Gróa's List of Recommended Heathen Reading
Revised June, 2007
I. Primary Sources
These are listed first on purpose. I firmly believe that all who want to understand how Heathens believed and thought in the past should read at least the major primary sources for themselves.
If you are new to all of this, the list below may seem somewhat overwhelming. I recommend beginning with the Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda, and Tacitus; of the primary sources, these three are probably the most informative and readable.
A. The Prose Edda
This invaluable work was written in the 13th century by the Icelander Snorri Sturluson to preserve the stories of his nation’s Heathen past. Snorri was clearly in sympathy with his forebears, and his Christianity is rarely intrusive. However, he was a highly educated man of his day, and this sometimes led him to over-systematize his material or force it into a classical mold.
Three translations are listed below. Jean Young’s is lively and readable and includes the major myths. Recently, Jesse Byock has published a translation that includes Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál, the two sections that record stories of the gods and heroes. I have not read Byock’s version in its entirety, but his previous work is very sound. My favorite translation is by Anthony Faulkes. His version is highly literal, which makes it the least accessible but also the most useful for readers seeking to understand the original. Faulkes’s edition is the most complete: it includes not only Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál but also Háttatal (Snorri’s manual on poetic composition) and the Þulur (lists of synonyms).
The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson: Tales from Norse Mythology. Trans. Jean I. Young. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1954.
Snorri Sturluson. The Prose Edda. Trans. Jesse L. Byock. London: Penguin (Penguin Classics), 2005.
Snorri Sturluson. Edda. Trans. Anthony Faulkes. London: J.M. Dent & Sons (Everyman's Library), 1987
B. The Poetic Edda
This compilation of Old Norse poems about the gods and heroes is the closest thing we have to a true primary source for Heathen religion. Scholars endlessly debate the age of the poems, but it’s clear that at least some of them were composed by Heathens and have survived relatively unscathed. The two easiest translations to find are by Lee M. Hollander and Carolyne Larrington, so they are considered first in the comments below; information about some of the other translations you may encounter follows.
Hollander's translation is popular with many Heathens – they find it poetic and moving. I find its deliberate archaisms grating, however. A more serious complaint is that some details are inaccurate.
The Poetic Edda. Trans. Lee M. Hollander. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1962.
Larrington is the anti-Hollander. Her translation is mostly accurate and literal, but she works so hard to avoid sounding archaic that the poems sometimes have an oddly classical flavor (e.g., "fates" instead of "norns," "sanctify" rather than "hallow").
The Poetic Edda. Trans. Carolyne Larrington. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Bellows’ translation is my favorite. It strikes a nice balance between accuracy and poetry, and it is the one I turn to when reading for inspiration as opposed to fact-checking.
The Poetic Edda. Trans. Henry Adams Bellows. Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellon Press, 1991. [Reprint of the original.]
Bray omits the heroic poems. Nonetheless, her translation is accurate, and she provides the original Old Norse on the facing page.
The Elder or Poetic Edda. Part I. The Mythological Poems. Trans. Olive Bray. New York: AMS Press, 1982. [Reprint of the 1908 edition.]
Dronke’s two volumes include only ten poems between them (in English and Old Norse). However, she provides an astonishingly detailed discussion and analysis of each poem. Her comments on the language of the originals are invaluable.
The Poetic Edda. Volume 1: Heroic Poems. Trans. Ursula Dronke. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969.
The Poetic Edda. Volume I: Mythological Poems. Trans. Ursula Dronke. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997.
Terry’s edition includes "The Waking of Angantyr." This poem is not usually considered part of the Poetic Edda (it comes from the Saga of Hervör and Heiðrek), but it is a marvelous poem, full of drama and uncanny goings-on. Some of the other poems in this edition are abridged.
Poems of the Elder Edda: Revised Edition. Trans. Patricia Terry. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1990.
C. Tacitus
Far and away the most important source about early Heathen religion is Germania, an account of the Germanic tribes written around 100 A.D. by the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus. Mattingly’s translation is reliable and affordable. Rives’ edition is more expensive but worth it for the excellent notes and commentary he provides.
Tacitus. The Agricola and the Germania. Trans. H. Mattingly. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin (Penguin Classics), 1948.
Tacitus. Germania. Trans. J.B. Rives. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1999.
D. Heimskringla
Heimskringla is Snorri Sturluson's monumental history of the early Norwegian kings. Two translations of the whole tome are available. Monsen’s edition favors archaic language but is very literal and useful. Hollander takes liberties with the text at times.
Snorre Sturlason, Heimskringla, or The Lives of the Norse Kings. Ed. Erling Monsen. Trans. Erling Monsen and A.H. Smith. New York: Dover, 1990. [Note the unusual spelling of Snorri’s name in this edition.]
Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway.Trans. Lee M. Hollander. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1964.
