The Younger Edda; Also called Snorre's Edda, or The Prose Edda

A few paragraph-ending periods (full stops) have been supplied. The author omitted vowel modifiers and diacritics from all names in the body text: Hakon, Malar, Mjolnir. The footnotes are generally more linguistically precise. The name “Svanhild/Swanhild” is spelled “Swanhild” in the body text, “Svanhild” in the Vocabulary (all occurrences) and Index. The spelling “skees” is used consistently. Translator’s Preface The Fooling of Gylfe Brage’s Talk The Poetical Diction Notes Vocabulary Index THE YOUNGER EDDA: ALSO CALLED SNORRE’S EDDA, OR THE PROSE EDDA. AN ENGLISH VERSION OF THE FOREWORD; THE FOOLING OF GYLFE, THE AFTERWORD; BRAGE’S TALK, THE AFTERWORD TO BRAGE’S TALK, AND THE IMPORTANT PASSAGES IN THE POETICAL DICTION (SKALDSKAPARMAL). WITH AN INTRODUCTION, NOTES, VOCABULARY, AND INDEX. By RASMUS B. ANDERSON, LL.D., FORMERLY PROFESSOR OF THE SCANDINAVIAN LANGUAGES IN THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, EX-U.S. MINISTER TO DENMARK, AUTHOR OF “AMERICA NOT DISCOVERED BY COLUMBUS,” “NORSE MYTHOLOGY,” “VIKING TALES OF THE NORTH,” ETC. Chicago Scott, Foresman and Company 1901 Copyright, 1879, By S. C. GRIGGS AND COMPANY. PRESS OF THE HENRY O. SHEPARD CO. CHICAGO. TO HON. THOS. F. BAYARD, AMBASSADOR TO THE COURT OF ST. JAMES, IN GRATEFUL RECOLLECTION OF PLEASANT OFFICIAL RELATIONS. PREFACE. In the beginning, before the heaven and the earth and the sea were created, the great abyss Ginungagap was without form and void, and the spirit of Fimbultyr moved upon the face of the deep, until the ice-cold rivers, the Elivogs, flowing from Niflheim, came in contact with the dazzling flames from Muspelheim. This was before Chaos. And Fimbultyr said: Let the melted drops of vapor quicken into life, and the giant Ymer was born in the midst of Ginungagap. He was not a god, but the father of all the race of evil giants. This was Chaos. And Fimbultyr said: Let Ymer be slain and let order be established. And straightway Odin and his brothers—the bright sons of Bure—gave Ymer a mortal wound, and from his body made they the universe; from his flesh, the earth; from his blood, the sea; from his bones, the rocks; from his hair, the trees; from his skull, the vaulted heavens; from his eye-brows, the bulwark called Midgard. And the gods formed man and woman in their own image of two trees, and breathed into them the breath of life. Ask and Embla became living souls, and they received a garden in Midgard as a dwelling-place for themselves and