Title: Eddic, Skaldic, and Beyond : Poetic Variety in Medieval Iceland and Norway /
Authors: Chase, Martin,; Chase, Martin,
Year: 2014
Subjects: Old Norse poetry History and criticism.; Eddas History and criticism.; Scalds and scaldic poetry History and criticism.; LITERARY CRITICISM / Poetry.; HISTORY / Medieval.
Abstract: "Eddic, Skaldic, and Beyond shines light on traditional divisions of Old Norse-Icelandic poetry and awakens the reader to work that blurs these boundaries. Many of the texts and topics taken up in these enlightening essays have been difficult to categorize and have consequently been overlooked or undervalued. The boundaries between genres (Eddic and Skaldic), periods (Viking Age, medieval, early modern), or cultures (Icelandic, Scandinavian, English, Continental) may not have been as sharp in the eyes and ears of contemporary authors and audiences as they are in our own. When questions of classification are allowed to fade into the background, at least temporarily, the poetry can be appreciated on its own terms. Some of the essays in this collection present new material, while others challenge long-held assumptions. They reflect the idea that poetry with "medieval" characteristics continued to be produced in Iceland well past the fifteenth century, and even beyond the Protestant Reformation in Iceland (1550). This superb volume, rich in up-to-date scholarship, makes little-known material accessible to a wide audience"--
Contents: Introduction -- Gunnlaugr Leifsson's Uses in Merlínússpá of Twelfth-Century English Sources Additional to the De Gestis Britonum of Geoffrey of Monmouth -- Russell Poole -- The Genesis of Strengleikar: Scribes, Translators, and Place of Origin -- Ingvil Brügger Budal -- Einarr Skúlason, Snorri Sturluson, and the Post-Pagan Mythological Kenning -- Christopher Abram -- Skáldskaparmál as a Tool for Composition of "Early" Skaldic Poetry -- Mikael Males -- Háttatal Stanza 12 and the Divine Legitimation of Kings -- Kevin J. Wanner -- Creating Tradition: the Use of Skaldic Verse in Old Norse Historiography -- Rolf Stavnem -- Rattus Rattus as a Beast of Battle? Stanza 12 of Ragnars Saga -- Rory McTurk -- Wit and Wisdom: the World View of the Old Norse-Icelandic Riddles and Their Relationship to Eddic Poetry -- Hannah Burrows -- Devotional Poetry at the End of the Middle Ages in Iceland -- Martin Chase -- Love and Death in the Icelandic Ballad -- Paul Acker -- Steinunn Finnsdóttir and Snækóngs Rímur -- Shaun F. D. Hughes -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.