Jan 1, 2010

Elder Edda | Themes

The Elder Edda begins with the Völuspa or 'Sibyl's Prophecy,' a history of the world in the form of a prophecy. The poems following it give instructions for life, the fights and stratagems of the gods, and, finally, a series of heroic narrative poems and dialogues.

Divided Loyalties
Norse society was violent, as reflected in the Sayings of the High One "Don't leave your weapons lying about / behind your back in a field, / you never know when you may need / of a sudden your spear." In this society personal loyalties were everything, the only real...