[Vafþrúðnir’s sayings] is an Old Norse-Icelandic mythological poem, composed in the eddic meter

[song meter] and divided into either 55 or 56 stanzas, depending on the edition. Its form is dialogic with the exception of one stanza of direct narration. The oldest version of

survives in a vellum manuscript from c. 1270, Konungsbók eddukvæða (Codex Regius of Eddic Poetry; GKS 2365 4to). A fragmentary version is also found in AM 748 I a 4to, from c. 1300, that includes the final two-thirds of the

text, from stanza 20 line 2 on to the end of the poem. The first third of the poem is missing from the AM 748 version due to a lost leaf in the manuscript, but other than its incomplete nature there is little difference…

1942 words

Citation: McGillivray, Andrew. "Vafþrúðnismál". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 September 2022 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40733, accessed 21 November 2024.]