Old Norse Mythology: An Introduction to the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda

Old Norse Mythology is an accessible and multidisciplinary introduction to the field. It surveys the 13 most consequential Eddic poems and Snorri Sturluson’s Edda, with a text-by-text approach explaining the content of each, how they represent Old Norse mythology, and the relations between texts. Old Norse mythology was written in medieval Iceland and Scandinavia a couple of centuries after the conversion to Christianity. As such, Old Norse mythology is a literary phenomenon that was created based on cultural memories and attitudes, particularly among Icelandic scholars. Mathias Nordvig offers invaluable insight into the distinction between the historical religion that existed in pre-Christian Scandinavia and the literary treatment of its cultural material in medieval sources. The guide features helpful illustrations, a timeline of Nordic‑Germanic culture development, as well as an end-of-book overview of skaldic poets, skaldic and Eddic poems, medieval texts, runic inscriptions, and picture stones mentioned throughout this book. This book is an important companion to studies of Old Norse mythology and is essential reading for students of Norse literature, mythology, medieval history, history of religion, and medievalism.