An episode from 9/15/22: For the next year or more, my series on The Great Myths will focus on Norse mythology. Tonight I introduce the subject and read one of its foundational texts, a poem from the Poetic Edda called the “Voluspa.” The Voluspa takes its form as a prophecy spoken by a female seeress, or Völva, who tells the story of the world—from creation through Ragnarok—in an astonishingly brief, but unforgettable, poem. The translation I read is by Andy Orchard.

As other episodes on the Norse Myths are produced, they will all be collected here.

The two translations of the Poetic Edda that I mention are those by ⁠Andy Orchard⁠ and ⁠Carolyn Larrington⁠. The two translations of the Prose Edda that I mention are those by ⁠Anthony Faulkes⁠ and ⁠Jesse Byock⁠.

The essential reference books on Norse myth that I will be using for this series are John Lindow’s ⁠Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals & Beliefs⁠, Rudolf Simek’s ⁠Dictionary of Northern Mythology⁠, and Andy Orchard’s ⁠Cassell Dictionary of Norse Myth & Legend⁠.

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Any comments, or suggestions for readings I should make in later episodes, can be emailed to [email protected].