What's New in Asgard? A Look at the Expanded Second Edition of The Poetic Edda

The myths of the Norse gods have captivated audiences for centuries, and for anyone seeking their authentic source, The Poetic Edda is an essential text. This collection of anonymous Old Norse poems chronicles the lives and deaths of figures from Odin to the Valkyries, providing the foundation for much of what we consider to be Norse mythology. September's Book of the Month, the expanded second edition of the Poetic Edda, offers readers a chance to engage with these powerful narratives, providing new insights and a more complete picture of the epic stories that shaped a culture.

Meet Jackson Crawford - The Expert behind the Edda

Jackson Crawford holds an M.A. in linguistics from the University of Georgia and a PhD in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

From 2011 to 2020, he taught the Old Norse language, as well as courses in Norse mythology and Old Norse saga literature, at major universities including UCLA, UC Berkeley, and the University of Colorado Boulder. 

During that time, he also served as a consultant on a popular video game, television programs, and major Hollywood films. Since 2020, he has been an independent educator, using his YouTube channel and popular translations of Norse myths and sagas from Hackett Publishing to reach hundreds of thousands of viewers and readers with well-sourced information about the Norse language, mythology, and runes. His research interests today focus on the relationship of the runes to Mediterranean alphabets, as well as the use of linguistic criteria to determine the date of Old Norse texts.

A brief glimpse inside the Edda

The poems within the Edda are typically divided into two main categories: the mythological poems, which recount the stories of the gods, and the heroic poems, which focus on legendary human figures. The mythological poems are where you'll find the tales of well-known deities like Odin, the all-father and god of wisdom, and Thor, the god of thunder.

"Jackson Crawford’s translation of the Eddic poems is an excellent presentation of Ancient Scandinavia’s most fascinating literature. His pedagogical Introduction and other helpful material make this a superb edition for the non-specialist."
— Henrik Williams,  Professor Emeritus of Runology