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Summary
The Poetic Edda is a distinctive literary form that settlers migrating from Norway in the ninth century brought to the newly colonized island, carrying with them long-circulating Norse myths and heroic legends, which then flourished further on this foundation.
Most of these works circulated orally among the people for centuries before being committed to final written form by anonymous Icelandic skalds before the thirteenth century. In short, the Icelandic Poetic Edda is the vernacular epic of medieval Iceland. The Poetic Edda has poetic form, meter, and rhyme, and is meant to be chanted.
Editor's review
From an editorial perspective, the value of this edition lies in its balance of scholarship and readability. It is not only a source text for fantasy literature enthusiasts but also an important work for the study of comparative mythology, medieval European literature, and even the history of Western thought. Images such as the World Tree, Odin's sacrifice in pursuit of knowledge, and Thor's reckless bravery deeply reflect the ancient Norse understanding of nature, fate, and knowledge. Reading the Edda allows one to move beyond a fragmentary acquaintance with Norse mythological symbols and to understand its complete system and inner logic, and to appreciate the tragedy and grandeur of myths born in a harsh natural environment. For readers who wish to understand the cultural background of The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, and the many films and games inspired by Norse themes, this book is an indispensable source.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers with a strong interest in Norse mythology, epic, and folk literature
- Literary or historical researchers seeking a systematic understanding of Western mythological systems and comparative study
- Dedicated fans of fantasy literature, film, and games looking for cultural origins and inspiration for world-building
- Readers who enjoy annotated classic academic translations and value textual reliability
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light, entertaining stories who lack patience for academic annotations and unfamiliar cultural systems
- Readers expecting a complete, continuous narrative novel rather than a compilation of poems and story fragments
Reading tips
- Begin with the "Introduction" or "Translator's Preface" to grasp the Edda's background, main categories of content (such as the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda), and cultural value.
- There is no need to read straight through; start with famous poems according to interest, such as the Völuspá and the Grímnismál, and then expand from there.
- Consult the annotations and translator's notes while reading to better understand names, places, cultural allusions, and the deeper meanings behind the verses.
About the publisher
The Commercial Press is a publisher known for classic works and academic publishing, with titles spanning Eastern philosophy, foreign literature, world history, social culture, and applied psychology. Its list includes classical commentaries such as Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects and Wang Bi's Commentary on the Zhouyi, as well as modern annotated translations like Zhuangzi with Modern Notes and Translation. In foreign literature it offers War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, while in world history it carries Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Applied psychology is represented by Irvin D. Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, and ethical texts include a Greek-Chinese-English edition of the Nicomachean Ethics. Its authors and translators include Zhu Xi, Wang Bi, Yalom, Braudel, and translators such as Huang Zheng, Zhang Yiling, Shen Dongyu, and Tang Jialong, balancing the editing of original texts with academic translation.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 再版序言
- 中译本前言
- 译 序
- 第一首 女占卜者的预言上
- 第一首 女占卜者的预言下
- 第二首 高人的箴言
- 第三首 巨人瓦弗鲁尼尔之歌
- 第四首 格里姆尼尔之歌
- 第五首 斯基尼尔之歌
- 第六首 哈尔巴德之歌
- 第七首 巨人希米尔的歌谣
- 第八首 洛基的吵骂
- 第九首 巨人特里姆的歌谣
- 第十首 阿尔维斯之歌
- 第十一首 巴德尔的噩梦
- 第十二首 里格的赞歌
- 第十三首 海恩德拉之歌
- 第十四首 伏尔隆德短曲
- 第十五首 海尔吉·希奥尔瓦德松谣曲
- 第十六首 海尔吉·匈丁斯巴纳的第一首谣曲
- 第十七首 海尔吉·匈丁斯巴纳的第二首谣曲
- 第十八首 辛费厄特里之死
- 第十九首 格里泼尔的预言
- 第二十首 雷金的歌谣
- 第二十一首 法弗尼尔之歌
- 第二十二首 西格德里弗之歌
- 第二十三首 西古尔德之歌片断
- 第二十四首 古德隆恩的第一首歌
- 第二十五首 西古尔德的短诗
- 第二十六首 布隆希尔德赴阴曹之旅
- 第二十七首 尼芬隆人之死
- 第二十八首 古德隆恩的第二首歌
- 第二十九首 古德隆恩的第三首歌
- 第三十首 奥德隆恩的哀歌
- 第三十一首 艾特礼的歌谣
- 第三十二首 艾特礼的格陵兰之歌
- 第三十三首 古德隆恩的催促
- 第三十四首 哈姆迪尔之歌
- 第三十五首 格罗蒂之歌
- 第三十六首 格罗阿的巫歌
- 第三十七首 费厄尔斯维恩之歌
- 第三十八首 太阳之歌
- 主要专名对照表
FAQ
What is the difference between the Edda and the Nibelungenlied?
Is this edition the Poetic Edda or the Prose Edda?
Does reading the Edda help in understanding modern popular culture?
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About the author
Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.
Shi Qin'e is an important Chinese translator and introducer of Nordic literature; public information about her is limited, and no systematic account of her life details is available. Judging from the five works held in the collection, her work centers on classic texts from Denmark and Sweden: the complete fairy tales and stories of Hans Christian Andersen in three volumes, aimed at children and families; Swedish children's classics such as The Wonderful Adventures of Nils and its variant, which combine geographical travel with a growing-up theme; the Edda, which concerns Norse myth and epic tradition; and The Red Room, a classic of modern Swedish literature. Her translations attend to the oral rhythm and narrative appeal of the originals, making the fairy tales suitable for reading aloud with children while keeping the myths and serious fiction readable. Her work is often classified under foreign literature and parenting, and has served as a bridge for Chinese readers to Nordic literary traditions.
Very little public information is available about Siwen, and basic details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name cannot currently be confirmed. According to the library's holdings, two works are attributed to this author: Edda and The Red Room, both classified under foreign literature. As far as the available materials show, the dates of composition, original languages, and first-edition information for these two works also require further verification. What can be stated clearly is that Siwen's writing profile is presented mainly through these two works, and the thematic orientation and narrative style must be examined in light of the texts themselves. For readers who wish to learn about this author, the existing clues are limited, but Edda and The Red Room remain important entry points into Siwen's literary world. This entry will be supplemented and updated as new materials are discovered; any content involving biographical details will be based on reliable sources and will not be speculated upon for the time being.
