Poetic Edda vs. Prose Edda: The Difference

An Old Norse specialist explains the difference between the Poetic (or Elder) Edda and the Prose (or Younger) Edda, which are often confused.
Jackson Crawford, Ph.D.: Sharing real expertise in Norse language and myth with people hungry to learn, free of both ivory tower elitism and the agendas of self-appointed gurus. Visit JacksonWCrawford.com (includes bio and linked list of all videos).
Jackson Crawford’s translation of Hávamál, with complete Old Norse text: www.hackettpub...
Jackson Crawford’s translation of The Poetic Edda: www.hackettpub...
Audiobook: www.audible.co...
Jackson Crawford’s translation of The Saga of the Volsungs: www.hackettpub...
Audiobook: www.audible.co...
Latest FAQs: vimeo.com/3751... (updated Nov. 2019).
Jackson Crawford’s Patreon page: / norsebysw
Music © I See Hawks in L.A., courtesy of the artist. Visit www.iseehawks.com/
Logos by Elizabeth Porter (snowbringer at gmail).

[@BantiarnaMacRaghnaill]

Search as you wish, but you'll never find anyone more cool than Dr. Crawford.

[@joeampolo42]

@@insertname11 Actually Harrison Ford/Indiana Jones, and Dr. Crawford has the better hat.

[@user-bl3fo7dz3o]

True

[@marlenathorvald]

False

[@user-bl3fo7dz3o]

Your hats are getting even more awesome. I would be disappointed if your next video isn’t filmed on the back of a horse riding into the sunset.

[@uncledanni9352]

what does your username say? i tried to decode it but younger futhark is very difficult to read for me.

[@mochitheceltiberian4007]

@@uncledanni9352 It says Haimski or Haimsgi

[@berkaytuzel1069]

Looking sharp there Dr.Crawford!

[@KIMONOROJO]

Es una maravilla 😍

[@ArithHärger]

I often make it clear on my videos the differences between these two sources because it's commonly confused by the similarities of the names and because Snorri used a lot of poems from the oral tradition to compose his Prose Edda, poems that can be found in the Poetic Edda. So people usually think it's all the same.The further back we go in the sources, the fewer Christian influences they have, and thus we can have a better perception of the pre-Christian pagan mind. Although it's important to refer that the poems themselves were tempered with by Skalds and clerical workers, who had to change the poems to fit into an increasing new-religious society. With the conversion to Christianity by high-ranking members of the Norse society, many myths and poems had to change, and what was dark and heathen, in a Christian perspective, had to be removed or altered. So the poems themselves in the Poetic Edda also contain many traces of Christianity, but even so, fewer than in the Prose Edda. Thank you for this video by the way hehe

[@fitzchivalryfarseer313]

Arith Härger 👍🏻👍🏻

[@southernlady5085]

Superb comment! Most helpful.

[@ryanbarnes9275]

Brother did you hike in a suit?

[@daniellebryan3496]

I was just about to ask the same thing

[@user-bl3fo7dz3o]

Underrated comment

[@brennen2268]

@@user-bl3fo7dz3o Htf did you put your username in runes?

[@HalfManThirdBiscuit]

He didn't hike in a suit. The land lowered itself before him.

[@mochitheceltiberian4007]

@@user-bl3fo7dz3o hello Haimski/Haimsgi, how are you?

[@natrinsbarrow]

I mean this with all due respect and in an endearing quality, but what a ham! That hat tip, at the end.😂😂 Seriously, though, my thanks to the good doctor for his info.

[@ZiaElohka]

"a playlist put on shuffle" :D

[@gunjfur8633]

The best line to be sure

[@dondavi5798]

Picked up a copy of your book yesterday after having gotten it on loan from the library. Got halfway through before having to return it. Wanted to continue on so bought it. Thanks for the work put into it.

[@superj021]

What's the name of the book?

[@dondavi5798]

@@superj021 The Poetic Edda that he published of his translation.

[@freyrik]

When this guy said the yung edda mixtape. That hit

[@ganis9679]

Thank you for this very educational/ informative and good overview about the Prose and Poetic Edda, touching on the distinguishing features. Also, hearing the unique "wh-" sound kept reminding me of the video you made about "Donar vs Thor" and language modifications and your own story of how you picked that up hah. Anyway, thank you for the awesome work you do in this field, stay blessed, and be well.

