Old Norse poetry encompasses a range of verse forms written in the Old Norse language, during the period from the 8th century to as late as the far end of the 13th century. Old Norse poetry is associated with the area now referred to as Scandinavia. Much Old Norse poetry was originally preserved in oral culture, but the Old Norse language ceased to be spoken and later writing tended to be confined to history rather than for new poetic creation, which is normal for an extinct language. Modern knowledge of Old Norse poetry is preserved by what was written down. Most of the Old Norse poetry that survives was composed or committed to writing in Iceland, after refined techniques for writing (such as the use of vellum, parchment paper, pens, and ink) were introduced—seemingly contemporaneously with the introduction of Christianity: thus, the general topic area of Old Norse poetry may be referred to as Old Icelandic poetry in literature.
There are also around 122 verses preserved in Swedish rune inscriptions, 54 in Norwegian and 12 in Danish. (See Eggjum stone.)
Poetry played an important role in the social and religious world of the Vikings. In Skáldskaparmál, Snorri Sturluson, recounts the myth of how Odin brought the mead of poetry to Asgard. Poetry is referred to in such terms as 'the drink of the raven-god (= Odin)' even in the oldest preserved poetry, which is an indicator of its significance within the ancient Scandinavian culture.
Old Norse poetry developed from the common Germanic alliterative verse, and as such has many commonalities with Old English, Old Saxon, and Old High German poetry, including alliteration, poetic circumlocutions termed kennings, and an expansive vocabulary of poetic synonyms, termed heiti.
Old Norse poetry is conventionally, and somewhat arbitrarily, split into two types: Eddaic poetry (also known as Eddic poetry) and Skaldic poetry. Eddaic poetry refers to poems on themes of mythology or ancient heroes, composed in simpler meters (see below) and with anonymous authors. Most of the Eddaic poems are preserved in the Codex Regius manuscript, but a few others survive in manuscripts like the fragmentary AM 748 I 4to. On the other hand, Skaldic poetry was usually written as praise for living kings and nobles, in more intricate meters and by known authors, known as skalds.
OldNorsepoetry encompasses a range of verse forms written in the OldNorse language, during the period from the 8th century to as late as the far end...
centuries, Vikings and Norse settlers and their descendants colonised parts of what is now modern Scotland. Some OldNorsepoetry survives relating to this...
dialects: Old West Norse or Old West Nordic (often referred to as OldNorse), Old East Norse or Old East Nordic, and Old Gutnish. Old West Norse and Old East...
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from OldNorse religion and continuing...
strongly associated with OldNorse-Icelandic and Old English alliterative verse. They continued to be a feature of Icelandic poetry (including rímur) for...
characteristics. The Old English epic Beowulf, as well as most other Old English poetry, the Old High German Muspilli, the Old Saxon Heliand, the OldNorse Poetic Edda...
skáld (OldNorse: [ˈskald], later [ˈskɒːld]; Icelandic: [ˈskault], meaning "poet") is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of...
archaeology and from historical accounts such as the Icelandic sagas and OldNorsepoetry. Throughout Scandinavia, there are many remaining tumuli in honour...
figure of speech, used instead of an ordinary noun in OldNorse, Old English, and later Icelandic poetry. This list is not intended to be comprehensive. Kennings...
other symbols. Words of OldNorse origin have entered the English language, primarily from the contact between OldNorse and Old English during colonisation...
OldNorse religion, also known as Norse paganism, is a branch of Germanic religion which developed during the Proto-Norse period, when the North Germanic...
The Germanic god Thor (OldNorse: Þórr) is referred to by many names in OldNorsepoetry and literature. Some of the names come from the Prose Edda list...
heiti (OldNorse heiti [hɛitɪ], Modern Icelandic [heiːtɪ], pl. heiti "name, appellation, designation, term") is a synonym used in OldNorsepoetry in place...
related Prose Edda, although both works are seminal to the study of OldNorsepoetry. Several versions of the Poetic Edda exist: especially notable is the...
The orthography of the OldNorse language was diverse, being written in both Runic and Latin alphabets, with many spelling conventions, variant letterforms...
Hávamál OldNorse philosophy was the philosophy of the early Scandinavians. Similar to the patterns of thought of other early Germanic peoples, OldNorse philosophy...
hairy-breeches") (OldNorse: Ragnarr loðbrók), according to legends, was a Viking hero and a Swedish and Danish king. He is known from OldNorsepoetry of the Viking...
London: Routledge. p. 288. Ross, Margaret Clunies (2005). A History of OldNorsePoetry and Poetics. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer. pp. 109–110. ISBN 1-84384-034-0...
(copia), whereas OldNorsepoetry tends to be narrated tersely. Eddic poetry rarely features enjambment across lines. West Germanic heroic poetry tends to use...
story. Compiled in Iceland during the 13th century, but based on olderOldNorsepoetry, the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda contain numerous references...
Another connection was made with the word óðr, which means 'poetry or inspiration' in OldNorse. According to Faulkes, though such a connection is plausible...
However, there are three contemporary runestones, as well as passages in OldNorsepoetry and the lausavísur, that refer to their battles. The Saga of the Jomsvikings...
vernacular: OldNorse and its later descendants, primarily Icelandic. While sagas are written in prose, they share some similarities with epic poetry, and often...
In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (from OldNorse: valkyrja, lit. 'chooser of the slain') is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead...
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