Old Norse literature

Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia.

collection of Old Norse poems

13th-century Norse work of literature written in Iceland

"Edda" (; Old Norse Edda, plural Eddur) is an Old Norse term that has been applied by modern scholars to the collective of two Medieval Icelandic literary works: what is now known as the Prose Edda and an older collection of poems (without an original title) now known as the Poetic Edda. The term historically referred only to the Prose Edda, but this usage has fallen out of favour because of confusion with the other work. Both works were recorded in Iceland during the 13th century in Icelandic, although they contain material from earlier traditional sources, reaching back into the Viking Age.

Völuspá (also Vǫluspá, Vǫlospá, or Vǫluspǫ́; Old Norse: 'Prophecy of the völva, a seeress') is the best known poem of the Poetic Edda. It dates back to the tenth century and tells the story from Norse Mythology of the creation of the world, its coming end, and its subsequent rebirth that is related to the audience by a völva addressing Odin. Her name is given twice as Heiðr. The poem is one of the most important primary sources for the study of Norse mythology. Parts of the poem appear in the Prose Edda, but the earliest known wholly preserved version of the poem is in the Codex Regius and Hau

thumb|"The Stranger at the Door" (1908) by W. G. Collingwood '''''' ("Words of Hávi [the High One]" in Old Norse) is presented as a single poem in the Codex Regius, a collection of Old Norse poems from the Viking age. A scholarly estimate of 's age dates the poem to between 900 and 1000 A.D. The poem, itself a combination of numerous shorter poems, is largely gnomic, presenting advice for living, proper conduct and wisdom. It is considered an important source of Old Norse philosophy.

right|thumb|upright=1.3|Bersi Skáldtorfuson, in chains, composing poetry after he was captured by King Óláfr Haraldsson (illustration by [[Christian Krohg for an 1899 edition of Heimskringla)]]

Icelandic manuscipt of Old Norse poems

right|250px|thumb|"No one gave him a thought of pity save little Agnar" by George Wright. The younger Agnarr offering the tortured Grímnir something to drink.

thumb|A depiction of Loki quarreling with the gods (1895) by Lorenz Frølich. Lokasenna (Old Norse: 'The Flyting of Loki', or 'Loki's Verbal Duel') is one of the poems of the Poetic Edda. The poem presents flyting between the gods and Loki. It is written in the ljóðaháttr metre, typical for wisdom verse. Lokasenna is believed to be a 10th-century poem.

thumb|Odin and Vafþrúðnir battle in a game of knowledge (1895) by Lorenz Frølich. Vafþrúðnismál (Old Norse: 'The Lay of Vafþrúðnir') is the third poem in the Poetic Edda. It is a conversation in verse form conducted initially between the Æsir Odin and Frigg, and subsequently between Odin and the jötunn Vafþrúðnir, as they engage in a battle of wits. The poem goes into detail about the Norse cosmogony and was evidently used extensively as a source document by Snorri Sturluson in the construction of the Prose Edda who quotes it. The poem is preserved in Codex Regius and partially in AM 748 I 4to

Eddic poem

thumb|right|"Ah, what a lovely maid it is!" (1902) by Elmer Boyd Smith. thumb|right|Thor dresses up as a bride and Loki as a bridesmaid. Illustration by Carl Larsson.

thumb|right|"Freyja awakes Hyndla" (1908) by W. G. Collingwood. thumb|"The Ancestry of Ottar" (1908) by W. G. Collingwood. Hyndluljóð (Old Norse: 'The Lay of Hyndla') is an Old Norse poem often considered a part of the Poetic Edda. It is preserved in its entirety only in Flateyjarbók, but some stanzas are also quoted in the Prose Edda, where they are said to come from Völuspá hin skamma. __NOTOC__ Hyndluljóð is believed to be a relatively late Eddic poem, dating to the second half of the 12th century or later, although including much older traditions, such as that of the 4th c. Gothic king Er

thumb|"The Lovesickness of Frey" (1908) by W.G. Collingwood. Skírnismál (Old Norse: 'The Lay of Skírnir', but in the Codex Regius known as Fǫr Skírnis ‘Skírnir’s journey’) is one of the poems of the Poetic Edda. It is preserved in the 13th-century manuscripts Codex Regius and AM 748 I 4to but may have been originally composed in the early 10th century. Many scholars believe that the poem was acted out, perhaps in a sort of hiéros gamos.