[@brandonphipps4755]

I could listen to him talk all day and night.

[@austinrutledge6484]

I downloaded the audible audiobook translation of the Poetic Edda while listening to this video. Then realized it was your translation. Thank you for this!

[@Gloria_Cook]

I recently read your translation of the poetic edda and then just decided to start listening to the great courses norse myth course, and was surprised it was also you. So it's weird finally seeing your face after hearing so much from you!

[@nickca420]

Dr. Crawford = Pure Drengr

[@goosiechild]

i'm sipping hhh-whiskey as i watch this.

[@zasioux]

This was fantastic! It has been 25+ years since I sat in my Viking and Medieval history courses and boy, didi need a brush up! This was a perfect refresher! So glad I found your channel! Looking forward to your other videos.

[@_war_cry]

Love your videos man. I'm trying to incorporate these nordic themes into my songs ( metal). Your videos are the first thing I watch after waking up and making my coffee. Been taking notes, your videos help inspire a lot of creativity and ideas. Just wanted to thank you for taking the time and effort to make these and I hope you will continue making them. Cheers from India! Tanvir.

[@mandysmoncivais2044]

I enjoy ur channel my great grandmother was a native american. She told us storys of her grandmothers past and some how the subject came about vikings and Odin spelled with a W. You need to smile a little or laugh a little. Cuz sometimes all these myths which aren't myths if there is evidence u gotta just laugh.

[@akhilesh1440]

I like the suit with the cowboy hat an the fact he is talking about Old Norse 🤣🤣

[@southernlady5085]

For some reason, my teachers in college and grad school never covered mid-late Bronze Age literature with its Poetic and Prose Eddas. I stumbled upon this area of study while doing genealogical work on my family’s history. On one side, it’s Norwegian ancestry that includes Rollo (Rolf) and on the other side there are Swedish and Danish leaders, with some big-name Vikings and Celts mixed in for good measure. It is amazing to understand that I am a descendant of people who lived and died during this time period, in Scandinavia and in the traditional Celtic nations. In the linguistic study I embarked upon, I found JRR Tolkien and his translations of a number of classical Anglo Saxon works as well as LOTR. I am totally hooked! I am so very passionate about the rich literary works and the cultural development of this transitory period of history/ literature in both the Norse and Anglo-Saxons traditions. I am devouring all I can find in primary source material such as Alfred the Great’s Chronicles. So in my retirement, I am studying all things Norse, Anglo-Saxon, or Celtic of the late Bronze Age. It’s become a real passion for me! I was therefore most happy to come across your site! Thank you for your work! It so perfectly ties into what I’m studying. Your presentations are clear explanations of this new passion of mine. Guess it’s never too late! Again, thank you, sir. You have a new follower!

[@Karrikln1671]

Currently listening to your audio version of the Poetic Edda. Enjoying it very much.

[@VictimsVestige]

Refreshing my Norse. Honestly this is friggin awesome!

[@heatherr0420]

Dr. Crawford I'm just discovering your channel, it's educational, not simply because of the information you provide but also the way you present it, not to mention you are quite handsome

[@alexandrafrench187]

Dr. Crawford, thank you for your videos. I'm so glad your books are on Kindle now! My Kindle Paperwhite is on its way and I can't wait to buy and download them :) Keep up the great work and thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!

[@ravenblood8103]

Thank you again! Mr. Crawford. It's good to be back, we were away for awhile ( my family). You bring into our home wonderful teaching! Again, thank you.

[@mfsperring]

I will be definitely be checking out your audiobook.

[@JarnBjorn72]

Fantastically interesting and well-versed lecture, Dr. Crawford! You've gained another follower/student and fan thanks to it, sir! I look forward to your next one with baited breath! ;-)

[@marcopolo2418]

You are so informative man. I really appreciate you. 👍

[@evapritchard5121]

This really helped for my uni exam thanks!

[@christy734]

I always get this information mixed up, thank you got clarifying the differences. You’ve contributed so much these last few years, towards my research and I am forever grateful. Thanks for all you do.

