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The Poetic Edda
- Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes
- Narrated by: Jackson Crawford
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
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The Poetic Edda
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Publisher's 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)
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What listeners say about The Poetic Edda
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Iain Hutchinson
- 2019-02-25
Excellent translation.
excellent translation of stories that have survived centuries for a reason. A modern translation in modern English.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-02-06
it's an acquired taste
It's more about humans than gods, this would a terrible introduction to norse mythology.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ludmila
- 2021-12-09
A Great Listen
Dr. Jackson Crawford's in depth explainations, his efforts and dedication to his work, and his soothing voice not only made for an informative experience, but a pleasant one as well.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-09-22
Great translation
Wonderful accessible translation with introductions that give you the context you need without getting in the way. The Cowboy Havamal was an *amazing* touch that I really cherished.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sloans
- 2021-02-09
Amazing
Jackson Crawford did an amazing job with his rendition of the Poeti Edda! just great
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2019-07-20
great translation
very easy to follow, it's a great introduction into the norse culture and mythology, highly recommend this work
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sigurdur J.
- 2019-03-26
Butchery of the language
As a native Icelandic and a lover of the Old Norse stories and the Snorra-Edda (Poetic Edda), I was very interested in hearing a english translation of it. I have not finished the book as I write the review. One thing struck me after the first few minutes of the audiobook that I feel needs to be put out there. People have been praising the narrator pronunciation and knowlege of the language in the reviews. He tries his best and some credit is due for that, but to a native speaker this is almost inaudible, the only name that comes close to sounding correct is Óðinn, and perhaps a few shorter ones like Sif and Týr, everything else I can only partly understand due to years of reading and studying the stories in the past, I am able to put them in context.
An admirable effort on a hard language but does by no means pass the test. Jackson should have considered hiring a native Icelander or a Norwegian with good english speaking skills to narrate the book in his place. Other than that it is a great story and a respectable translation in many ways.
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178 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Casper
- 2019-05-08
Great translation--the pronunciation is correct!
First thing's first: Mr. Crawford isn't pronouncing anything incorrectly. He uses reconstructed (medieval) Old Norse pronunciation, which does not sound like modern Icelandic (or any other modern language) because Old Norse and modern Icelandic are different languages.
So, not only is the pronunciation here correct, it's exemplary, and as close as we're likely to get to how it would have sounded if we could travel back in time.
For those not familiar with the concept of reconstructed pronunciation, look up a Shakespeare performance done in reconstructed Elizabethan. Reconstructing pronunciation is important for those seeking to understand and study the sound, meter, and rhyme of a piece (among other things). E.g., it was once proper for "musician" to have four syllables, and "dignity" to rhyme perfectly with "day." If you didn't know about this, a line in a poem written by an author who used those pronunciations might appear to break a rhythm or rhyme scheme. But, when you read the piece as the writer pronounced it, everything falls into place.
Confusion about his pronuciation aside, the translation is great. It's very accessible to modern audiences, particularly those used to reading the epic & high fantasy genres (magic, mayhem, a new world map, and zillions of characters with complicated names).
If you're looking for one translation, this is the one to get!
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134 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jon White
- 2018-11-22
Norse Mythology spoken as it should be
I've been waiting for this since Jackson released his translation of the Poetic Edda, and I am not disappointed. His old Norse pronunciations and deep vocal tones help add a depth to a reading that delivers the poems in a way that encourages you to listen and envelops you in the atmosphere that surrounds the Norse gods. His added notes for each poem help add context and put the poems in perspective. There are one or two minor imperfections in his recording of the narrative, but I could be considered being too picky highlighting them, so you can forgive those, as this is really a well read and superb translation of the book and I consider this now to be the de facto audio version of the book.
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51 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- c k
- 2018-12-30
This is the version you want
Equal parts authoritatively academic and entertainingly captivating. The narrator is one of the few in the world who speaks fluent Old Norse and also has a pleasant voice and speaking style.
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40 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adam
- 2018-11-15
Great listen I've been waiting for this
Hail Odin! I've been waiting for this audio book to come out and I have to say I'm glad I purchased it Jackson Crawford is a very knowledgeable professor which makes this book even more creditable and worth the buy I'm only half way through it and will probably relisten to it again since something's escape me over all good quality and good tone I've already shared this book with two others, skal!
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26 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Shoppinggal
- 2019-04-02
well, now I can say that I've listened to it
I know that this is just a translation of the original text but I really wish we had more context of each story. it was hard to keep track of the characters in each story also.
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16 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- N. Ludwig
- 2018-12-10
I love Jackson Crawford's work.
I love Jackson Crawford's work. His voice is awesome in this. his pronunciation of old Norse is dead on. I will be attending Colorado State University just for his classes... one day!
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9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- clinton
- 2018-11-21
Sometimes the professor just doesn’t sound good on a recording.
Wonderful information that I have not been able to find elsewhere, along with the classic better known stories. Professor Crawford is knowledgeable and the translation is modern and well done. His voice is just noticeably lacking something that another reviewer called distracting and I agree .otherwise it’s a great update to important text regarding our ancestors and the little we know that was saved from the Christian conquest of Europe .
If you are new to Asatru or however you identify with our Norse gods and goddesses this might not be the best choice to start with but is still in the required reading list in my opinion. Hail the Aesir and Vanir! , Hail our holy folk !
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2020-08-11
great work from a great guy
I watched a few of Jackson Crawford's videos long before listening to this book (I was learning íslenska at the time and relied heavily on his modern Icelandic pronunciation video), and I never made the connection until I discovered him again through Simon's videos a few years later. I could listen to Dr. Crawford's sultry voice for hours, and so I did! It's good to see this awesome literature translated for a modern audience.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- thomas
- 2019-08-11
Best darn viking in the west
Excellent book. Historical, classic, and still surprisingly relevant for our time. The low rumble of Dr. Crawford's voice is incredibly pleasing to the ear as well.
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6 people found this helpful