Picking up where its medieval forebears, The Poetic Edda and The Prose Edda, left off, The Impudent Edda not only introduces readers to a fresh, new perspective on both familiar and previously unknown narratives of Norse mythology, but also brings the world's foremost epic fantasy trilogy to its inevitable and fateful conclusion: in a dank alleyway behind a dive bar in Boston.
This special Puffin Carcass Deluxe Edition presents the complete text of The Impudent Edda in English for the first time ever. Masterfully translated from the original Bostonian by esteemed Impudent Eddic scholar, Rowdy Geirsson, this volume offers readers a deeply poetic yet highly accessible version of fun and classic tales ranging from Odin's unprovoked murder of an ancient witch to Freyja's voluntary experiment as a prostitute among lecherous dwarves to Thor's drunken and petty act of larceny on the eve of Ragnarok, the final world-shattering battle of the gods.
"Start with a deeply layered set of myths. Invite the best storyteller you know in the greater Boston area. Add alcohol (even more than the myths already contain), and you get The Impudent Edda. Geirsson combines deep knowledge of Norse mythology and a skeptical irreverence for its norms (and norns), building a world of Chevy-driving, street-brawling, and bar-crawling Massachus- sir that remains delightfully familiar to fans of the vikings and their tales." -John Sexton, Professor of English at Bridgewater State University and co-host of the Saga Thing podcast
"The text throughout is caustic, demotic and profanity-laden, as though our narrator isn't some hoary-bearded viking bard sitting by the fireside but a modern guy shooting the breeze with buddies over a beer. The result is a smart, lovingly rendered blend of academia and pastiche." -Financial Times