7 h 37 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Enter a world where Odin gives an eye for wisdom and poets turn the gods into riddles.
In The Younger Edda, also called the Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson gathers Norse myths into a guide for poets. King Gylfi seeks answers about the powerful Aesir. His questions open onto Ginnungagap, the great empty gap before the earth, and stories of creation, gods, monsters and the world's end.
Odin, Thor, Loki and the giants fill these tales, told clearly and often with humour. But Snorri also explores how poetry works: why old verse refers so often to gods, and how its riddling phrases carry meaning. This is not a single unfolding plot, but a meeting of myth, questions and the poet's craft.
What you’ll discover
- A king seeks answers Follow Gylfi through Gylfaginning, a dialogue that explores the gods and their world's beginnings.
- Gods with vivid lives Meet Odin with his two ravens, alongside Thor, Loki and the giants of Norse tradition.
- The riddles of poetry Explore Skaldskaparmal through a conversation between Aegir, the sea giant, and Bragi, poetry's god.
- Verse in many shapes Discover Hattatal, Snorri's showpiece poem, and its varied verse forms praising a king and earl.
- Old stories preserved Read a Christian author's guide to pagan stories, framed by a prologue and a practical purpose.
Who will love it
For readers who love mythology, fantasy and medieval literature, and anyone who has met Thor or Odin on screen and wants the source.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Christian preserves the old gods
- A king asks questions in Asgard
- Ice, fire and the making of the world
- Gods, monsters and the doom of the world
- How poets turn things into riddles
- Metres, models and a poem for a king
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 7 h 37 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Edda in prosa in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Edda in prosa
by Snorri Sturluson · 1220
A disguised king enters the hall of the Aesir to question the gods about creation and the fate of the world.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Younger Edda, also called the Prose Edda, is a thirteenth century Icelandic book by Snorri Sturluson. He was a poet, chieftain and lawspeaker who wrote it in the early 1220s.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Christian preserves the old gods
Snorri was born in Iceland in the late twelfth century and grew up at Oddi, a centre of learning. Iceland had accepted Christianity around the year 1000, more than two centuries before he wrote. The old gods were no longer worshipped, but the poems of the skalds, the court poets, still used their names and stories everywhere.
That created a problem. A poet who did not know the myths could not understand the verse of earlier masters, and could not write new verse in the same style. Snorri set out to fix this. His book is a teaching text, built to keep a great poetic tradition alive.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Edda in prosa
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is the Younger Edda about?
It retells Norse myths about the creation of the world, the gods such as Odin and Thor, and the final battle called Ragnarok. It also explains the poetic language and verse forms used by Old Norse poets.
Is the Younger Edda the same as the Prose Edda?
Yes. Both names mean the book Snorri Sturluson wrote in prose around the 1220s. Younger Edda sets it apart from the Elder or Poetic Edda, an older collection of anonymous mythological and heroic poems.
What is a kenning in the Prose Edda?
A kenning is a poetic phrase that replaces a plain noun with a small riddle, such as calling the sea the road of ships. Snorri explains many of them in the Skaldskaparmal section, with the myths behind them.
The author
Snorri Sturluson
1179–1241 · Icelandic historian and poet
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic chieftain, historian, and poet, best remembered for the Prose Edda — known as the Younger Edda — among the most important sources we have for Norse mythology and the tales of Odin, Thor, and Loki.
More by Snorri Sturluson
All 2 books
More like this
Free
Free
Free
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in myths & legends
See all
Free
Free
