear now the speech | that first he spake: 3. Gengu þeir fagra | Freyju túna 4. "Þó munda ek gefa þér | þótt ór gulli væri 5. Fló þá Loki, | - fjatrhamr dunði, - 3. To the dwelling fair | of Freyja went they, 4. "Thine should it be | though of silver bright, http://www.northvegr.org/lore/poeticon/008.php The last poem from the Poetic Edda is the most important to the belief system and education of the Vikings. It is the Havamal, The High One’s Lay, not so much a tale as a series of verses that give advie & tell the story of the High One (Oðin). Bellows says: Passages from the Havamal follow: 1.Gáttir allar | áðr gangi fram 2. Gefendr heilir! | Gestr er inn kominn, 3. Elds er þörf | þeims inn er kominn 4. Vatns er þörf | þeim er til verðar kemr, 1. Within the gates | ere a man shall go, 2. Hail to the giver! | a guest has come; 3. Fire he needs | who with frozen knees 4. Water and towels | and welcoming speech http://www.northvegr.org/lore/poeticon/006.php In conclusion, the Poetic Edda gives us many of the most famous tales in the Norse and Germanic mythology. Although we know relatively little of its age and origins, the tale live on today in multiple versions. Among the most accessible today is The Norse Myths, by Kevin Crossley- Holland; a prose re-telling of the Edda. I believe that more people should read and tell the tales from the Edda, in order to hear the old stories and learn from them. Works Cited Armory, Frederic. “The Historical Worth of Rigsðula” Alvissmal 10 (2001): 3-20. 21 February 2007 <http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~alvismal/10list.pdf> Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Norse Myths. NY: Pantheon Books, 1980. Gade, Kari Ellen. The Structure of Old Norse Dróttkvætt Poetry.Islandica XLIV. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1995. Northvegr – Northern The Poetic Edda. 2005. Northvegr Foundation. 21 February 2007 <http://www.northvegr.org/lore/main.php> The Poetic Edda. Henry Adams Bellows, tr. [1936]. 21 February 2007 <http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/index.htm> Turville-Petre, E.O.G. Scaldic Poetry. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1976. |