Skald is a term for a poet. Specifically, it is a poet who composed at the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking Age and Middle Ages. Skaldic poetry forms one of two main groupings of Old Norse poetry, the other being the anonymous Eddic poetry.
The most prevalent metre of skaldic poetry is dróttkvætt.
The subject is usually historical and encomiastic, detailing the deeds
of the skald's patron. There is no evidence that the skalds employed
musical instruments, though some speculate they may have accompanied
their verses with the harp or lyre.
The technical demands of the skaldic form were equal to, if not greater than, the complicated verse forms mastered by the Welsh bards and Gaelic (in both Scotland and Ireland) ollaves, and like those poets, much of skaldic verse consisted of panegyrics
to kings and aristocrats, or memorials and testimonials to their
battles. The kings and nobles, for their part, were not only intelligent
and appreciative audiences for gifted skalds; some of them were poets
in their own right.
Skaldic poetry can be traced to the earlier 9th century with Bragi Boddason and his
Ragnarsdrápa,
considered the oldest surviving Norse poem. Bragi is considered the
oldest and original Skald. However, many Skalds came after him, like Egill Skallagrmsson and Thorbjorn hornklofi,
who gained much fame in the 10th century for the poems composed for the
kings they served and of their own exploits. At this time, the
Icelanders and Nordic people were still pagan, and their work reflected
that, having many references to supernatural and ancient beliefs, such
as gods like Thor and Odin, along with faith in seers and runes.
The poetry from this time also can be noted for its portrayal of a
"heroic age" for the Vikings, and "praise poetry, designed to
commemorate kings and other prominent people, often in the form of quite
long poems." For more information, you can click
here.
Coming soon: Codex Nordica
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