This volume investigates the linguistic, historical, and cultural significance of the heroic poems found within the Poetic Edda. Ursula Dronke, a distinguished scholar of Old Norse, provides a rigorous critical edition that examines the transmission of these ancient Germanic texts. By analyzing the manuscripts and the oral traditions that preceded them, the work establishes a framework for understanding the heroic ethos of the Viking Age. The text serves as a primary resource for scholars seeking to decode the complex mythological and social structures embedded in these verses.

Experts consider this edition a foundational resource for the study of Old Norse literature due to its meticulous scholarship and linguistic precision. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for advanced students and researchers in the field of medieval studies.