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The Poetic Edda: The Heroic Poems (Dover Value Editions)

The Poetic Edda: The Heroic Poems (Dover Value Editions)
By Henry Adams Bellows

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Product Description

The companion volume to Dover's The Poetic Edda: The Mythological Poems, this vibrant compilation presents the heroic sagas of Scandinavia's ancient oral traditions. These timeless legends of superhuman warriors and doomed lovers have inspired storytellers such as Richard Wagner and J. R. R. Tolkien and continue to enchant modern readers.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #163929 in Books
  • Published on: 2007-07-30
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 336 pages

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Customer Reviews

It is good.5
I have read this translation on Sacred Texts.com, and I thought it was great, not just good. Most people I discuss the Eddas with, that endeavor to revive the old Norse/Germanic religion, prefer this translation over others because of the accuracy of the translation AND the meter. The translator didn't have to sacrifice one for the other, so I've heard from people who know more than I do.

Get a different translation2
Let me start by saying that I love the Poetic Edda dearly, both the god- and hero-related poems. Norse mythology's heroes, like its gods, know they will die, but go on living and striving anyway, and the Poetic Edda beautifully conveys their spirit. It also includes a range of emotion and characters from Brynhild's wild fierceness to Gudruns patient courage, and much more. The Poetic Edda is a marvelous introduction to Norse mythology, and well worth reading.

Just *please* get a different translation, or you'll think I'm nuts. This one is terrible, translating primarily with a very trite, forced meter, and no real distinction of tone amongst the different poems. You get no real sense of the characters of the gods, which comes through so clearly in other translations, and everyone talks like they're in a mediocre Shakespeare-imitation play. Just...no.

For gorgeous, stately language and a nice feeling of distance in time and space (without completely blocking you out), try Lee Hollander's translation. For more colloquial language that shows clear distinctions in tone and style amongst the poems, try Carolyne Larrington's translation from Oxford World Classics. Either will serve you much, much better than this one. As a major plus, either of those also gives you both mythic and heroic poems.