Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • The Poetic Edda

  • Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes
  • By: Jackson Crawford
  • Narrated by: Jackson Crawford
  • Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (355 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Poetic Edda

By: Jackson Crawford
Narrated by: Jackson Crawford
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £14.99

Buy Now for £14.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

"The poems of the Poetic Edda have waited a long time for a Modern English translation that would do them justice. Here it is at last (Odin be praised!) and well worth the wait. These amazing texts from a thirteenth-century Icelandic manuscript are of huge historical, mythological, and literary importance, containing the lion's share of information that survives today about the gods and heroes of pre-Christian Scandinavians, their unique vision of the beginning and end of the world, etc.

"Jackson Crawford's modern versions of these poems are authoritative and fluent and often very gripping. With their individual headnotes and complementary general introduction, they supply today's readers with most of what they need to know in order to understand and appreciate the beliefs, motivations, and values of the Vikings." (Dick Ringler, professor emeritus of English and Scandinavian studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison)

©2015 Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Prose Edda cover art
The Saga of the Volsungs cover art
The Layman’s Havamal cover art
The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft cover art
Odin cover art
The Silmarillion cover art
The Viking Spirit cover art
Njál's Saga cover art
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight cover art
The Adventure of English cover art
Asian Journals cover art
The Word of Promise Audio Bible—New King James Version, NKJV: Complete Bible cover art
The Children of Odin cover art
The Poetic Edda cover art
Musashi cover art
Norse Myths: 34 Stories from the Famous Collection cover art

What listeners say about The Poetic Edda

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    278
  • 4 Stars
    52
  • 3 Stars
    22
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    217
  • 4 Stars
    47
  • 3 Stars
    21
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    226
  • 4 Stars
    48
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A fantastic book

Jackson really knows his stuff and has made it very accessible. His reading is great and his explanations great too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

Brilliant translation, writing and narration. I’ve read and listened to a few and this one stands out as the best for me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

As expected from Jackson Crawford

Love it, a great reading voice and a relatable translation. highly recommend. the ending chapter, Cowboy's Hávamál, Dr Crawford's translation of the Hávamál inspired by his grandfather is particularly touching.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

as good as it gets

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better translation or reading of the Poetic Edda. While Dr Crawford's translation is already a scholarly, poetic, and yet accessible rendering of this famous but often misunderstood text, to hear him read it aloud is invaluable. I would not be without this book, if you are at all interested in the Viking Age and its history and folklore. To my mind this is now the definitive translation and performance of the Poetic Edda.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Adventure into Norse mythology

All the tales that come about through Norse mythologies start here with these poems. They’ve done there best to explain the readings and translations. I enjoyed it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good translation & summaries. Rough pronunciations

I thought the translations, intros and summaries were very good and helpful. Very nice.

I do however struggle with the pronunciation of the chapters and names.

The other thing that I don't get is the last chapter of this as read by a western American dialect reiterating the same things from earlier in the book. It seems somewhat out of context and superfluous.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly Enjoyed!

The narrator fit the atmosphere perfectly and of course Norse Mythology is very interesting.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Poetic Edda comes alive

Great performance and excellent in-depth of explanation and contextualisation of each poem. Cowboy Havamal was a lovely addition. Allowed me to more easily relate tp the advice given.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Everyone should read it at least once!

I love Jackson’s knowledge on all things Norse but I’d have much preferred this read by someone else, he reads in a very monotonous tone and it may put people off, everyone should read it at least once though, especially Norse pagans! It’s full of great advice that’s relevant even today and Jackson always translates things in a way that people nowadays can understand them and relate them to their lives now too, great book though, I would 100% recommend! I’ve already read it twice and will read it many more times again!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good translation with helpful commentary and a little bonus.

I’ve enjoyed this adaptation of the Poetic Edda and the commentary was very useful. At some points hilarious and thought provoking and melancholic in others , this book will entertain you, teach you a thing or two about life and make you think about our destiny and place in this world. I’ve also enjoyed the little bonus at the end and if you’re a fan of Crawford, I bet you’ll enjoy it too!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!