Part I: The Poetic Edda

**Völuspá (The Seeress's Prophecy)**

(Note: Since the entire narrative revolves around Óðinn, I recommend reading the whole poem, and only a summarization of the poem is given here.)

The poem is framed as a prophecy delivered by a völva, or seeress, whom the god Óðinn has summoned from the dead to learn about the past, future, and ultimate fate of the gods and the world.

• A seeress, summoned by the god Óðinn, reveals the history and fate of the cosmos.
• She describes the creation of the world, the first humans, and a brief "golden age" for the gods.
• This peace is shattered by greed, war, and the pivotal murder of the innocent god Baldr.
• The prophecy then turns to the future, foretelling the signs of the final apocalypse: Ragnarök.
• In a great battle, the gods will fight their enemies—giants and monsters—resulting in their mutual destruction.
• Óðinn, Thor, and nearly all the gods will perish as the world is consumed by fire and sinks into the sea.
• Out of the destruction, a new, green world will be reborn from the waves.
• A few surviving gods and two new humans will repopulate this peaceful world, beginning a new cycle.

Hávamál (The Sayings of Hávi)

(Note: Since the entire narrative revolves around Óðinn, I recommend reading the whole poem.) The poem is a combination of numerous shorter poems, is largely gnomic, presenting advice for living, proper conduct and wisdom. It is assumed that it is narrated by Óðinn.

• **Stanza 138-139:** One of my favourite stanzas in all of the Poetic Edda, “The discovery of the Runes”.

  138. I know that I hung on a windy tree
  for all of nine nights,
  wounded by a spear and given to Óðinn,
  myself to myself,
  on that tree of which no one knows
  the kind of roots it runs from.
  
  139. They blessed me with neither bread nor horn,
  I peered down, I took up runes,
  screaming I took them; I fell back from there.
  

**Vafþrúðnismál (The Lay of Vafthrúdnir)**

(Note: Since the entire narrative revolves around Óðinn, I recommend reading the whole poem, and only a summarization of the poem is given here.)

• Vafþrúðnismál, or "The Lay of Vafþrúðnir," details a deadly contest of cosmic knowledge.