Andersson, Theodore M.. Skalds and Troubadours.

• Author: Andersson, Theodore M.
• Title: Skalds and Troubadours
• Published in: Mediaeval Scandinavia 2
• Year: 1969
• Pages: 7-41
• E-text:
• Reference: Andersson, Theodore M. "Skalds and Troubadours." Mediaeval Scandinavia 2 (1969): 7-41.

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• Key words:

Annotation

Andersson questions Bjarni Einarsson’s thesis regarding the possible influences the troubadour tradition in Provence, France, and french epic might have had on Old Norse skaldic poetry. Instead of the French origin, Andersson notes that Old Norse love poems seem to share similar phrasing with Ovid’s writing, which would point towards a classical more than a Provençal model. He draws the conclusion that Old Norse skaldic poetry could have been influenced by those genres, but that the origins of both skaldic love poetry and skald biographies are indigenous, in spite of Rögnvaldr kali visiting Provence and the similarities certain poems share. More precisely, he claims that the roots of early skald biographies lie in the Kings sagas, and that Egils saga is one of those.

Lýsing

Andersson gagnrýnir tilgátu Bjarna Einarssonar um hugsanleg áhrif frönsku trúbadorhefðarinnar frá Provence og franskri epík á norræna dróttkvæðahefð. Í stað þess að samþykkja tilgátu Bjarna um franskan uppruna, bendir Andersson á skyldleika í orðasamböndum milli ástakvæða Óvíðs og dróttkvæða sem gera ástina að umfjöllunarefni. Sá skyldleiki gæti frekar bent til klassískra frekar en franskra áhrifa á dróttkvæðin. Hann kemst að þeirri niðurstöðu að þó svo að dróttkvæði gætu hafi orðið fyrir áhrifum frá annarri hvorri eða báðum þessara bókmenntagreina sé uppruni ástar-dróttkvæða og ævisagna skálda innlendur. Þrátt fyrir heimsókn Rögnvaldar kala til Provence og ákveðinna líkinda einstakra kvæða sé ekki um slík áhrif að ræða, heldur séu rætur elstu skáldsagnanna í Konungasögunum, þar á meðal Egils sögu.

References

Chapter 56: hefir þú fólgið nafn hennar í vísu þessi: "When Egill secretes his lady's name in a stanza, it is not a senhal, and when Þormóðr rededicates a love poem, it is not a chanson de change. Indeed, one could argue that the similarities between Norse and Provençal love poetry are no greater than the similarities between the Norse níðvísa and the Provençal sirventès or the Norse erfidrápa and the Provençal planh. The chief difficulty involved in Bjarni Einarsson's equation is therefore the absence of really significant correspondences between the conventions of love poetry in medieval Iceland and Provence." (p. 17).

Chapter 56: sorg eyvita borgar: "Another consistent feature of Norse love poetry is the tendency to work from the immediate situation to an emotional expression. The poet will often fix the circumstances in the first helming and then express his love or dismay or longing in the second helming." (p. 22).

Links

• Written by: Hildur Ýr Ísberg
• Icelandic/English translation: Hildur Ýr Ísberg