The vibrant Old Norse poems in this 13th-century collection known as the
'Lays of the Gods' recapture the ancient oral traditions of the Norsemen.
These mythological poems include the Voluspo, one of the broadest
conceptions of the world's creation and ultimate destruction ever
crystallized in literary form; the Hovamol, a compilation of sagacious
counsels reminiscent of the biblical book of Proverbs; the Lokasenna, a
comedy bursting with vivid characterizations; and the Thrymskvitha, a
ballad of enduring loveliness.