pThe Poetic Edda, also known as The Elder Edda or Saemund's Edda, is a magnificent and magical collection of thirty-four Icelandic poems, interwoven with prose, dating from the 9th century to the 12th. The original Old Norse verses are printed here, side by side with English translations.ppThe collection includes the archetypal stories about wise Odin, hammer-wielding Thor, mischievous Loki and the other gods and goddesses of Asgard.ppProfessor J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, readily acknowledged his debt to this source. He was sixteen years old when the Viking Club of London published this beautifully illustrated translation by Olive Bray. Readers of Tolkien's work will easily spot his inspirations--the names of the dwarves in The Hobbit riddle games Mirkwood the Paths of the Dead an underworld creature being tricked into remaining above-ground until dawn, when sunlight turns him to stone different races calling a single thing by various names, and mo