The heroic section is like an expanded universe for my favourite saga of all time - the Volsung Saga. I'd been wondering what happened to Helgi and this book of traditional poems tells me that, plus a bunch of other tantalising details not contained in the saga. Despite being translated from old Norse poetry it is surprisingly readable.

From the mythological section I've developed a theory: I'm utterly convinced that Odin and Loki were lovers! Sounds bizarre but I swear the text supports it - they were actually blood brothers (not father and adopted son), when accusations of homosexuality are flying around neither of them denies it, Loki enjoys cross-dressing and switching genders, and they both practise traditionally-feminine types of magic. Case closed.

On a more serious note, it's somewhat surprising to see how accepting of disabilities the Vikings apparently were. There's a whole passage about how everyone is useful regardless of disability and most of the gods are maimed in some way or another. Tyr is one-handed, Odin lost an eye, Hod is blind, and at one point it's suggested that Heimdall traded his hearing for better vision (although at another point it's stated he has super-human hearing, so who knows).

Absolutely recommended for any lover of Viking mythology, as it's one of the extremely few original sources. ( )

[This rating and review refers to the Terry translation.]
This had been my favorite translation until my latest read through off my Eddas, and still ranks right up there. It's accurate, and it mostly scans like poetry should, keeping not only the sense but the feel of the original. A nice introduction and some endnotes on each poem. My only real complaint here is the lack of stanza numbering, or rather, the stanza numbers being referenced as a range at the top of the page. It can make comparative reading a bit of a chore. But still one of the best. ( )

[This rating and review refers to the Larrington translation.]
A very competent and modern translation, but it just doesn't read (scan) like poetry. The most annoying thing here, though, is the note system. Notes are marked by an asterisk in the text, and then referenced by page number in an appendix. Which makes them practically useless. ( )

[This rating and review refers to the Hollander translation.]
This was the first real Edda I owned and read. I think the goal of the translator here was to make sure that Chaucer could read the Edda in Middle English, because the translation surely is not to the modern language. This book hight eldritch like an etin. On the other hand, Professor Hollander was a true scholar, and his notes are extensive and helpful. A use edition to an Edda collection. ( )

As far as I can judge, this is a competent translation of the collection of Old Norse poetry called the Poetic (or Elder) Edda. My Norse is rusty, but comparing the English text with quotations from the Norse, they make sense. It is comparable to Lee Hollander's version and more scholarly than W. H. Auden's though as this writer admits, Auden is very effective poetically. poetically. ( )