Definition

1. Noun:
   • A collection of Old Norse poems and stories: The Edda refers to one of two distinct medieval Icelandic literary works that are the primary sources for our knowledge of Norse mythology and heroic legends. These texts were compiled in the 13th century but contain material composed much earlier.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • Scholars study the Edda to understand Viking-age beliefs and cosmology.
  • The Poetic Edda contains mythological poems like the Völuspá.
  • Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda was written as a guide for skalds (poets).

Advanced Usage

• "The Poetic Edda" (Elder Edda): A collection of anonymous mythological and heroic poems.
  • The story of the dragon Fafnir is found in the Poetic Edda.
• "The Prose Edda" (Younger Edda): A handbook for poets written by Snorri Sturluson, which retells and explains Norse myths.
  • Snorri's Prose Edda systematizes the Norse pantheon.

Variants and Related Words

• Eddaic (adj): Pertaining to or characteristic of the Eddas.
  • The eddaic style of poetry is highly alliterative.

Synonyms

• Saga (though sagas are typically prose narratives about historical or legendary figures, while the Eddas are primarily poetic and mythological).
• Codex (in the sense of an ancient manuscript book).

Different Meanings

• Note on Homographs: The word "edda" (often capitalized as a proper noun, ) has a separate, unrelated meaning in some contexts, particularly in botany.
  • Noun (Botany): A tropical starchy tuber, a type of taro root.

    • Example: The edda is a staple food in some Pacific islands.
  • CRITICAL DISTINCTION: This botanical meaning is a different word that happens to share the same spelling. In discussions of literature, mythology, or Scandinavian history, "Edda" almost exclusively refers to the Icelandic texts.

Noun

1. either of two distinct works in Old Icelandic dating from the late 13th century and consisting of 34 mythological and heroic ballads composed between 800 and 1200; the primary source for Scandinavian mythology
2. tropical starchy tuberous root