THE PROSE EDDA
BY
SNORRI STURLUSON
TRANSLATED FROM THE ICELANDIC
WITH AN INTRODUCTION
BY
ARTHUR GILCHRIST BRODEUR, Ph.D.
Instructor in English Philology in the University of California
NEW YORK
THE AMERICAN-SCANDINAVIAN FOUNDATION
LONDON: HUMPHREY MILFORD
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
TO
WILLIAM HENRY SCHOFIELD
WHO MADE THE WORK POSSIBLE
THE TRANSLATOR
RENDERS THE TRIBUTE OF
THIS BOOK
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ix
PROLOGUE 1
GYLFAGINNING ll
SKALDSKAPARMAL 87
INDEX 243
PROLOGUE
In the beginning God created heaven and earth and all those things which are therein; and last of all, two human beings, Adam and Eve, from whom all races are descended. And their offspring multiplied among the lands of the earth; and after a time, all men became alike in speech and in deeds. But as they forsook the commandments of God, their understanding was confounded, so that they knew no longer what was truth; and many of them made for themselves images and divers idols, and worshipped them, some in one wise, some in another. And God gave them to understand the things of the earth, and to know all worldly matters, but concerning spiritual things He set a bound to their wisdom. For it seemed good to Him that men should dwell upon the earth, and know all earthly things, but should not have understanding of those things which pertain to the spirit and to the life to come.
Now the earth was …