Here other important myths and kennings (dense allusions found in pagan Scandinavian poetry), which were not related in the Gylfaginning, are explained. The first is the Skáldskaparmál ('The language of poetry'), consisting of a dialogue between Ægir, god of the sea, and Bragi, god of poetry. Gylfi, duped into thinking that the Æsir are real gods, returns home to spread the stories he has heard.Īfter the Gylfaginning, the Edda has two other main sections. When Odin is finished, Val-hall suddenly vanishes. Gylfi interrogates the three about their beliefs, and this narrative 'frame' device allows Snorri to tell many stories from pagan mythology, ranging from the creation of the world to Ragnarok. All three are in reality Odin in disguise. Gylfi encounters three kings sitting on three thrones, called High, Just-as-High, and Third. Although Gylfi disguises himself when he enters Val-Hall, Odin and the Æsir know who he is (thanks to their prophetic powers) and are able to prepare an elaborate ruse. Snorri tells how Gylfi, having heard about the Æsir's feats, travels to their home in Asgard. The Gylfaginning ('The Tricking of Gylfi')

This Odin is the one who later imparted mythology to Gylfi, a Swedish king, through a deception described in the first main section of the Prose Edda. He migrated north, founding various Norse, Swedish, Danish, and Saxon dynasties. In Snorri's view, the “historical” Odin, king of the gods, was one of these 'men of Asia' descended from Trojan heroes. Snorri's Prologue then explains how the Trojans of the Iliad are etymologically linked to the Norse “gods.” For instance, he notes the similarity between the name of the Norse pantheon, the Æsir, and the name of Troy's environs, Asia. Religions based on natural phenomena thereby arose, a notion in keeping with medieval Christian ideas of pre-revelation societies. But, he goes on, some men forgot and turned away from worshiping God. Snorri begins by describing how God created the world, in keeping with Biblical accounts.

However, Snorri is sympathetic to his ancestors, showing In his Prologue how euhemeristic myths represent a “natural religion.' Since Snorri is also writing from a Christian perspective, he concludes that old Norse religious beliefs are false. It argues that great kings or warriors, as time passes, are later remembered as gods. This theory, called euhemerism, was first put forth by Euhemerus of Messene, in southern Greece, around 300 BC. Underlying the Prose Edda is the idea that pagan mythology is based on history. Snorri is also the author of Heimskringla, a history of Norwegian kings, and is sometimes thought to be the author of Egils saga, one of the most famous Icelandic sagas.

The Prose Edda (sometimes called the Younger Edda or Snorra Edda) was written by Snorri Sturluson, a prominent thirteenth-century Icelandic poet and politician.

Prose edda