[@stevemackelprang8472]

Looking very much forward to your translation...

[@faramund9865]

Thanks for reccommending that website, good resource!

[@stevefury90]

Dr. Crawford is a classy man, indeed.

[@timarcella]

"The whu-wuhisky if you who-huh-whill."

[@SurvivalFarNorth]

Can you make a video about friendship in the viking age and the medieval scandinavia? I think that now friendships are based on having fun and entertaining because we don't need each other to survive like previously. This leads to weaker relationships now then then. There was no police or state that could help you like today so you had to rely on friends and family more and that created stronger bonds.

[@maraaleksandramalere4603]

Thank you for clarifying the subject for me!

[@albrix5]

Your videos are invaluable. Thank you.

[@heges1606]

Skikkelig snasen i tøyet i dag, dr. Crawford!

[@gunthandthewunderlichers]

Wow my new favorite channel.

[@Phimbe]

Hey Jackson, just finding out about you and the channel, I was curious, does the prose edda also contain overview of the gods, trolls, etc? Or is there a separate resource you would recommend for that? Question for others as well, thanks

[@eedwardgrey2]

..........."it's a playlist put on shuffle".........thanks for not keeping those too young to know what this mysterious artefact called a "mixtape" is in the dark

[@thedondeluxe6941]

That outfit is just awesome.

[@AutistCat]

Why didn't the Danish or Swedish historians record a history of these great kingdoms at the time? Why Didn't the Norwegians? Why did it fall to Snorri Sturluson to do this? Why was this history forgotten for centuries in ancient manuscripts?

[@johnstamps7044]

I have your books very in-depth

[@briancreech9990]

Clear as mud brother.

[@sortehuse]

Very interesting. Are you planning to make a whole video about Snorri Sturluson at some time?

[@ForcefighterX2]

I am seeking the truth. About the cosmos, the earth, humanity, the matrix, and spirituality. That is what lead me here.

[@kerrileannestudio]

I thank you so much

[@13Orcun]

Can you tell about what is written in Háttatal that is not mentioned much and why it is not translated in english if i m not wrong. thank you for your great effort to teach norse mythology here.

[@deprimat666]

Hey how come you pronounce the "h" in which? It's silent lol. No hate brother I love your videos

[@the_linguist_ll]

You do realize other dialects exist, right?

[@evitacastro5694]

Thank you.

[@southernlady5085]

BTW, do you offer online courses on this historical period and its lit along with the cultural aspects of the time ? Are your courses available for non-degree, auditing students? ( In other words, can “old farts” sign up at a reduced rate, lol 😂 ! )

[@Atlas-pn6jv]

9th. Just pointing that out because it's significant.

[@keepyourarminside]

I’ve heard about an Elder Edda. Is that the same thing as the Poetic Edda, or is it something different?

[@shanenarine6869]

Hi Dr Crawford, what translation of Egil’s Saga would you recommend?

[@theIJPmexican]

do you have a brother that does this but for Greek Mythology or something?

[@mrnarason]

back here at this channel because of records of ragnarok :)

[@thegrymwolf6360]

Cool Whip 😎

[@asuka813]

Can you or anyone reading this recommend a translation of either book with the Old Norse and modern English side by side for comparison?

[@treviemctrev3422]

Thanks dude🤘

[@caiofo1]

Hi. Do you consider any edition of the Poetic Edda better than others? If so, which?

[@justinpressley4142]

I'm sure he thinks his is the best. Lol

[@danieldyson1660]

He also recommends the translation by Carolyne Larrington for its accuracy and having more preservation for the original poetic style of the manuscript. From my understanding, if you want to read the poems like a collection of short stories and easily understand the content, go with Crawford, if you want to gain some understanding but also read them like poetry, go with Larrington. One isn’t better than the other because they have differing purposes.

[@jasonw3983]

Just found this video. Currently in a debate/conflict over the accuracy of Snorri Sturlusons writings due to being a Christian. One of them being the term Hel vs Hell. The difference between Hell and hel. There is absolutely no relation of the word.

[@nathansiegel6799]

Dr. JC looks like an inbetween o Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon Levitt

[@namerelevant2499]

Goddamn you rock dude🤘🏼

[@maraazura]

Cool whip

[@IgorK]

So we wait for Prose then!

