Jackson Crawford holds an MA in linguistics from the University of Georgia and a PhD in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. From 2011 to 2020 he taught the Old Norse language, as well as courses in Norse mythology and Old Norse saga literature, at major universities including UCLA, UC Berkeley, and the University of Colorado Boulder. During that time, he also served as a consultant on a popular video game, television programs, and major Hollywood films. Since 2020 he has been an independent educator, using his YouTube channel and popular translations of Norse myths and sagas from Hackett Publishing to reach hundreds of thousands of viewers and readers with well-sourced information about Norse language, mythology, and runes. His research interests today focus on the relationship of the runes to Mediterranean alphabets, as well as the use of linguistic criteria to determine the date of Old Norse texts.
"An excellent and entertaining work that succeeds in achieving its
intended purpose: to create an accessible and readable English
translation of the Poetic Edda. Crawford's knowledge of and passion
for the topic is clear throughout, and he strikes an excellent
balance between approachability and authenticity. I will most
certainly be using this translation when I teach Norse mythology in
the future and will recommend it to anyone looking for an
approachable introduction to the subject."
—Natalie M. Van Deusen, University of Alberta, in
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies
"Crawford's Edda is easy to pick up and read. Commentary
is minimal but useful, and the verse itself is presented in a
visually clear style. A published poet in his own right, Crawford
renders his translation in a modest, cautiously elegant free verse
with a rigorous consistency that gives the material fluency
impossible in a translation reflecting the original Old Norse
syntax. Crawford's sense of rhythm is perhaps his strongest suit
here, contributing significantly to the readability of the verse.
The diction is simple and clear. . . . [Crawford's verse has] a
conservative sparseness that often comes close to echoing the
terseness of the Old Norse Eddic metres.”
—Pete Sandberg, University College London, in Saga-Book
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