Snorri Sturluson composed the Prose Edda around 1220-1225 as a handbook for aspiring skalds, explaining Norse mythology and the complex rules of skaldic poetry. Though slightly outside the 1101-1199 range, this work preserves and systematizes poetic traditions that developed during the 12th century and is essential for understanding earlier Norse verse.

The Prose Edda preserved knowledge of skaldic poetic techniques, including dróttkvætt meter and kenning systems, that would otherwise have been lost as Christianity replaced pagan traditions. Snorri's explanations of mythological references enabled later poets to understand and imitate classical skaldic verse, maintaining continuity with pre-Christian poetic traditions. The work's survival allows modern scholars to decode earlier skaldic poetry and understand the sophisticated formal constraints that governed Norse court poetry.