[@d.johnhart9772]

For some reason now I want cool whhhhip

[@Anonymous-qw]

Clear as mud

[@GambinoTheGoat]

nice

[@saint9715]

he doesn't have to dress up in front of a landscape to narrate the video but he does 😹🫶

[@arnavgautam319]

In the months of May or April, I am thinking of writing a book called “Legends of The Norse” or i can call it “The Norsemen”. Basically its about the Norse Gods and Ragnarok... these videos are forming the base of the book. Thank you Professor Crawford. Moreover, which name is better: “Legends of The Norse” or “The Norsemen”

[@user-bl3fo7dz3o]

Aqua Kop I kind of like “The Norsemen” better. “Legends of the Norse” sounds a little clunky. Though there are probably already books called “The Norsemen.”

[@lionessdragon-heart8459]

It sucks because I can't roll my r's like he does.

[@rajmodi3107]

👍

[@Hegd-u7o]

мне нрав

[@oldwest517]

That hat needs to be tilted just slightly farther forward, sir.

[@wildhunt3302]

He puts the H before the W even when there's no H.

[@spitfire_87uk18]

Wild Hunt I know and it’s class. Cool Hwhip

[@the_linguist_ll]

You do realize dialects exist right? And the h in words like "where" exists for a reason.

[@wildhunt3302]

@@the_linguist_ll Yup, fully aware. It was also done in old English if I’m not mistaken. I also have a dialect of my own. Thank you for commenting on something I posted 3 years ago, playing around.

[@morpheus-nebuchadnezzar]

How can i say "The Executioner" in old norse?

[@user-bl3fo7dz3o]

Túlio Garcia Diniz I’d propose something like “Deyðimaðr(inn)” “Drepimaðr(inn)” or Fellimaðr(inn)” or alternatively “Bardagamaðr(inn)”. Mind you, none of these are direct translations. The first three mean something like “killer” or “murder-man” and the last one being taken direct from Modern Icelandic. If you want a more poetic translation, I’d suggest “Mannafellir” or “Vargavegir.” The first means “slayer of men” and the second “slayer of wolfs”, as criminals were often called “wolves” in Old Norse texts. Now, I am just an amateur and I have no degree to back up my translations. They are mostly born out of hobby, though I hope they’ll help. Of course, you’d just have to add the definite suffix (Old Norse has the word “the” as a suffix at the end of words) “-inn” at the end of these words if you want to specifically have it as _the_ [blank]

[@hrafnkellhardarson9206]

Deyðimaður, drepimaður, fellimaður is nonsense and is neither Old norse nor modern Icelandic. Bardagamaður is more like a fighter not an executioner. Direct translation of an executioner in modern Icelandic and Old norse is Böðull. The Executioner is Böðullinn. Vígamaður (Icelandic), vígamaðr (Old norse) is a Killer. Víg is a kill. Note the verb is vega = to kill. And by the way I'm Icelandic. Að drepa is also to kill. Að deyða is also to kill but not used as much as drepa usually. Að myrða is to murder. Drepa and myrða are most popular today but in the Sagas vega is common.

[@hrafnkellhardarson9206]

@@user-bl3fo7dz3o The definitive suffix depends on the gender and case. The man = maðurinn (in masculinum, nominativ), the woman = konan (in feminum, nominativ), The child = barnið (neutral, nominativ). Hope his helps.

[@user-bl3fo7dz3o]

Hrafnkell Hardarson Thanks, but all my examples _were_ masculine in the Nominative form. Also, he asked for Old Norse, so it should be “maðrinn” and not “maðurinn.”

[@user-bl3fo7dz3o]

Hrafnkell Hardarson *Thanks, I’m constantly learning. Could you perhaps elaborate on why my first few examples would be incorrect (I know they are not actually used in Old Norse, but why would they - as newly formed compound nouns - be considered incorrect?)

[@itchigo]

So the poems in the Poetic Edda are dated back to the time when the Scandinavian get introduced to Christianity !

[@DZRESPECT]

poetic ERRA

[@DariusvanWyngaard]

skol

[@SPQRIUS]

lol