Other Definitions
edda (dict)
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EddaFor Edda 'great-grandmother' as the ancestress of serfs see Rg.
The Edda are collections of poetically narrated folk-tales relating to Norse Mythology or Norse heroes. These are fragmentary parts of a (presumably) much larger scaldic tradition of oral narration which has been written down by scholars prior to the tales being lost absolutely. There are a number of theories concerning the origins of the word edda. One theory holds that it is identical to the word that seems to mean "great-grandmother". (See Rig.) Another theory holds that edda means "poetics". A third is that it means "the book of Oddi", Oddi being the place where Snorri Sturluson was educated. There are two Eddas: Versions online
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