Baldrs draumar -Baldr’s Dreams
Baldrs draumar, “The Dreams of Baldr,” is one of the most haunting poems of the Poetic Edda. In just a few short verses, it tells of Odin’s desperate journey to the realm of the dead to uncover the meaning of his son Baldr’s dark dreams. The seeress he awakens reveals a prophecy of death and doom - the beginning of Ragnarök. Through its quiet, mournful tone, the poem captures the Norse truth that even the gods cannot escape fate, and that knowledge often brings sorrow instead of comfort.
Baldr’s Dream (Story form)
When Baldr, the shining son of Odin, begins to dream of his own death, the gods of Asgard are filled with dread. Seeking the truth, Odin rides alone into the realm of the dead to awaken a long-buried seeress. Her prophecy reveals the coming of tragedy - Baldr’s death, the grief of the gods, and the first shadows of Ragnarök. Baldr’s Dreams is a timeless tale of love, loss, and the inescapable power of fate, echoing the belief that even gods cannot escape what must come.
Rígsþula - The Lay of Ríg
Rígsþula (The Lay of Ríg) is one of the most intriguing poems in the Poetic Edda - a tale where the god Heimdall, walking the earth as Ríg, visits humankind to shape the order of society. Through his meetings with three families (the thralls, the freemen, and the nobles) the poem reveals the divine origins of class, culture, and ancestry.
It is not a story of war or prophecy, but of creation through connection - a vision of humanity born from the footsteps of a god.
The lay of Rig (Story Form)
The Lay of Ríg tells how the god Heimdall (walking the earth in mortal form as Ríg) shaped the very fabric of human society. Through his visits to three households, he brought into being the ancestors of slaves, freemen, and nobles, binding all people to a shared divine origin.
It is not a tale of war or prophecy, but of creation and connection - a myth that reminds us that strength, skill, and wisdom each have their sacred place in the world.
The Lay of Hyndla (In Story Form)
In the cold stillness of night, beneath a sky alive with stars, the goddess Freyja rides her golden-bristled boar, Hildisvíni, to the mountain cave of Hyndla, an ancient giantess who guards the secrets of blood and fate.
Freyja’s mortal follower, Óttar the Young, has staked his honour and inheritance on his forgotten lineage. To help him, Freyja seeks Hyndla’s wisdom — but the old seeress demands truth for truth and speaks the names of gods, kings, and heroes with a voice that shakes the stones.
As the cave fills with the echoes of ancient bloodlines — from Sigurðr the Dragon-Slayer to Haraldr Battle-Tooth — the goddess reveals that memory itself is magic, and that to know one’s ancestors is to awaken their power.
A story of ancestry, divine guidance, and the sacred weight of remembrance, The Lay of Hyndla bridges the mortal and the mythic — where every name spoken is a spark of the old world reborn.
Hyndluljóð - The Lay of Hyndla
Hidden among the verses of the Poetic Edda lies one of Norse mythology’s quietest treasures — Hyndluljóð, The Lay of Hyndla. It is not a tale of war or prophecy, but of memory, ancestry, and divine revelation. Here, the goddess Freyja rides beneath the northern stars with her mortal companion Óttar, seeking the wisdom of the giantess Hyndla, keeper of forgotten bloodlines and sacred truths.
Through their dialogue, we glimpse a world where to name one’s ancestors was to awaken their power, where genealogy was magic, and remembrance a sacred act. Hyndluljóð bridges gods and mortals, history and myth, teaching that the past is never gone — only waiting to be spoken back into life.
Forgotten by many, this poem remains one of the Edda’s most profound meditations on identity, belonging, and the divine roots of memory.
The Lay of Svipdag (In story form)
The tale of Svipdag is one of the hidden gems of Norse mythology — a story not of gods at war, but of fate, love, and the enduring bond between mother and son. Sent on an impossible quest by his cruel stepmother, Svipdag calls upon the spirit of his dead mother, Gróa, who rises from her grave to arm him with protective spells. Guided by her magic, he journeys through perils until at last he reaches the blazing fortress of Menglöð, the maiden destined to be his bride. There, through riddles and trials, his fate is revealed, and the long-awaited union of two lovers is fulfilled.
Fjölsvinnsmál
Fjölsvinnsmál is the second half of the story of Svipdag and Menglöð, a hidden gem of Norse mythology. After receiving his mother’s protective spells in Grógaldr, Svipdag finally reaches the blazing fortress where Menglöð dwells. At its gates he meets Fjölsviðr, a watchman of immense wisdom, and the two engage in a riddle-contest about the walls, hounds, magical weapons, and sacred tree that guard the hall. In the end, Svipdag’s true identity is revealed, and he is welcomed by Menglöð as her fated bridegroom. More than a tale of riddles, Fjölsvinnsmál is a myth of destiny, love, and the trials one must endure to claim it.
