the poetic edda stories of the norse gods and heroes

Reconstructing pronunciation is important for those seeking to understand and study the sound, meter, and rhyme of a piece (among other things).

For those not familiar with the concept of reconstructed pronunciation, look up a Shakespeare performance done in reconstructed Elizabethan. So, not only is the pronunciation here correct, it's exemplary, and as close as we're likely to get to how it would have sounded if we could travel back in time. He uses reconstructed (medieval) Old Norse pronunciation, which does not sound like modern Icelandic (or any other modern language) because Old Norse and modern Icelandic are different languages. Crawford isn't pronouncing anything incorrectly. Great translation-the pronunciation is correct!įirst thing's first: Mr. Other than that it is a great story and a respectable translation in many ways. Jackson should have considered hiring a native Icelander or a Norwegian with good english speaking skills to narrate the book in his place. An admirable effort on a hard language but does by no means pass the test. He tries his best and some credit is due for that, but to a native speaker this is almost inaudible, the only name that comes close to sounding correct is Óðinn, and perhaps a few shorter ones like Sif and Týr, everything else I can only partly understand due to years of reading and studying the stories in the past, I am able to put them in context. People have been praising the narrator pronunciation and knowlege of the language in the reviews. One thing struck me after the first few minutes of the audiobook that I feel needs to be put out there. I have not finished the book as I write the review. As a native Icelandic and a lover of the Old Norse stories and the Snorra-Edda (Poetic Edda), I was very interested in hearing a english translation of it.

The poetic edda stories of the norse gods and heroes