Language like everything else evolves, changes and adapts to new situations and environments. That is why we chose to write a newer, easier to understand Edda. "Edda" as a tribute to the original works that were so thankfully saved and written down repeatedly. The people who collected and managed to save our lore deserve our acknowledgement and gratitude. Can you imagine where we as heathens would be without their efforts? But as you may have noticed, we have chosen to title this book, simply "Edda," because let's face it, it hasn't been in poetic form in a very long time. Without a doubt there may be a few scholars across the world that can read Old Icelandic and see the rich poetry that once existed in the various Poetic Eddas, but for the rest of us, we are reading plain old, everyday English. English, the very reason we decided to write this particular Edda and why we aren't designating it as poetic like so many others before us. To put it simply, it isn't poetic because once it has been translated into English it has lost its poetic essence. All of the translations that have been created, or translated into English have tried to force a poetic rhythm into the lines and words of a new language where it just did not work. They clung to the form rather than taking the opportunity to create a new rendition of our ancient lore. Whereas, I doubt that any two travelling skalds ever sat next to a hearth fire and told these stories in the exact same way. Words were changed, and stories adapted for the audience that they are being told to, but the essential parts of the story remained the same. Those essential parts of our lore is what’s most important to us who live as heathens. We did not change any of the essential parts, the actual heathen lore, which exists within the stories, but we did try to evolve some of the language and presentation. We wanted the reader to be able to understand the words in a way that would inspire you and make you want to delve deeper into our rich heritage and lore. This lore was laid out like an onion. The lore of our heathen ancestors was first told to our children as stories to entertain them. Next they were used to lay out the seasons, and tell us about societal and individual conduct. Then they were used to explain the mysteries of death and the beginnings of life. The stories for children became lessons for adulthood and then became comforts for those who faced death in battle or old age. Reading them over and over will awaken the inner knowledge within you and give you what you need at the different stages of your own life. And that is where we’re going to leave you. We hope you enjoy reading this Edda for years to come, and we hope our efforts have helped make our heathen lore a little easier to understand. W. S. Hurst is a practicing Heathen who follows the ways of her ancestors by incorporating the Nine Noble Virtues into her life on a daily basis. She is a Kansas Native who shares her love, friendship and loyalty with Kristoffer Alric Allison. Together they prove that the greatest illusion in this world is the illusion of separation. Additional books authored by W. S. Hurst and Kris Allison are available through Heathen Inc or www.HeathenInc.net. Guide for the Modern Heathen Tales of Asgard, Volume 1 Tales of Asgard, Volume 2 Modern Heathen On the Go, Gods and Goddesses Modern Heathen On the Go, Celebrations Modern Heathen On the Go, The Havamal & Self Reflection Modern Heathen On the Go, The Havamal, Rede of Honor, The Nine Noble Virtues, Six Fold Goals, Five Further Thews Modern Heathen On the Go, Runes The Elder Futhark Runes – Reading, Understanding, Using and Self-Chronicle Norse Revelations, Motivations & Inspirations Dictionary for the Modern Heathen