After the terrible conflagration of Ragnarok, the earth rises serenely again from the ocean, and life is renewed. The Poetic Edda begins with The Seeress's Prophecy which recounts the creation of the world, and looks forward to its destruction and rebirth. In this great collection of Norse-Icelandic mythological and heroic poetry, the exploits of gods and humans are related. The one-eyed Odin, red-bearded Thor, Loki the trickster, the lovely goddesses and the giants who are their enemies walk beside the heroic Helgi, Sigurd the Dragon-Slayer, Brynhild the shield-maiden, and the implacable Gudrun. New in this revised translation are the quest-poem The Lay of Svipdag and The Waking of Angantyr, in which a girl faces down her dead father to retrieve his sword. -- Revised and expanded introduction that looks at the work's influence on Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and children's authors, and on popular culture including films, TV (The Game of Thrones), and heavy metal. Fully revised translation drawing on the most recent scholarship and including three new poems, 'Groa's Chant', 'The Sayings of Fiolsvinn' (together comprising 'The Lay of Svipdag') and 'The Waking of Angantyr'. Expanded and updated Bibliography. Appendix: alternative version of 'The Seeress's Prophecy'. Revised notes. -- From publisher's website. From publisher's website.

The seeress's prophecy --Sayings of the High One -- Vafthrudnir's sayings -- Grimnir's sayings -- Skirnir's journey -- Harbard's song -- Hymir's poem -- Loki's quarrel -- Thrym's poem -- The poem of Volund -- All-wise's sayings -- The first poem of Helgi Hundingsbani -- The poem of Helgi Hiorvardsson -- A second poem of Helgi Hundingsbani -- The death of Sinfiotli -- Gripir's prophecy -- The lay of Regin -- The lay of Fafnir -- The lay of Sigrdrifa -- Fragment of a poem about Sigurd -- The first poem of Gudrun -- A short poem about Sigurd -- Brynhild's ride to hell -- The death of the Niflungs -- The second poem of Gudrun -- The third poem of Gudrun -- Oddrun's lament -- The poem of Atli -- The Greenlandic lay of Atli -- The whetting of Gudrun -- The lay of Hamdir -- Baldr's dreams -- The list of Rig -- The song of Hyndla -- The song of Grotti -- Groa's chant -- The sayings of Fiolsvinn -- The waking of Angantyr -- Hauksbók text of The seeress's prophecy.