The Edda - Songs of Gods, Heroic Songs and Proverbs of the Germanic Peoples, Manfred Stange (ed.) / Bu

The Edda - Songs of Gods, Heroic Songs and Proverbs of the Germanic Peoples, Manfred Stange (ed.) / Bu

Songs of gods, songs of heroes and proverbial wisdom of the Germanic peoples

Nowhere can the voice of a lost culture be heard more clearly than in its songs.

The Edda's epic poems of gods and heroes are among the most important monuments of Germanic literature. They depict a mythological cosmos unparalleled in its richness of imagery and linguistic power, belonging to the common ground of Western literature. This edition presents the complete text of the Edda in the seminal 1851 translation by the German philologist and poet Karl Simrock. The comprehensive afterword by Dr. Manfred Stange and the systematic index allow the reader to familiarize themselves with this fascinating world of legends, poem by poem. Written in Old Icelandic in the 13th century, the Edda's tales of gods and heroes are among the great treasures of world literature. They weave a mythological tapestry of narrative, masterfully intertwining a whole array of heroic figures, amorous entanglements, and cycles of legends. The most famous of these is the Nibelung saga, about Sigurd, the husband of the beautiful Grimhild, who falls victim to the cruel revenge of the disgraced Queen Brynhild. The captivatingly alien worldview of this cosmos, which revolves around the themes of bravery, guilt, and atonement, radiates a primitive power that has found its way into the style of the verses and revives the raw originality of this great culture.

• 448 pages
• bound with dust jacket
• Format 12.5 x 20 cm