edda

Edda is the name given to two medieval Icelandic works that together contain the bulk of Norse myth and heroic legends in Old Norse literature. The two main parts are the Poetic Edda, also known as the Elder Edda, and the Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda.

The Poetic Edda is a collection of traditional Old Norse poems, preserved in manuscript form in the 13th century, most famously in Codex Regius. It draws on older oral tradition and includes mythological lays, such as Völuspá, Grímnismál, and Lokasenna, as well as heroic lays about figures like Sigurd and Brynhildr. The poems are largely anonymous and are written in traditional alliterative verse. The Poetic Edda serves as a primary source for Norse mythology and for understanding the legendary cycles of Scandinavian heroic lore.

The Prose Edda was composed in the early 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. It presents a systematic account of Norse mythology and a guide to Old Norse poetics. The work consists of three parts: Gylfaginning, which offers a narrative of the world and the gods; Skáldskaparmál, a dialogue on poetic language and kennings; and Háttatal, a demonstration of verse forms. Its aim was both to preserve traditional myths and to explain how poets could use them in their own compositions.

Together, the Eddas have shaped modern understanding of Norse myth and literature and continue to influence popular culture. The term is sometimes used broadly to refer to Norse mythological texts, though scholars distinguish the two principal Eddas.