Stephens, John. The Mead of Poetry: Myth and Metaphor

• Author: Stevens, John
• Title: The Mead of Poetry: Myth and Metaphor
• Published in: Nephilogus 56/3
• Year: 1972
• Pages: 259-68
• E-text:
• Reference: Stevens, John. "The Mead of Poetry: Myth and Metaphor." Nephilogus 56/3 (1972): 259–68.

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Annotation

Stephens discusses the origins of poetry according to the mythological accounts in Hávamál and Snorra Edda. The mead, he points out, is associated not only with poetry, but with wisdom and virtue. Stephens raises the issue of the poet's representation of the myth and myth as an action which can potentially be recreated, in contrast with myth as corresponding to an abstract concept. He suggests three different developments of myth: the first being an attempt to express abstract concepts in a concrete manner; the second, when images for poetry are regarded as myth and the third when myth is turned into metaphor. Accordingly, he takes a passage from Egils Saga which allude to the myth of the mead of poetry, but assume a new meaning within their context in Egill's life. The spewing poet, the loss of an eye and the knowledge of runes are present within a short span of Egils Saga and the mythic significance inherent in these three points are used to highlight Egill's character. Stephens goes on to analyse Egill's Sonatorrek, in which we see the poet allude to the poetry myth. Stephens concludes that Egill's grief and struggle to compose the poem is mirrored in the difficulty of obtaining the mead in the myth.

References

Chapter 74: krækti hann fingrinum í augað: "The mead myth as related by Snorri has terminated at stage two. The evolutionary process can be dramatically demonstrated for this myth by citing the occurrence of a complex of related motifs which no longer function in their original meaning but have been used for a new purpose. Their relevance to the new context can be easily defended” (p. ??).

Chapter 80: hugar fylgsni: "Thus there is made an analogy between drawing the "theft of Óðinn" from the breast and the mythic stealing of the mead. The use of fylgsni "hiding place" as the source of "Viðurs þýfi" suggests the myth in itself, but because fylgsni belongs to a larger unit "hugar fylgsni" this remains a subordinate, though intensifying, association" (p. ??)

Links

• Written by: Cecilia Emily Clare White
• Icelandic translation: