Literature

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Everyone interprets the written texts differently and there are many different versions of the same things that have been written, this gives a very mixed view of how things should be perceived and sometimes they are mixed with things that are not Asatru. Therefore, it is important to separate things when reading and, as with anything else written, relate critically to both the author and the purpose of what is written.
There are very few written sources on Asatru some of them are the Codex Regius (more commonly known as the Poetic Edda), Snorri’s Edda and in the Icelandic Sagas. The poems and sagas of the books are partly supported by archaeological finds and research etc. which sometimes gives us an insight into what rituals and other things looked like.

Texts about Asatru.
We want the public to have access to the poems, texts and sagas that form the basis of Asatru, so we have begun the work of posting poems and other texts. It is mainly Swedish literature, but also material in Old Norse translations of the Swedish ones where available.

What’s available is on this page:

The Poetic Edda – in Swedish and normalised Old Norse versions
Other poems – Poems that are not usually included in the Poetic Edda etc.
Reading tips – We have listed several books that are recommended for further reading and immersion in Asatru.

The Poetic Edda – Songs of the Nordic Gods and Heroes

We have chosen to use Erik Brate’s Swedish translation ‘Poetiska Eddan – De Nordiska Guda- och hjältesångerna’ and for the normalised Old Norse (Norse) we have chosen to use Guðni Jónsson’s ‘Eddukvæði Sæmundar-Edda’.

