Scandinavian Ballad Research Today
MEDDELANDEN FRÅN SVENSKT VISARKIV. 16 SCANDINAVIAN BALLAD RESEARCH TODAY By ERIK DAL Offprint from SCANDINAVICA An International Journal of Scandinavian Studies ed. by Elias BredsdorfT, Cambridge, England, Vol. I London & New York, 1962 SVENSKT VISARKIV . STOCKHOLM Scandinavian Ballad Research Today Dr Erik D al Librarian in the Royal Library, Copenhagen The ballad, together with Eddie and skaldic poetry, constitutes the most im- portant poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages; in addition, related and later poems o f these types have considerable value and interest. The ballad has therefore. since its rediscovery 200 years ago, continually aeted as a fermenting agent, both in literature and in art and eulture in general, not only in the Northern countries but, at times, just as much in the British Isles and Germany; it has been of decisive importance in the formation of the European view of the Northern countries. It is no wonder therefore that the study o f this literature has flourished for 150 years. Even while this is being written new conclusions about the ballad are being put forward in the Northern countries and many research projeets will soon be realized or completed. By Scandinavia, Norden, is meant in this context the area covered by the Nordic languages: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Swedish-speaking Coastal regions o f Finland, and the important island areas o f Iceland and the Faroes. Although significant contributions have been made to the study of national differences within the corpus o f the ballads, the area is nevertheless so uniform in character that research which did not inelude material from all the countries concemed is unthinkable.
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