The Elder Edda and Ancient Scandinavian Drama

Abstract

THE publication of this important monograph on the Elder Edda furnishes a scientific basis for the interpretation of this collection of primitive Icelandic poetry. Up to the present the attempt to localise these poems by differentiating between the literary and historical outlook of the Norwegians and Icelanders has yielded contradictory results, and the same is true of the effort to establish a relative chronology of the,poems by attributing cases of similarity of expression or even of metre to direct imitation. In short, the reliance on philology, and on philology alone, as a key to the problem has proved -to be fruitless. The line of investigation now followed, based on recent work in connection with the drama generally, and particularly with that of the Greeks, promises more hope of success. The poems are now shown to have originated in primitive folk-drama, for the existence of which ample evidence is adduced. The Eddie poets failed to osecure:epical expression because they were hampered by this dramatic tradition. The book is not easy reading, because the author has tried to combine the historical with the literary interpretation, and its completion has been hindered by the loss of some notes and manuscript while she was engaged in war work. It is, however, a fine piece of literary criticism, and the translations of passages in the Edda which form an important part of the text,are so good that it may be hoped that the author will supply a complete version of this remarkable collection of early poems.