The Eddas and Runic Lore

In brief

The two Eddas are our main sources for Norse mythology. The Prose Edda was written by the Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson around 1220 as a handbook for poets. The Poetic Edda is a collection of older poems preserved in the Codex Regius (c. 1270). Among them, the Hávamál tells how Odin hung on the world tree for nine nights to win the runes, and the Sigrdrífumál lists runes of victory, ale, help and speech. With the Old English, Norwegian and Icelandic rune poems, they form the foundation of modern rune lore.

Key ideas

• ✦Odin's sacrifice on Yggdrasil to win the runes
• ✦The Nine Worlds and the world tree
• ✦Runes as both letters and mysteries
• ✦The rune poems' verses for each rune

Why it matters

Nearly everything modern rune readers know about the meaning of the runes comes from these texts, read alongside archaeology. Knowing the sources helps separate tradition from modern invention.

“I ween that I hung on the windy tree, / Hung there for nights full nine.”