right|thumb|300px|Thor converses with Alvíss while protecting his daughter. Illustration by W. G. Collingwood thumb|"Sun Shines in the Hall" (1908) by W. G. Collingwood

thumb|A page from Hauksbók Hauksbók (; 'Book of Haukr') is a 14th-century Icelandic manuscript created by Haukr Erlendsson. Significant portions of it are lost, but it contains the earliest copies of many of the texts it contains, including the Saga of Eric the Red. In most cases, Haukr copied from earlier, now lost manuscripts. Among these are the section on mathematics called Algorismus, the text of Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks. It was originally in one part, but now split in three (AM 371 4to, AM 544 4to and AM 675 4to) and held at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies in Reykjaví

The þættir (Old Norse singular þáttr, literally meaning a "strand" of rope or yarn) are short stories written mostly in Iceland during the 13th and 14th centuries.

right|frame|Thor's foot goes through the boat as he struggles to pull up Jörmungandr in the Altuna Runestone.

literary work

thumb|"Greybeard mocks Thor" (1908) by W. G. Collingwood. Hárbarðsljóð (Old Norse: 'The Lay of Hárbarðr') is one of the poems of the Poetic Edda, found in the Codex Regius and AM 748 I 4to manuscripts. It is a flyting poem with figures from Norse Paganism. Hárbarðsljóð was first written down in the late 13th century but may have had an older history as an oral poem.

Old Norse chivalric saga

thumb|right|180px|From Ardre image stone VIII. Vǫlundr's smithy in the centre, Níðuðr's daughter to the left, and Níðuðr's dead sons hidden to the right of the smithy. Between the girl and the smithy, Vǫlundr can be seen flying away, apparently in bird form. thumb|Völundr and his two brothers see the swan-maidens bathing. Illustration by [[Jenny Nyström, 1893.]] thumb|"The three smith boys spy and later marry three valkyrie maidens" (1882) by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine. Vǫlundarkviða (Old Norse: 'The lay of Völund'; modern Icelandic spelling: Völundarkviða) is one of the mythological poems of the

literature of the Scandinavian peoples up to c. 1350

thumb|right|300px|"Rig in Great-grandfather's Cottage" (1908) by W. G. Collingwood

literary work

poem in the Poetic Edda

thumb|Fenja and Menja at the mill. Illustration by Carl Larsson and Gunnar Forssell. Grottasǫngr (or Gróttasǫngr; Old Norse: 'The Mill's Songs', or 'Song of Grótti') is an Old Norse poem, sometimes counted among the poems of the Poetic Edda as it appears in manuscripts that are later than the Codex Regius. The tradition is also preserved in one of the manuscripts of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda along with some explanation of its context.

right|200px|thumb|Brünnhilde wakes and greets the day and Siegfried, illustration of the scene of Wagner's Ring|Wagner's Ring inspired by the , by [[Arthur Rackham (1911).]] thumb|right|Sigrdrífa gives Sigurðr a horn to drink from. Illustration by Jenny Nyström (1893). 200px|right|thumb|Sigrdrífa giving Sigurd a drinking horn. Illustration on the Drävle Runestone. '''' (also known as ) is the conventional title given to a section of the Poetic Edda'' text in .

thumb|right|250px|Menglöð.Fjölsvinnsmál (Old Norse: 'The Lay of Fjölsvinn') is the second of two Old Norse poems commonly published under the title Svipdagsmál "The Lay of Svipdagr". These poems are found together in several 17th-century paper manuscripts with Fjölsvinnsmál. In at least three of these manuscripts, the poems appear in reverse order and are separated by a third eddic poem titled Hyndluljóð. For a long time, the connection between the two poems was not realized, until in 1854 Svend Grundtvig pointed out a connection between the story told in Gróagaldr and the first part of the me

thumb|right|250px|Svipdagr meets his beloved in this illustration by W. G. Collingwood.

book by Snorri Sturluson

thumb|right|300px|''Groa's Incantation by W. G. Collingwood Grógaldr or The Spell of Gróa is the first of two Old Norse poems, now commonly published under the title Svipdagsmál found in several 17th-century paper manuscripts with Fjölsvinnsmál. In at least three of these manuscripts, the poems are in reverse order and separated by a third eddic poem titled, Hyndluljóð. For a long time, the connection between the two poems was not realized, until in 1854 Svend Grundtvig pointed out a connection between the story told in Gróagaldr and the first part of the medieval Scandinavian ballad of Ungen

saga

medieval Icelandic manuscript

right|thumb|Sigurd plunges his sword into Fáfnir's chest in this illustration by Arthur Rackham. Fáfnismál (''Fáfnir's sayings) is an Eddic poem, found in the Codex Regius manuscript. The poem is unnamed in the manuscript, where it follows Reginsmál and precedes Sigrdrífumál'', but modern scholars regard it as a separate poem and have assigned it a name for convenience.