Völuspá – Prophecy of the Volva
In Völuspá, the Volva tells of the creation and end of the world.
Hávamál – The Words of Odin the High One
The Hávamál contains the language of thought, rules for living and words of wisdom.
Vafþrúðnismál – The Lay of Vafþrúðnir / Vafthrudnir’s sayings
About when Odin meets the giant Vavtrudner in a wisdom competition
Grímnismál – The song of Grimnir
Is a teaching poem about Frigg and Odin raising the king’s sons Agnar and Geirröd
Skírnismál – The song of Skirnir
It’s about when Freyr falls in love with Gerd and sends his servant Skirnir to try to persuade Gerd to become Freyr’s consort.
Hárbarðsljóð – The song of Harbard
It is about when Thor, after having been in the East, meets a ferryman named Harbard at a ferry crossing and quickly gets into an exchange of words. Harbard is in fact Odin who appears in disguise.
Hymiskviða – The lay of Hymir
Contains 3 poems, first poem when Thor and Týr visit Hymir to borrow his great cauldron for Aegir’s guild, second poem is about Thor’s fishing trip with Hymir, third poem is about when Hymir challenges Thor to carry the huge cauldron.
Lokasenna – Loki’s Wrangling
It’s about when Loki shows up at Aegir’s guild and then gets jealous and starts mocking the other gods who are there.
Þrymskviða – The Lay of Thrym
It’s about when Thor wakes up one morning and realises that Mjolnir has been stolen. It is Thrym who is behind the crime.
Alvíssmál – The song of Allvis
The dwarf Allvis turns up at Thor’s house to fetch Thor’s daughter Thrud after the agreement made earlier, Thor objects as he was not at home at the time. To resolve this, Allvis is challenged but Thor outwits the dwarf.
Baldrs Draumar – Baldr’s Dreams
Baldr’s life is in danger, as Baldr’s nightmares testify, and to find out who the orbiter is, Odin travels to the underworld to meet a volva.
Rígsþula – The Lay of Rig
The Lay of Rig tells how Rig, who is Heimdall in the guise of a traveller, creates the three social classes.
Hyndluljóð – The song of Hyndla
In The song of Hyndla, at Freyja’s request, Hyndla enumerates Ottar’s ancestors, which will help Ottar win a bet against Angantýr. The ‘short Völuspa’ (verses 30-45) also tells of various deities.
Völundarkviða – The Lay of Völund
In The Lay of Völund, the blacksmith Völund is captured by King Nidud, who forces him to make jewellery; Völund takes revenge by murdering the king’s sons.
Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar – Lay of Helgi Hjörvarðsson
This is a poem found in the collection of heroic poems in the Poetic Edda’s manuscript Codex Regius and is part of a Helgetrilogy together with Helgakvida Hundingsbana in fyrri and Helgakvida Hundingsbana önnur.
Helgakviða Hundingsbana I – The First Lay of Helgi Hundingsbane
This is the second poem in the Helgetriologin, Helge Hundingsbane is a hero from Östergötland, Sweden who also appears in the Völsunga saga. He belongs to the Völsunga family and the Östergötland Ylvinga family.
Völsungakviða in forna (Helgakviða Hundingsbana II) – The third Lay of Helgi Hundingsbane
Är den tredje dikten i Helgetriologin men andra om Helge Hundingsbane. I denna avslutande dikt berättas det om Völsungarna, om Helges död och Sigruns natt tillsammans med Helge vid hans gravhög.
Grípisspá (Sigurðarkviða Fáfnisbana I) – Griper’s prediction
Is a dialogue in which Sigurd Fafnesbane asks the wise King Griper about the future, who then predicts Sigurd’s life and destiny.
Reginsmál (Sigurðarkviða Fáfnisbana II) – The Lay of Regin
Here Sigurd Fafnesbane meets the blacksmith Regin, who forges Sigurd the sword that will kill Regin’s brother Fafner.
Fáfnismál – Fáfnir’s sayings
It tells the story of Sigurd Fáfnirsbane slaying the dragon Fáfnir for gold.
Sigrdrífumál – The Lay of Sigrdrifa
Is the third and final poem about Sigurd Favnersbane’s youth, and it relates to the meeting between Sigurd and the Valkyrie Sigrdrífa who gives advice to Sigurd consisting of runic magic and wisdom.
Sigurðarkviða in meiri (Brot) – Fragment of a Sigurth Lay
The poem is believed to have contained around 250 verses, now only 22 remain after someone removed the fifth leaf of the Codex Regius containing the poem before 1643. Here, in the 22 remaining verses, the death of Sigurd is disputed.
Guðrúnarkviða in fyrsta – First Lay of Gudrun
It’s about Gudrun, paralysed by grief, she sits by Sigurd’s body and mourns. No matter what those who come to help her do, nothing helps.
Sigurðarkviða in skamma – The Short Lay of Sigurd
Is one of the longest poems and its name derives from the fact that there was once a longer Sigurðarkviða.
Helreið Brynhildar – Brynhild’s Hel-Ride
It is about how Sigurd and Brynhild are burned at the stake, first they burn Sigurd and then they burn Brynhild, who is lying on a richly decorated wagon. This wagon takes Brynhild on her journey to the afterlife. On her journey she passes a house where Gýgrin lives.
Dráp Niflunga – The Slaying of the Niflungar
This poem is about how Brynhild’s brother Atli becomes Gudrun’s second husband and how Atli avenges Brynhild’s death by killing Gudrun’s brothers Gunnar and Hogni.
Guðrúnarkviða in forna – The Second Lay of Gudrun
The poem is a brief overview of Gudrun’s fate, from her childhood, Sigurd’s death and until shortly before her revenge on Atle, who is guilty of Gudrun’s brothers’ deaths.
Guðrúnarkviða in þriðja – The Third Lay of Gudrun
Gudrun is falsely accused of adultery by Atle’s slave Herkja, who claims to have seen Gudrun and King Tjodrek together. Atle confronts Gudrun, who denies this.
Oddrúnarkviða – Oddrún’s poem or Oddrún’s lament
Atli’s sister Oddrun visits a friend Borgny, who can’t get pregnant, and Oddrun helps Borgny to get pregnant by bile. Oddrun also tells her that her brother Atle is behind Gunnar’s death.
Atlakviða – The Lay of Atli
The lay is considered one of the oldest poems in the Codex Regius, originally from the 9th century. Atle Budlasson marries Gudrun for the sake of her rich family, and in order to share in the wealth, Atle has Gudrun’s brothers murdered, whereupon Gudrun avenges her brothers.
Atlamál in grænlenzku – The Greenlandic Lay of Atli
Atle plans to kill his brothers-in-law Gunnar and Hogne, and sends them an invitation. Gudrun, Atle’s wife, finds out what is going on and sends a message with runes to her brothers, but one of the messengers partially destroys the message. Hogne’s wife Kostberga manages to decipher the runes and realises that something is wrong and warns Hogne.
Guðrúnarhvöt – Gudruns Incitement
Is another poem about Gudrun Gjukesdotter, here she incites her sons to avenge the murdered daughter Svanhild, the daughter she had with Sigurd Favnesbane.
Hamðismál – The Lay of Hamdir
It’s about Hamdir and his brothers who, at the urging of their mother Gudrun, take revenge for their half-sister Svanhild, whom her suitor King Jörmunrek had murdered.
Gróttasöngr – Song of Grótti or The Mill’s Songs
It’s about the giant women Fenja and Menja who pull the magical mill Grotte owned by King Frode. The Grotte mill is magical and produces whatever is desired. The poem is designed as a work song depicting the fate of the women.
Grógaldr – The Spell of Gróa
It’s about a young man (Svipdag), who is searching for Menglöd. Faced with a long and perilous journey, he goes to the grave of his mother, the dead volva Gróa, to wake her and ask for advice. Gróa teaches him nine galdr´s to help him on his journey.
Fjölsvinnsmál – The Lay of Fjölsvinn
The poem is about the disguised Svipdag, who has now arrived at Menglöd’s castle, meets the castle’s guardian Fjölsvinn and asks him questions. In the end, Svipdag reveals who he is to Fjölsvinn and is let in.