Grógaldr
In the Norse poem Grógaldr, the young hero Svipdag calls upon his dead mother, Gróa, for help with an impossible task set by his stepmother. Rising from her grave, Gróa answers her son and chants a series of powerful protective spells to shield him from storms, frost, curses, enemies, and all the dangers of his journey. More than a tale of magic, Grógaldr is a story of love that endures beyond death, where a mother’s wisdom becomes her son’s greatest strength.
Svipdagsmál - The Lay of Svipdagr
When we picture Norse mythology, Odin’s wisdom, Thor’s thunder, and Loki’s tricks often take center stage. Yet hidden in the Poetic Edda is a hauntingly beautiful tale, Svipdagsmál — a story of love, magic, and destiny. Unlike the war-filled sagas, this myth begins with a son calling upon his dead mother for guidance, leading him through riddles, protective spells, and the delicate crossing between mortal struggle and divine fate. It’s a forgotten gem that reveals the softer, more mystical side of Viking myth.
The Great Lacuna - The missing texts of the Poetic Edda
The Codex Regius is the single most important manuscript of Norse mythology—but it carries a haunting mystery at its core. Eight leaves are missing from its heroic section, a gap known as the Great Lacuna. This loss strikes at the very heart of the Sigurðr–Brynhildr tragedy, erasing the poetic account of love, betrayal, and death that once stood alongside the greatest epics of world literature. What remains are fragments and echoes: prose sagas, later German adaptations, and the faint outlines of poems now gone. This blog explores what was lost, what scholars believe the lacuna once contained, and why it matters so deeply for our understanding of the medieval Norse imagination.
The Codex Regius - Poetic Edda
The Codex Regius is more than a medieval manuscript—it is the beating heart of Norse mythology. Written in Iceland around 1270, this fragile book preserves the Poetic Edda, the only complete collection of ancient mythological and heroic poems that tell of Odin’s wisdom, Thor’s hammer, Sigurd the dragon-slayer, and the doom of Ragnarök. Lost for centuries and rediscovered in 1643, the Codex travelled to Denmark and was only returned to Iceland in 1971, where it is now celebrated as a national treasure. Without it, much of what we know about the Viking Age worldview and early Icelandic heritage would have vanished forever.
What is The Hávamál?
The Hávamál, “Sayings of the High One,” is one of the most remarkable works of Norse mythology. Preserved in the Poetic Edda, it is a collection of wisdom, myth, and magic attributed to Odin, the god of knowledge and poetry. At once a handbook of everyday conduct and a meditation on the pursuit of wisdom, the Hávamál bridges Viking Age society with the spiritual world of the North. Rooted in oral tradition and saved by the medieval Codex Regius manuscript, it remains a timeless voice of Norse belief.
Poetic Edda in order
The Poetic Edda is one of the most important sources for Norse mythology and heroic legend. Preserved mainly in the Codex Regius, this 13th-century manuscript contains a carefully ordered sequence of mythological and heroic poems. The mythological lays include Vǫluspá, Hávamál, and Þrymskviða, while the heroic lays tell the tragic stories of Helgi, Sigurd, Brynhildr, Guðrún, and Atli. Alongside these core texts, a small group of additional Eddic poems survive in other manuscripts, such as Baldrs draumar, Rígsþula, Hyndluljóð, and Svipdagsmál. Together, these poems preserve the voices of the Viking Age, offering insights into fate, wisdom, heroism, and the myths that shaped the Norse world.
The Additional Eddic Poems (NOT codex regius)
The Poetic Edda is usually associated with the Codex Regius, the 13th-century manuscript that preserves the core of Old Norse mythology. Yet a handful of other Eddic poems survive in different manuscripts, offering a broader view of Viking Age myth and legend. Known as the Additional Eddic Poems or the Eddic Appendix, they include Baldrs draumar, Rígsþula, Hyndluljóð, and Svipdagsmál. These haunting and powerful verses reveal Odin’s search for prophecy, Heimdall’s shaping of society, Freyja’s genealogical quests, and the magical trials of the hero Svipdagr. Together they enrich our understanding of the Norse imagination beyond the Codex.
The Poetic Edda: The Ancient Voice of Norse Myth and Legend Introduction
The Poetic Edda is one of the most vital sources for Norse mythology and heroic legend. Preserved chiefly in the Codex Regius, this medieval manuscript contains powerful poems that recount the creation of the world, the wisdom of Odin, the humour of Thor, and the tragic cycles of human heroes. Unlike the Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda carries the raw voice of an oral tradition—stark, direct, and timeless. Its verses reveal a worldview shaped by fate, courage, and renewal, ensuring its place as a cornerstone of world literature and a living echo of the Viking Age.