200px|thumb|right|Gunnarr, the object of Oddrún's forbidden love.Oddrúnargrátr (''Oddrún's lament) or Oddrúnarkviða (Oddrún's poem) is an Eddic poem, found in the Codex Regius manuscript where it follows Guðrúnarkviða III and precedes Atlakviða''.

icelandic manuscript

writer

Collection of British and Irish historical materials

Second Lay of Helgi Hundingsbane, an Old Norse poem found in the Poetic Edda

First Lay of Helgi Hundingsbane, an Old Norse poem found in the Poetic Edda

thumb|right|200px|The Sigurd stones#Hunninge Image Stone|Hunninge Image Stone on [[Gotland, Sweden, with imagery that probably refers to Atlakviða, or another story or poem on the same events. On the top of the stone, there is a man carrying a ring, who may be Sigurd or the messenger Knéfrøðr. On the bottom left, the scene depicts a woman watching the snake pit where Gunnar is lying.]] Atlakviða (The Lay of Atli) is one of the heroic poems of the Poetic Edda. One of the main characters is Atli who originates from Attila the Hun. It is one of the most archaic Eddic poems, possibly dating to as

thumb|Gizur challenging the Huns according to the Hlöðskviða (Hunnenschlachtlied) [[File:Chernyakhov.PNG|right|upright=1.35|thumb|

right|thumb|Reginn after he had been killed by [[Sigurd on the 11th century Ramsund carving in Södermanland, Sweden.]] Reginsmál (Old Norse: 'The Lay of Reginn') is an Eddic poem interspersed with prose found in the Codex Regius manuscript. It is closely associated with Fáfnismál, the poem that immediately follows it in the Codex, and it is likely that the two of them were intended to be read together.

heroic literary traditions of the Germanic-speaking peoples

poem

oldest manuscript of the Danish Code of Jutland

thumb|right|350px|The bottom of page 43 verso of the Codex Regius contains stanzas 96 and 97 of Atlamál. Atlamál in grǿnlenzku ('The Greenlandic Lay of Atli') is one of the heroic poems of the Poetic Edda. It relates the same basic story as Atlakviða at greater length and in a different style. The poem is believed to have been composed in Greenland, most likely in the 12th century. It has 103 stanzas and is the only Eddic poem written entirely in the metre málaháttr.

thumb|An illuminated page from a AM 227 fol.|14th century Icelandic copy of Stjórn I. The capital letter marks the beginning of Genesis 25:20. Stjórn () is the name given to a collection of Old Norse translations of Old Testament historical material dating from the 14th century, which together cover Jewish history from Genesis through to II Kings. Despite the collective title, Stjórn is not a homogeneous work. Rather, it consists of three separate works which vary in date and context, labelled Stjórn I, II and III by scholar I.J. Kirby.

Icelandic poem

range of verse forms written in Old Norse

thumb|Gudrun agitating her sons for vengeance. The Hamðismál is a poem which ends the heroic poetry of the Poetic Edda, and thereby the whole collection.

genre of saga

Strengleikar (English: Stringed Instruments) is a collection of twenty-one Old Norse prose tales based on the Old French Lais of Marie de France. It is one of the literary works commissioned by King Haakon IV of Norway (r. 1217-1263) for the Norwegian court, and is counted among the Old Norse Chivalric sagas. The collection is anonymous. It has been attributed to Brother Robert, a cleric who adapted several French works into Norse under Haakon, the best known of which is Tristrams saga ok Ísöndar (a Norse version of the Tristan and Iseult legend), but there is also reason to think that the col

right|thumb|The young Sigurd is foretold about the two women who will shape his destiny, [[Brynhild and Gudrun. Illustration for Grípispá by Anders Zorn.]]Grípisspá (''Grípir's prophecy) or Sigurðarkviða Fáfnisbana I'' ("First Lay of Sigurd Fáfnir's Slayer") is an Eddic poem, found in the Codex Regius manuscript where it follows Frá dauða Sinfjötla and precedes Reginsmál.

fragmentary eddic poem

poem

probably the oldest poem of the Sigurd cycle