Snorri was explaining how poetry works
Anthony Faulkes’ Edda, ISBN 9780460876162, is the more directly supported choice when your interest includes poetic craft. Hachette describes the work as a textbook for young poets and explicitly mentions style, metres and Snorri’s own poem praising Norway’s king. Gods and giants are therefore part of a larger literary purpose. If you want to understand why a poet needs this mythology, that framing offers a particular reason to choose the volume.
Byock’s invitation begins with the mythic arc
Penguin presents Jesse L. Byock’s The Prose Edda, ISBN 9780140447552, through the span from creation to Ragnarök and its giants, dwarves, elves and formidable heroes. It credits his translation and introduction. A reader drawn chiefly by that narrative has a clear edition to investigate. This does not establish that Byock contains no poetics, nor does a shorter-looking book prove what it omits; that requires the actual contents and text.
Choose the reason to keep returning
For a mythology shelf, Byock’s publisher framing speaks directly to following the stories. For a writing or literature shelf, Faulkes’ explicit complete-work and poetic-form description provides the stronger stated match. Neither purpose needs a winner for everyone. Choose the question you expect to bring back to the book: what happens to the gods, or how those stories become material for a poet.
Sources & further reading
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