Norse Mythology: Sources

Norse and Germanic mythology are full of rich traditions that have been preserved in only a few sources (at least directly). Many other sources contain bits and pieces of the mythological material, but only a few solely focus on it. This lesson aims to discuss those sources that directly address the old traditions of Norse mythology as well as the problems that come with them.

The following sources will be discussed in greater detail in this lesson:

1. The Poetic / Elder Edda
2. The Prose / Younger Edda
3. Gesta Danōrum

I am by no means an expert on this material, but I will do my best to give enough information to neutrally understand these sources more adequately. The realm of mythology has taken new life in recent years, with revival groups of modern practicing heathens, such as Ásatrú. In this lesson, I present the material historically and will do my best to not bring offense to the modern practice, which deserves much respect. 

The material will only be presented, but discussed in greater detail in later lessons. For example, the story of creation and the worlds will be discussed in more detail next week in Lesson 5. So do not be overwhelmed by the information laid out in this lesson, it is mainly to display what is covered by these sources.

The elements of Norse myth (creation, gods, worlds, races, stories) will be covered in the lessons that follow this one. For now, we will stick to understanding the nature of the sources that preserved the memory of this belief system into modernity.

The Poetic / Elder Edda

The Poetic Edda is a collection of poems about the gods, heroes, and mythology that were anonymously written. It is contained in the Cōdex Rēgius (Latin for “King’s book”), or Konungsbók in Icelandic. Many within the modern community hold this book to be the most solid in terms of accuracy, though it seems notorious that religions such as these operate in a non-unified manner. Many segments presented in the Poetic Edda have variations as they are presented in other sources. However, that should not be an issue.

It is perhaps easiest to break down the vast amount of material in the Poetic Edda by listing the poems that are included and organizing them by type. I do so from my personal copy of the text (see citation under “Sources”), though many other translations and renditions are suitable, if not better (there are guaranteed to be different versions than what I am about to present, so keep in mind that this list is not the “final say”):

The Mythological Poems:

1. Völuspá – The Prophecy of the Seeress
2. Hávamál – the Lay of the High One (Odin)
3. Vafþrúðnismál – The Lay of Vafthrúdnir
4. Grímnismál – The Lay of Grímnir
5. För Skírnis – Skírnir’s Journey
6. Hárbarðsljóð – Grey-beard’s Poem
7. Hymiskviða – The Lay of Hymir
8. Lokasenna – Loki’s Home-truths
9. Þrymskviða – The Song of Thrym
10. Völundarkviða – The Song of Völund
11. Alvíssmál – The Lay of All-wise

The Heroic Poems:

The Helgi Lays

1. Helgakviða Hundingsbana in fyrri – The First Song of Helgi Hundingsbane
2. Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar – The Song of Helgi the Son of Hjörvard
3. Helgakviða Hundingsbana önnur – The Second Song of Helgi Hundingsbane

The Niflung Cycle

1. Frá dauða Sinfjötla – About Sinfjötli’s Death
2. Grípisspá – The Prophecy of Grípir
3. Reginsmál – The Lay of Regin
4. Fáfnismál – The Lay of Fáfnir
5. Sigrdrífumál – The Lay of Sigrdrífa
6. Brot af Sigurðarkviðu – A Fragment of the Song of Sigurd
7. Guðrúnarkviða in fyrsta – The First Song of Gudrún
8. Sigurðarkviða in skamma – The Short Lay of Sigurd
9. Helreið Brynhildar – Brynhild’s Hell-Ride
10. Dráp Niflunga – The Killing of The Niflungs
11. Guðrúnarkviða in forna – The Ancient Song of Gudrún
12. Guðrúnarkviða in þriðja – The Third Song of Gudrún
13. Oddrúnargrátr – The Lament of Oddrún
14. Atlakviða – The Song of Atli
15. Atlamál hit grœnlenzku – The Greenlandic Lay of Atli

The Jörmunrekkr Lays

1. Guðrúnarhvöt – Gudrún’s Inciting
2. Hamðismál – The Lay of Hamdir

There are quite a bit of poems preserved in the Poetic Edda, but these are only a fraction of the complicated and rich tradition behind the mythology. Some poems are not included in this work, some having been lost over time and some being preserved in other works, such as the Völsunga saga. However, it gives us a tremendous insight into the tradition as well as some of the popular historical memories that prevailed long enough to be written down in their poetic forms.

