Lönnroth, Lars. Hjálmar’s Death-Song and the Delivery of Eddic Poetry: Difference between revisions

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==References==  
==References==  


Höfuðlausn: „It should be noted that Old Norse makes a very clear distinction between composing (yrkja) and reciting (flytja, færa fram, kveða). The difference in meaning is apparent from a well-known passage in Egil’s saga, where we are told how Egil was forced to make a poem in honor of King Eirik Bloodaxe to save his neck after having incurred the king’s displeasure. The skald had to stay up all night to compose, and his loyal friend Arinbjörn had to place himself at the window to keep away a bird which hindered Egil’s thoughts with its persisten twittering. But once Arinbjörn had arrived, then Egil composed the whole drápa and had so got it by heart (hafði fest svá) that he could recite it in the morning (at hann mátti kveða um morgininn). Clearly, this oral composition was far from improvised! It may of course be objected that Egil’s poem was skaldic, not Eddic, and consequently more difficult to compose from a technical point of view. Nevertheless, the burden of proof must surely rest with anyone wishing to claim that any longer Norse poem, as we now know it, was based on an improvised performance“ (p. 3).
[[Egla,_61|Chapter 61]]: '''hafði fest svo''': "Clearly, this oral composition was far from improvised! It may of course be objected that Egil’s poem was skaldic, not Eddic, and consequently more difficult to compose from a technical point of view. Nevertheless, the burden of proof must surely rest with anyone wishing to claim that any longer Norse poem, as we now know it, was based on an improvised performance" (p. 3).




Latest revision as of 15:23, 23 October 2013

  • Author: Lönnroth, Lars
  • Title: Hjálmar’s Death-Song and the Delivery of Eddic Poetry
  • Published in: Speculum 46/1
  • Year: 1971
  • Pages: 1-20
  • E-text:
  • Reference: Lönnroth, Lars. "Hjálmar’s Death-Song and the Delivery of Eddic Poetry." Speculum 46/1 (1971): 1-20.
  • Key words: poetry, orality, literary elements (kveðskapur, munnleg geymd, bókmenntaleg einkenni)


Annotation

An examination of poetic delivery and transmission in Scandinavia prior to the introduction of writing and the manner in which Eddic poetry was presented to its audience during this period.


Lýsing

Rannsókn á flutningi kveðskapar í Skandinavíu áður en ritöld hófs og með hvaða hætti eddukvæði voru flutt áheyrendum á þessum tíma.

See also

References

Chapter 61: hafði fest svo: "Clearly, this oral composition was far from improvised! It may of course be objected that Egil’s poem was skaldic, not Eddic, and consequently more difficult to compose from a technical point of view. Nevertheless, the burden of proof must surely rest with anyone wishing to claim that any longer Norse poem, as we now know it, was based on an improvised performance" (p. 3).


Links

  • Written by: Katelin Parsons
  • Icelandic translation: Jón Karl Helgason
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