Skáldskaparmál

thumb|upright=1.3|right|Near a wood, the goddess Sif rests her head on a stump while [[Loki lurks behind, sword in hand. Loki intends to cut Sif's hair per a myth recounted in Skáldskaparmál.]] Skáldskaparmál (Old Norse: 'Poetic Diction' or 'The Language of Poetry'; ; ) is the second part of the Prose Edda, compiled by Snorri Sturluson. It consists of a dialogue between Ægir, the divine personification of the sea, and Bragi, the god of poetry, in which both stories of the Æsir and discourse on the nature of poetry are intertwined. The work additionally includes tales of human heroes and kings. The overarching mythological setup gradually fades and the work becomes more of an early form of a poetic thesaurus of Old Norse, presumably intended for usage by skalds (Norse poets and bards of the era). Much of the work is focused on poetic phrases and descriptors. The origin of these kennings is given; Bragi delivers a systematic list of kennings for various Æsir, people, places, and things. He then goes on to discuss poetic language in some detail, in particular heiti, essentially poetic synonyms or alternate words. For example, the simple hestr, "horse", might be replaced by jór, "steed".

In general, the parts of the work that attract the most interest from modern audiences are the descriptions of Norse mythology, even if given in passing to illustrate a poetic phrase. Some of the stories in the Skáldskaparmál include: How Idunn was captured by the giant Thjazi, with Loki involved in both her kidnapping and her recovery. The origin of Kvasir, who is transformed into the mead of poetry after his death. The duel between the giant Hrungnir and Thor. The plan by the giant Geirrödr to entrap Thor, and how Thor triumphed with the aid of the giant Grídr. Loki cutting Sif's prized golden hair in a mischievous prank, and being obliged into arranging the dwarves to create a replacement golden wig, as well as five other powerful artifacts. How the dwarf Andvari's Rhinegold and golden ring were created and given a powerful curse; the downfall of the dwarves Ótr, Hreidmar, Fafnir, and Regin; the involvement of Sigurd the Volsung and the valkyrie Brynhild; which all leads into the origin of the Niflungs and Gjukungs, human noble families with a tragic story. A version of the Grottasöngr, describing how King Mysing killed King Frodi and made the sea salty. The deeds of Danish King Hrolf Kraki in defeating the Swedish King Adils A never-ending battle called Hjaðningavíg, where King Hogni's daughter Hildr resurrects all the slain at night with magic so they can resume fighting the next day.