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"[Snorri Sturluson] speaks-- as almost no other historian ever has spoken-- with the authority of a man whose masterful skills would have made him one of the formidable, foremost in any of the events he records. So he saturates even remotely past happenings with a gripping first-hand quality...Hollander's translation is very good, fresh on every page ...Wherever you open the book, the life grips you and you read on...." -- Ted Hughes, New York Review of Books "Among the many contibutions to world literature that ancient Iceland has given us, Heimskringla stands out as one of the truly monumental works. Among medieval European histories in the vernacular it has no equal." -- Modern Philology

Beginning with the dim prehistory of the mythical gods and their descendants, Heimskringla recounts the history of the kings of Norway through the reign of Olaf Haraldsson, who became Norway's patron saint. Once found in most homes and schools and still regarded as a national treasure, Heimskringla influenced the thinking and literary style of Scandinavia over several centuries.

Great classic by Icelandic poet/chieftain chronicles the reigns of 16 high kings descended from the warrior-wizard god Odin. Major section on 15-year reign of Olav II Haraldson, patron saint of Norway. Based on earlier histories, oral traditions, plus new material by author, all presented with intelligence, warmth and objectivity. Over 130 illustrations. 5 maps. Notes. Introduction.

The wellspring for modern knowledge of Norse mythology, these legends of gods and heroes were created to preserve the Vikings' narrative style from European influence. Edda means poetic art, and this guidebook for Icelandic poets has been a timeless inspiration for generations of writers, including Wagner, Borges, and Tolkien.

"Prose Edda" is a work without predecessor or parallel. It was designed as a handbook for poets to compose in the style of the skalds of the Viking ages. It is an exposition of the rule of poetic diction with many examples, applications, and retellings of myths and legends. Snorri Sturluson feared that the traditional techniques of Norse poetics, the pagan kennings, and the allusions to mythology would be forgotten with the introduction of new verse forms from Europe. The present selection includes the whole of Gylfaginning ("The deluding of Gylfi") - a guide to mythology that forms one of the great storybooks of the Middle Ages - and the longer heroic tales and legends of "Skaldskaparmal" (Poetic diction). Snorri Sturluson was a master storyteller, and this translation in modern idiom of the inimitable tales of the gods and heroes of the Scandinavian peoples brings them to life again.

But the king's heart swells, bulging with courage in battle, where heroes sink down...
Over a period of twenty years Snorri Sturluson, scholar, courtier and poet, compiled the prose "Edda" as a textbook for young poets who wished to praise kings. His work surveys the content, style and metres of traditional Viking poetry and includes a lengthy poem of Snorrie's own, praising the king of Norway. Ironically, Snorri was killed in his own cellar in Iceland in 1241 on the instigation of the king of Norway, as a result of political intrigue.
The "Edda" contains the most extensive account of Norse myths and legends that has survived from the Middle Ages as well as the popular stories of Odin winning back the mead of poetic inspiration and Thor fishing for the Midgard serpent.