Essays on Eddic Poetry

Essays on Eddic Poetry presents a selection of important articles on Old Norse literature by noted medievalist John McKinnell. While McKinnells work addresses many of the perennial issues in the study of Old Norse, this collection has a special focus on the interplay between heathen and Christian world-views in the poems. Among the texts examined are Hvaml, which includes an elegantly cynical poem about inns sexual intrigues and a more mystical one about his self-sacrifice on the world-tree in order to gain magical wisdom; Vlundarkvia, which recounts an elvish smiths revenge for his captivity and maiming; and Hervararkvia, where the heroine bravely but foolishly raises her dead father to demand the deadly sword Tyrfingr from him. Originally published between 1988 and 2008, these twelve essays cover a wide range of mythological and heroic poems and have been revised and updated to reflect the latest scholarship.