The Prose Edda: The Norse Myths That Shaped Modern Fantasy

The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda or Snorri's Edda, is one of the most important surviving works of Scandinavian literature and one of our principal written sources for Norse mythology.

Written in Iceland around a century after the end of the Viking Age, the work preserves stories of the Norse gods, giants, dwarves and elves, together with accounts of creation, heroic traditions and the final destruction of the world at Ragnarök.

Its mixture of prose and powerful verse provides an extraordinary record of traditions that had previously been transmitted orally. The stories preserved in the Edda have subsequently influenced writers and artists from Richard Wagner to J. R. R. Tolkien and have become part of the foundation of modern fantasy.

The work is traditionally associated with the Icelandic scholar, historian and poet Snorri Sturluson, and is generally dated to around 1220.

The Four Sections of the Prose Edda

1. Prologue

The Prologue is the most controversial of the four sections. Written by the Christian Snorri Sturluson, it presents an explanation of the Norse gods that places them within a Christianised historical framework rather than treating them as a living theology.

In the Prologue, the Norse gods are presented as human figures associated with Troy who eventually travelled north and became the ancestors of the peoples who remembered them as gods.

2. Gylfaginning

Gylfaginning is the section most directly concerned with Norse mythology and is often the natural starting point for readers interested in the myths themselves.

It tells the story of Gylfi, a king of Sweden who travels to a mysterious hall in Asgard. There he encounters three figures named High, Just-As-High and Third, and begins questioning them about the gods, the creation of the world and its eventual destruction.

The section consequently takes the reader from the creation of the cosmos through the stories of the Norse gods and finally to Ragnarök.

When Gylfi's questioning comes to an end, the mysterious hall and its inhabitants disappear, leaving him to return to his own people and recount what he has learned.

3. Skáldskaparmál

Skáldskaparmál moves from mythology towards the art of poetry. It is concerned with the language and techniques required to compose skaldic verse.

The section takes the form of a conversation between Ægir, the divine personification of the sea, and Bragi, the god of poetry. Their discussion provides explanations of poetic language and the traditional expressions used by Icelandic poets.

It also preserves numerous quotations and stories from older Icelandic traditions. Although it is less concentrated on Norse mythology than Gylfaginning, it remains an important source for understanding the poetic traditions through which much of the mythology was preserved.

4. Háttatal

Háttatal is different from the preceding sections because it consists entirely of poetry composed by Snorri Sturluson.

It demonstrates the poetic forms and techniques discussed in Skáldskaparmál, providing examples of the many different metres and styles available to the Scandinavian poet.

A Window into the Viking Age

The Prose Edda is much more than a collection of entertaining myths. It is a record of how medieval Iceland preserved and interpreted an older Scandinavian tradition at a time when Christianity had already replaced the old religion.

Without works such as the Prose Edda, much of what we know about the Norse gods and their stories would have been lost. Together with the Poetic Edda, it remains one of the essential sources for anyone interested in Norse mythology, Scandinavian literature or the origins of modern fantasy.

Its influence can still be seen today. The gods, worlds, monsters and apocalyptic visions preserved by Snorri have travelled far beyond medieval Iceland, becoming part of the shared vocabulary of fantasy literature, games and popular culture.

For anyone interested in where much of modern fantasy ultimately came from, The Prose Edda is one of the surviving relics that deserves a place on the bookshelf.