Some of the most interesting sections from the Heathen perspective are:
Ynglinga Saga. Attributes the founding of nations to the gods, who are portrayed as earthly kings whom the "ignorant" Heathens venerated as deities. Contains some fascinating information about the character and lore of the gods.
Hacon* the Good. Raised in England, Hacon comes to Norway a Christian, but his advisors guide him back to the Heathen customs his people expect and demand.
Hacon the Jarl. One of heathendom's staunchest defenders.
Olaf Trygvason. Forced Christianity onto the Norwegians. There are some inspiring tales of fidelity to the old gods in the face of persecution and torture. Also contains some intriguing descriptions of Heathen customs that Olaf wanted to suppress.
*"Hacon" is Monsen’s spelling; the more usual spelling is "Hakon."
E. Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo was a Danish cleric who wrote to glorify his nation’s past. He is pompous, long-winded, sanctimonious, and misogynistic. However, he has preserved lore about the Norse gods that survives nowhere else, and it is worth suffering through his prose to find it. After a while, his style even grows on you, in a Monty Pythonesque sort of way.
Saxo Grammaticus. The History of the Danes, Books I-IX. Ed. Hilda Ellis Davidson. Trans. Peter Fisher. Woodbridge, Suffolk: D.S. Brewer, 1980.
F. Sagas of Icelanders
The sagas constitute the great prose literature of medieval Iceland. The group known as "Sagas of Icelanders" tells semi-historical tales of Iceland’s settlers and their descendants. Many of these stories describe Heathen customs or tell of Heathen times. Several are available in a single volume, which is great value for the money and an excellent introduction to the world of the sagas:
Thorsson, Örnólfur, ed. The Sagas of Icelanders: A Selection. New York: Viking, 1997.
For those willing to spend the time to track it down and the money to acquire it, the set below contains all of the sagas and tales of Icelanders (the above collection by Thorsson is excerpted from this longer work). I consider it one of the best purchases I ever made.
Hreinsson, Viðar, ed. Complete Sagas of Icelanders. 5 vols. Reykjavík: Leifur Eiríksson, 1997.
Many sagas are also available as affordable Penguin paperbacks. A few that are especially relevant to Heathenism are noted below. All are included in Hreinsson’s compilation. A "T" indicates that they are included in the Thorsson volume. Information is also given for Penguin editions where known.
Egil's Saga (T). Curmudgeon, warrior, poet, rune-magician, Odin’s-man – Egil is a fascinating character. PENGUIN EDITION: Egil’s Saga. Trans. Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin (Penguin Classics), 1976.
Njal's Saga. The greatest saga of them all. Iceland's decision to convert to Christianity is part of one of the major episodes. PENGUIN EDITION: Njal’s Saga. Trans. Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Pálsson. London: Penguin (Penguin Classics), 1960.
The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey’s Godi (T). The life of a famous priest of Frey. PENGUIN EDITION: Hrafnkel’s Saga and Other Stories. Trans. Hermann Pálsson. London: Penguin (Penguin Classics), 1971.
The Saga of the People of Eyri. Includes the most complete surviving description of a Norse hof, which is maintained by a great priest of Thor. Also contains hauntings and other entertaining spookiness. PENGUIN EDITION: Eyrgyggja Saga. Trans. Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards. London: Penguin (Penguin Classics), 1972.
The Saga of the People of Vatnsdal (T). Tells how Frey guided Ingimund to settle in Iceland and how Ingimund built a great hof to him.
G. Legendary Sagas (Fornaldarsögur)
Less rooted in history and more fantastic than the sagas of Icelanders, these tales preserve intriguing lore from folk tradition and legend.
"King Gautrek" includes the story of Starkad, a hero blessed by Odin and cursed by Thor. "Bosi and Herraud" is of limited use from the scholarly perspective but is great fun – it contains more double-entendres than any other Norse work. "Thorstein Mansion-Might" preserves a folkloric version of the story of one of Thor’s journeys to Jotunheim. These tales and more can be found in:
Seven Viking Romances. Trans. Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards. London: Penguin (Penguin Classics), 1985.
The Volsung Saga is the Norse version of the great heroic cycle of the Germanic peoples.
The Saga of the Volsungs: the Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer. Trans. Jesse L. Byock. Berkeley: University California Press, 1990.
H. Beowulf
Beowulf is not so much a Heathen work as an elegiac look backwards to a lost heroic past. Recorded by Christian clerics in a time of disorder and uncertainty, it tells of an idealized Heathen society where loyalty could overcome self-interest and heroes were larger than life. The recent translation by Seamus Heaney is justly acclaimed: Heaney is a poet of the first rank, and his translation is a work of art. I admit to a preference for Chickering’s version, however; I think his translation better expresses the craggy character of Old English verse. Both editions helpfully provide the original Old English on the facing pages.
Beowulf. Trans. Seamus Heaney. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000.
Beowulf. Trans. Howell D. Chickering, Jr. New York: Random House (Anchor Books), 1977.
II. Secondary Sources