The reason many people regard this as the most valuable source is due to the fact that it is in poetic form versus prose. Prose narrative has a tendency to change the story to make it suitable for a given audience, which we will see in the Prose Edda. Skaldic poetry, and poetry in general, has strict rules to keep in compliance with, and as a result makes poetry more consistent when passing through time.

The Prose / Younger Edda

The Prose Edda is split into four parts: Prologue, Gylfaginning, Skáldskaparmál, and Háttatal. It was written by Snorri Sturluson around the year 1220 CE. He was a member of the wealthy Sturla family and achieved his status through marriage. It takes certain poems and expands them (or condenses them) into a narrative.

This source must be read carefully, but not entirely disregarded. His work does not shy away from Christian influence and, to be honest, Snorri aims to actually align Norse mythology with the Christian world. This should not be an issue for the careful reader; it actually presents and interesting tale in itself about the time period that the Prose Edda was written down. 

Snorri added these elements for a reason, and it was not to subordinate the mythology. By including the Prologue that places Norse mythology into the Christian realm, he was aiming to bring scholarly attention to it so that further study would be considered. He wanted to bring Norse mythology to the minds of scholars in other parts of Europe, just as Greek and Roman mythology had already done. He and many other Icelanders had not intention of degrading their history and traditions, but rather the opposite. In these works they demonstrate that by lifting them into the new realm and by seeking justification in the eyes of the new elite.

As I did with the Poetic Edda, I will list each section below to give an idea of what this source includes:

Prologue (Bringing Norse myth into the christian realm)

1. In The Beginning 
2. The Three Parts of the World (Africa, Europe, Asia)
3. The People of Troy and Thor
4. Odin’s Journey Northward
5. Odin’s Journey Continues and the Æsir Settle in the North

Gylfaginning (The Deluding of Gylfi)

1. King Gylfi and the Woman Gefjun
2. Gylfi Encounters the Three Chieftains of the Æsir
3. The All-Father
4. Niflheim and Muspellsheim
5. Ginnungagap and the Emergence of Ymir
6. The Primeval Cow Audhumla, Ymir and the Birth of Odin
7. Bergelmir and the Appearance of the Second Race of Frost Giants
8. The World is Created from Ymir’s Body
9. Men are created and Asgard is Built. The All-Father sees Everything
10. Night and day
11. Sun and Moon
12. The Wolves
13. Bifrost [The Rainbow Bridge]
14. Asgard and the Origin of the Dwarves
15. The Ash Yggdrasil, the Norns and the Three Wells
16. The Creatures of the Ash Tree Yggdrasil
17. The High One Tells of Other Places in Heavan
18. The Origin of the Wind
19. Summer and Winter
20. Odin the All-Father
21. Thor
22. Baldr
23. Njord and Skadi
24. Frey and Freyja
25. Tyr
26. Bragi
27. Heimdall
28. Hod
29. Vidar
30. Ali/ Vali
31. Ull
32. Forseti
33. Loki
34. Loki’s Monstrous Children
35. Goddesses
36. Valkyries and Goddesses
37. The Tale of Frey and the Giantess Gerd
38. The High One Speaks of Valhalla
39. The Drink of the Einherjar and what Flows from Valhalla
40. The Doors of Valhalla
41. The Daily Battle at Valhalla
42. The Master Builder from Giant Land and the Birth of Sleipnir
43. The Ship Skidbladnir
44. Thor and Loki Begin their Journey to Giant Land
45. Thor Encounters Skrymir in the Forest
46. Thor Reaches the Stronghold of Utgarda-Loki
47. Utgarda-Loki Reveals that Thor was Deceived
48. Thor and the Giant Hymir go Fishing
49. The Death of Baldr and Hermod’s Ride to Hel
50. Loki is Caught and the Æsir take Vengeance
51. The High One Reveals the Events of Ragnarok
52. After Ragnarok
53. The High One Describes the Rebirth of the World
54. Ganglier Returns Home to Tell the Tales
55. The Epilogue to Gylfaginning

