Norse mythology. Yet Christianity already influenced Sturluson’s version of the tales, and his objective in theProse Edda doesn’t seem to just be to tell myths. He also describes and provides illustrations of various kinds of “skaldic” verse (forms used by ancient Scandinavian poets). Section three (the “Skaldskaparmal”) and section four (the “Hattatal”) of the Prose Edda describe the features of skaldic poetry in great detail, in part through a “frame story”: an imagined dialog between the gods Aegir and Bragi.

The “Hattal” contains questions and answers (sort of like an ancient FAQ page) on the various features of skaldic verse, such as the differences between long and short syllables and hard and soft ones. It also defines things like alliteration and rhyme. Alliteration (the repetition of sounds at the beginning of words) was widely used in ancient Scandinavian verse. Because words change as you move from one language to another, this doesn’t always come across in translation, but you can sense it in a passage like this from the Prose Edda, which describes a list of warrior’s names:

Dag rode Drosul, Dvalin Modnir, Hialmther Hod, and Haki Fak. The slayer of Beli rode Blodughofi ...

Alliteration is evident in the repetition of d, h, and b sounds.

The “Skaldskaparmal,” in turn, features a lengthy passage on “kennings,” or figurative language used to create a compound word. For instance, the Edda describes how skaldic verse often refers to the sea as the “ships’ road,” to gold as the “fire of the sea,” and to a warrior’s heart as a “power stone.” There is a huge array of kennings in skaldic verse, and the Prose Edda helps explain their meanings and how they were used in poetry.

The Prose Edda is one of the two texts that inform what we know about Norse mythology. The mythology contained within the text is written in poetic form⁠—telling the stories of the gods of the Germanic peoples of Iceland and surrounding countries. Snorri Sturluson wrote the text in the 13th century as a means to provide Norse poets with a grounding in the elements and styles of their poetic tradition.

The text isn’t a treatise in the usual way. It isn’t written as an essay, but instead, it seeks to inform other poets of how to craft poetry by demonstrating how to use devices like alliteration and kennings through the narrative of the gods. The Prose Edda is divided into three parts: Gylfaginning, Skaldskaparmal, and Hattatal. The three parts are each a “book,” and the entire collection was meant to be an instructive document, like a textbook.

Gylfaginning is the first part of the treatise and describes the creation and destruction of the world. The section covers most of the important stories of Norse mythology, and this is the section you are probably most familiar with from the text. However, unfortunately, this is the least important of the books in terms of acting like a treatise. The Gylfaginning tells the reader the stories of the Norse religion, providing instruction for Norse poets who wish to write about it. That is the essential function of this section within the treatise.

Skaldskaparmal fits more into the traditional definition of a treatise because it goes over the common poetic sayings or kennings. The explanation of poetry’s relation to nature, its importance, and how its composed is done through dialogue between two gods Aegir and Bragi. Aegir, a sea god, speaks on nature, while Bragi speaks about poetry, and their conversation weaves the two together. Bragi also catalogs various kennings, a way of teaching the reader their meaning and importance in Skaldic poetry within the narrative of the myth. Bragi at one point says,

But now one thing must be said to young skalds, to such as yearn to attain to the craft of poesy and to increase their store of figures with traditional metaphors; or to those who crave to acquire the faculty of discerning what is said in hidden phrase: let such an one, then, interpret this book to his instruction and pleasure. (Skaldskaparmal)

This is a break in the fourth wall of the poem because it is Bragi showing what must be done to learn “the craft of poesy” or how to write poetry. He then goes into explaining the traditional metaphors and hidden phrases that were common to the Norse poets of old. This is the simplest way to see how the text acts as a treatise because it is meant to be instructive for readers who wish to learn about the construction of Norse poetry.

The final section, Hattatal, is Snorri’s creation, where he systematically goes over the poetic forms. He demonstrates how poetry should be constructed and gives the reader a clear idea of how the older poetic tradition would have functioned through his narration.