The Voluspa

The Völuspá embodies many of the fundamental magical elements encoded in Norse mythology from the pre-Christian, early middle ages. Scholars have described the Völuspá as a kind of 'sacred text' of pagan Scandinavian religion, composed during a time when Pagan beliefs were intended to be eradicated by Christianity. The Codex Regius is the primary source for this brief examination: an ancient manuscript compiled in the mid-thirteenth century by unknown, anonymous authors. The vellum parchment dates from approximately 1270; The text's organization by theme and topic lead some scholars to believe it was copied from earlier sources which no longer exist. Many of the Voluspa's stanzas are quoted or paraphrased in Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, composed in the year 1220. The Völuspá is preserved in both the Codex Regius and Hauksbók manuscripts, while parts of it are quoted in Snorri's Prose Edda. The Hauksbók is one of the few medieval Norse manuscripts where the author is actually known. His name was Haukr Erlendsson, and it was partly written by Haukr himself, partly by his assistants. The book contains versions – sometimes the only remaining editions – of many old Icelandic texts. Snorri gives a summary of the Völuspá in his seminal work, Gylfaginning. He was clearly aware of its existence although his version does not contain the last few 'Christianized' stanzas. The Völuspá is regarded as one of the most important primary sources for the study of Norse mythology. Some anonymous editors of the original manuscript appear to have rearranged certain material, however. The oldest manuscript of the Völuspá still in existence dates from 1302 to 1310. The order and number of stanzas varies in each of these sources. The Codex Regius, (Latin for "King's Book"), contains 29 poems commonly designated by scholars as the Poetic Edda, or Elder Edda. It is the oldest such collection, the best-known of all Icelandic books, and is considered an Icelandic national treasure.