Skáldskaparmál (Poetic Diction)

Mythic and Legendary Tales

1. Bragi Tells Ægir Stories of the Gods
   1. The Theft of Idunn and Her Apples
   2. Loki Retrieves Idunn from the Giant Thjazi
   3. Skadi Seeks Vengeance for Her Father
   4. The Inheritance of the Giants
2. Kvasir and the Mead of Poetry
   1. Odin Seeks the Mead
3. The Giant Hrungnir
   1. Thor Duels with Hrungnir
4. Thor Journeys to Geirrod’s Courts
5. The Dwarves Make Treasures for the Gods
6. Ægir’s Feast
7. Otter’s Ransom: The Rhinegold and Sigurd the Dragon Slayer
   1. The Curse on the Gold Begins to Work
   2. Sigurd the Volsung
   3. The Valkyrie Brynhild and the Gjukungs
   4. Brynhild and Gudrun Quarrel
   5. The Rhinegold, King Atli’s Greed and Queen Gudrun’s Vengeance
   6. Gudrun’s Third Marriage
   7. King Jormunrek’s Tragedy
8. Frodi’s Mill and His Peace
9. Kraki’s Seed and King Hrolf Kraki of Denmark
   1. King Hrolf and King Adils of Sweden
10. The Never-ending Battle

Poetic References

1. An Explanation of Kenning Structure
2. Kennings for Gods
3. References to Goddesses
4. References to Sky, Earth and Natural Phenomena
5. References to Men
6. References to Women
7. References to Gold
8. References to Battle, Weapons and Armor
9. References to Ships
10. References to Christ
11. The Reckoning of Time
12. The Story of Halfdan the Old and Distinguished Names
13. Halfdan the Old and Distinguished Lineages
14. References to Poets

Háttatal (Listing of Technical Poetic Devices)

My copy of the text does not include this section, but it is less mythological and more for the schooling of poets. 

Gesta Danōrum

I will be upfront in noting that I do not yet own a copy of this text nor have I worked with it as of yet, so this section will be far less detailed than the previous two. This source was written by Saxo Grammaticus and translates from Latin to “The Deeds of the Danes”. It presents slightly different renditions of the material in these works, of gods and heroes. It also includes the story of someone quite popular today: Ragnar Loðbrok. I cannot attest to anything beyond that, but it is definitely a good source to use in conjunction with those I have already gone through. It is also nice to have a source that is not from Iceland alone, to get other variations of the myths.

Conclusion

It may seem that there is a lot of information in these sources, which there honestly is to someone who is not familiar with the mythology already. Yet, to imagine that these sources provide the bulk of information of a tradition that was already hundreds of years old by their time is surprising. It is clear that there is much that has been lost and that even what we do have can be interpreted in multiple, multiple ways. 

If you are to get anything out of this lesson, let it be this: Mythology is nothing that is or ever will be concrete. There will always be differing views and renditions. The authors of these texts, although Christian, had good intensions in lifting their own heritage into the light of scholarship. They did not wish to degrade their past but rather the opposite. Take care when reading these sources, if you so choose to do. Remember the intensions of the authors and keep in mind that one story can have many, many different paths.

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Sources

1. Dukes-Knight, Jennifer. “Mythology.” Lecture, Viking History, University of South Florida, Tampa. Spring 2015.
2. Orchard, Andy tans. The Elder Edda: A Book of Viking Lore. London: Penguin Classics, 2011.
3. Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda. Translated by Jesse L. Byock. London: Penguin Classics, 2005.