Edda
/ˈɛd.ə/noun
A collection of Old Norse mythological and poetic texts, especially the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda.
Did you know?The title Edda is famously unclear in origin, but it was attached to the great Old Norse myth collections in the 17th century and became the name for the very texts that preserve much of what we know about the Norse gods.
Etymological Timeline
17th Century
Old Norse/Latinized Icelandic
Edda
“A title applied to major compilations of Old Norse myth and poetry”
13th Century
Old Norse
edda
“Uncertain original form or term; possibly linked to the name of a place or to the idea of 'great-grandmother' in later folk explanation”
Medieval Iceland
Old Norse
Eddu-
“A later traditional label associated with learned poetic material”
Modern English
English
Edda
“A standard name for the two major Old Norse literary collections, the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda”