Edda could therefore mean 'book of Oddi.' However, this assumption is generally rejected. Some argue that the word derives from the name of Oddi, a town in the south of Iceland where Snorri was raised. The etymology of 'Edda' remains uncertain there are many hypotheses, but little agreement.

At that time, versions of the Edda were well known in Iceland, but scholars speculated that there once was an Elder Edda which contained the poems which Snorri quotes in his Edda.

The Prose Edda was originally referred to as simply Edda, but was later titled the Prose Edda in modern collections to distinguish it from the collections titled Poetic Edda that are largely based on Codex Regius, a collection of poetry composed after Edda in 13th century Iceland. It was to enable Icelandic poets and readers to understand the subtleties of alliterative verse, and to grasp the meaning behind the many kenningar (compounds) that were used in skaldic poetry. Sturluson planned the collection as a textbook. 1300 to 1600, have independent textual value. This is followed by three distinct books: Gylfaginning (consisting of approximately 20,000 words), Skáldskaparmál (approximately 50,000 words), and Háttatal (approximately 20,000 words). It begins with a euhemerized Prologue, a section on the Norse cosmogony, pantheon, and myths. It is considered the fullest and most detailed source for modern knowledge of Germanic mythology.

The work is often assumed to have been written, or at least compiled, by the Icelandic scholar, lawspeaker, and historian Snorri Sturluson c. The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda (Icelandic: Snorra Edda) or, historically, simply as Edda, is an Old Norse work of literature written in Iceland during the early 13th century.

Edda by Snorri Sturluson