Norse Lore · NOR·04
Ravens in the Prose Edda
Snorri Sturluson's 13th-Century Account
Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda (c. 1220 CE) contains the most detailed account of Huginn and Muninn in Gylfaginning chapter 38, where it names them, describes their daily flight, and calls Odin Hrafnaguð ("Raven-God"). A second section, Skáldskaparmál, catalogs raven kennings used by Viking Age skalds.
What the Prose Edda Is — and Is Not
[lore] The Prose Edda was written around 1220 CE by Snorri Sturluson (1179–1241 CE), a Christian Icelandic politician and scholar. It has three main sections: Gylfaginning (mythological narrative), Skáldskaparmál (poetic diction), and Háttatal (metre). Snorri wrote as a literary antiquarian — preserving knowledge of Old Norse poetic conventions and myths that were falling out of active use as Iceland became Christian.1
[lore] This matters for ravens: Snorri's account of Huginn and Muninn is fuller than anything in the Poetic Edda, but he was writing roughly 200 years after the Viking Age. His systematisation of myth may reflect genuine oral tradition, his own interpretation, or both. Modern scholars — including Anthony Faulkes, whose 1987 edition remains the standard — treat him as a secondary source that must be checked against the older Eddic poems.2
Gylfaginning Chapter 38 — the Full Raven Passage
[lore] The relevant passage from Gylfaginning ch. 38 (paraphrase following Faulkes 1987, p. 33):
Odin has two ravens which sit on his shoulders. The one is called Huginn, the other Muninn. They fly out at daybreak and come back at meal-time. Thus he gets information about all kinds of things. Hence he is called Raven-God (Hrafnaguð). As it says in Grímnismál: [stanza 20 follows].
Snorri's additions beyond Grímnismál stanza 20 are:
- The ravens sit on Odin's shoulders (not stated in the Poetic Edda).
- They depart at daybreak and return at meal-time (a specific daily schedule).
- The purpose is for Odin to get "news of all things" (tíðendi af öllum löndum).
- The by-name Hrafnaguð is explicitly linked to this behaviour.
Skáldskaparmál — Raven Kennings
[lore] Skáldskaparmál ("The Language of Poetry") is a catalogue of poetic diction. It lists kennings — circumlocutory compound phrases — used in skaldic verse. Ravens appear extensively as a kenning element for corpses, warriors, and Odin.1
Examples of raven kennings from Skáldskaparmál (Faulkes 1987 edition):
- Huginn used as a heiti for "raven" in kennings for a warrior (the "feeder of Huginn").
- The slain described as "food of ravens" (hrafnfóðr).
- "Raven's wine" (hrafns vín) = blood, in a battle kenning.
These kennings confirm that ravens were a standard element of Viking Age poetic vocabulary around death and battle — reinforcing the connection between Odin's ravens and the battlefield.
What Snorri Adds and What He Might Have Invented
[lore] The specific detail that the ravens sit on Odin's shoulders appears in Gylfaginning but not in the Poetic Edda. It is, however, consistent with Migration Period and Viking Age imagery: the Vendel helmet plate finds and the Thorsberg chape both show birds close to or on a central figure. Whether Snorri was drawing on a lost oral tradition, visual art, or his own inference from the shoulder-sitting motif is unknown.3
Neil Price notes in The Viking Way (2002) that Snorri is generally most reliable when he is quoting or paraphrasing older poems directly (as he does with Grímnismál stanza 20), and least reliable when providing prose elaborations without poetic support.3
The Birds Behind the Story
[science] Common Ravens do perch on and near large animals and have been recorded landing on the backs of large mammals in the wild. Their habituation to humans and propensity to perch at close range would make Snorri's shoulder-sitting detail plausible to any observer of real ravens.4
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Prose Edda say about ravens?
The Prose Edda's main raven passage is Gylfaginning ch. 38, where Snorri Sturluson names Huginn and Muninn, describes their daily flight across the nine worlds, and uses the epithet Hrafnaguð ("Raven-God") for Odin. Skáldskaparmál additionally catalogs raven kennings used in skaldic poetry.
Who wrote the Prose Edda?
The Prose Edda was written around 1220 CE by the Icelandic scholar, poet, and chieftain Snorri Sturluson (1179–1241 CE). It is a secondary source: Snorri wrote roughly 200 years after the Viking Age, drawing on older poems and traditions.
Is the Prose Edda a primary source for Norse mythology?
The Prose Edda is a secondary source: it was written c. 1220 CE by a Christian Icelandic scholar who was consciously systematising and interpreting older material. The Poetic Edda (Codex Regius) is the primary source for Huginn and Muninn; the Prose Edda is crucial but must be read critically.
Sources
- Sturluson, Snorri (c. 1220 CE). Prose Edda. Edition: Faulkes, A. (ed. & trans., 1987). Edda. Everyman. — all Prose Edda passages.
- Faulkes, A. (1987). Introduction. In Edda. Everyman. pp. xi–xxxii. — Snorri's methods and reliability.
- Price, N. (2002). The Viking Way. Uppsala University. pp. 93–98. — shoulder-perching detail and archaeological parallels.
- Heinrich, B. (2000). Mind of the Raven. HarperCollins. — raven perching behaviour near large animals.
[science] peer-reviewed/field-guide · [lore] named cultural/historical source