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The Poetic Edda · An illustrated reader

Codex
Regius

Stories of gods, heroes,
and the fate of a world.

Begin reading
Odin and a seeress look upon visions of the world’s creation, destruction, and rebirth
31 expanded retellingsOld Norse & EnglishExplore the collection

Choose a story.

Read in manuscript order, or follow your curiosity.

31 entries in manuscript order

Gods & the worldThe mythological poems

  1. 01The Prophecy of the SeeressVöluspá8 min
  2. 02The Sayings of the High OneHávamál8 min
  3. 03Odin’s Wisdom Contest with the GiantVafþrúðnismál8 min
  4. 04Odin Between the FiresGrímnismál8 min
  5. 05Freyr’s Love and Skírnir’s RideSkírnismál8 min
  6. 06Thor and the Ferryman of InsultsHárbarðsljóð7 min
  7. 07Thor’s Fishing Trip and the Giant CauldronHymiskviða7 min
  8. 08Loki’s Quarrel at Ægir’s FeastLokasenna7 min
  9. 09Thor Dresses as a BrideÞrymskviða7 min
  10. 10Wayland the SmithVölundarkviða7 min
  11. 11How Thor Outsmarted the All-Wise DwarfAlvíssmál4 min

Heroes & fateThe heroic poems & prose links

  1. 12Helgi Kills HundingHelgakviða Hundingsbana I7 min
  2. 13Helgi Son of Hjörvarðr and the Valkyrie SvávaHelgakviða Hjörvarðssonar7 min
  3. 14Helgi and Sigrún AgainHelgakviða Hundingsbana II7 min
  4. 15On the Death of SinfjötliFrá dauða Sinfjǫtla3 min
  5. 16The Prophecy Given to SigurðrGrípisspá7 min
  6. 17The Cursed Gold and the Forging of GramReginsmál6 min
  7. 18Sigurðr and the DragonFáfnismál7 min
  8. 19The Valkyrie’s TeachingSigrdrífumál6 min
  9. 20Fragment of a Lay about SigurðrBrot af Sigurðarkviðu4 min
  10. 21Guðrún’s First LamentGuðrúnarkviða I5 min
  11. 22The Short Lay of SigurðrSigurðarkviða hin skamma7 min
  12. 23Brynhildr’s Ride to HelHelreið Brynhildar3 min
  13. 24The Fall of the NiflungsDráp Niflunga2 min
  14. 25Guðrún Remembers Her SorrowsGuðrúnarkviða II7 min
  15. 26Guðrún Proves Her InnocenceGuðrúnarkviða III3 min
  16. 27Oddrún’s LamentOddrúnargrátr5 min
  17. 28The Lay of AtliAtlakviða6 min
  18. 29The Greenland Ballad of AtliAtlamál in grœnlenzku7 min
  19. 30Guðrún Urges Her Sons to VengeanceGuðrúnarhvöt5 min
  20. 31The Last VengeanceHamðismál6 min

A very old book.
A new way in.

This collection follows the poem sequence of the Codex Regius, the medieval Icelandic manuscript of the Poetic Edda. First come the gods and the making of their world. Then come the heroes, their loves, and their losses.

The stories have been expanded from the original ChatGPT booklet and checked against Old Norse editions and Henry Adams Bellows’s 1923 translation. These are modern prose retellings, with passages in normalized Old Norse and new English renderings immediately beneath. The nine AI-generated illustrations come from the original booklet.

Tap an underlined name for a short explanation. Every story also opens into its complete Old Norse text and English translation, with editions you can switch between as you read.

Most full narratives take around seven to eight minutes at a measured reading pace. Brief poems and the two prose links remain shorter. The collection follows 29 poem entries and two prose links; the missing manuscript leaves, known as the Great Lacuna, remain a break in Sigurðr’s story.

Original short booklet (PDF · 3.9 MB)Source conversation ↗

The PDF preserves the earlier, shorter edition. The expanded stories are available in this web reader.