Other poems

forspjallsljóð (hrafnagaldr óðins) – Prelude poem (Odins raven-galdr)
Believed to be a 17th century work, perhaps even after the Codex Regius was rediscovered in 1643. The poem is believed to be an introductory poem to Baldrs Draumar – Baldr´s Dreams. Since 1876, when Sophus Bugge discussed the poem and its origins in his edition of the Poetic Edda, the poem has not been included in later editions of the Poetic Edda.
Hervararkviða – The Incantation of Hervor or The Waking of Angantýr
This is a poem from the Hervarar Saga, which is found in the ancient sagas and is about the shield-maiden Hervor and her visit to her father Angantýr in his burial mound. She visits him to get him to give her the sword Thyrfing.

Is there literature for me who is curious or wants to know more?

There are different ways of looking at literature and archaeological sites, and there are different ways of reading or interpreting them. The interest of the person reading pretty much determines what they can take in and understand. Every historical find from the Migration Period and the Viking Age teaches us more about how the heathen norse lived and is to be regarded as a religious find, whether it is a literary find in the form of writing or a solid find in the form of graves, rune stones or ancient castles.

By reading as many sources as possible, preferably in the original language for those who have the knowledge, you are best placed to understand the whole picture. We have tried here to create a little order in the jumble of information available.
If you are strictly interested and really want to understand what it is all about, you should turn to historical literature, especially the Eddas and the Icelandic sagas. These works are the most contemporary that have been preserved and are the best preserved source we have available today.

For those who are mildly interested or want to start creating an overview, the internet is good and there are countless sites that provide information about most things when it comes to general information about both Norse history and mythology. Searching the internet for Norse stories and sagas gives you a fairly general idea of how mythology is structured and you get a feel for recurring words and meanings. The following links are suggestions for pages with relevant information.
Links:

Fotevikensmuseum.se – Very good site with relevant information about the Viking Age, Asatru, ancient monuments, rune stones, contemporary music, live village and much more

If you prefer books, we recommend these:

The books are available in bookshops such as Bokus and Adlibris. For second-hand or hard-to-find books, there is Bokbörsen.

Historical literature:

Poetic Edda (There are many translations to choose from, recommendation is to read several different ones)
Snorris Edda – Snorri Sturlasson (There are many translations to choose from, recommendation is to read several different ones)
Icelandic Sagas – Icelandic family chronicles (There are many translations to choose from, recommendation is to read several different ones)
Gesta Danorum – Saxo Grammaticus
Beowulf
Heimskringla (The Lives of the Norse Kings, or A History of the Norse Kings) – Snorri Sturlasson
The Fornaldarsögur or Fornaldarsaga

Fact books

Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning. Kalendrar och kalendariska riter i det förkristna Norden – Andreas Nordberg
Krigarna i Odins Sal – Andreas Nordberg
Fornnordisk Religion – Gro Steinsland
Människor och makter i vikingarnas värld – Gro Steinsland och Preben Meulengracht Sørensen
Eddans dolda visdom – Jörgen Eriksson
Nordisk Mytologi Från A till Ö – Katarina Harrison Lindbergh
Fornnordiskt Lexikon – Åke Ohlmarks
Asar, Vaner och Vidunder – Åke Ohlmarks
Vem är vem i nordisk mytologi – Åke Hultkrantz
Vikingarnas språk: 750-1100 – Rune Palm
Djur och natur i fornnordisk mytologi – Lars Magnar Enoksen
Nordiska gudinnor: nytolkningar av den nordiska mytologin – Britt-Mari Näsström
Blot, tro och offer i den förkristna Norden – Britt-Mari Näsström
Fornskandinavisk Religion: en grundbok – Britt-Mari Näsström
The Children Of Ash & Embla) – Neil Price
The Viking Way – Neil Price
The Seed of Yggdrasill – Maria Kvilhaug
Kultledare i Fornskandinavisk Religion – Olof Sundqvist
Gamla Uppsala – Kristina Ekero Eriksson
Vikingatidens Härskare – Anna Lihammer
Asaguden Balder – Bo Göran Carlsson
Nordisk Hedendom – Folke Ström
Asa-Tors hammare; Gudar och jättar i tro och tradition – Ebbe Schön
Fädernas gudasaga – Viktor Rydberg
Fornnordiska sagor, andra samlingen – Lars Ulwencreutz
Fornnordiska sagor – Lars Ulwencreutz
Våra Gudamakter (En förteckning över Asarnas, Vanernas och Alvernas Gudamakter) – Henrik Andersson (Finns i vår webbshop)
Asatron levde vidare i Sagorna – Henrik Andersson (Finns i vår webbshop)