The Icelandic Rune Poem Aibhilin inghean Daibhidh 040186BR Division I: Dramatic Performance/Poetic Recitation Iceland 1500 Setting: Middle Class/education Summary The Icelandic Rune Poem is a mnemonic poem based on the first 16 characters of the Runic Alphabet. It is dated to the 15 th century, with the earliest known manuscript dating to circa 1500. The poem consists of 16 stanza, each including the Rune name followed by 3 kennings (metaphorical phrases) which describe the poem. Some have interpreted the poem as a type of riddle, however, this metaphorical language was representative of Skaldic poetry (a type of poetry developed in Iceland which followed strict rules and used dense metaphorical language). The Icelandic Rune Poem is written in Old Icelandic, however, it is important to note that at this time period, there was little to no distinction between Old Norse and Old Icelandic. Icelandic evolved out of Old Norse around this time period, but the changes in the language have been so minor that modern day Icelandic speakers can still read Old Norse with only moderate difficulty. The poem will be performed not as a poet performs a poem, due to the limited information on poets and poetry during this time period, but instead as a scholar reading through manuscripts might read aloud a poem he found for another scholar to share an interesting find. Table of Contents Summary....................................................................................................................................................2 Icelandic Poetry..........................................................................................................................................4 Eddic Poetry..........................................................................................................................................4 Skaldic Poetry........................................................................................................................................4 Rímur.....................................................................................................................................................4 Icelandic Rune Poem.............................................................................................................................5 The Runic Alphabet...............................................................................................................................5 The Manuscript......................................................................................................................................5 Icelandic Rune Poem and Translation...................................................................................................6 Old Icelandic..............................................................................................................................................8 Early 16th century Scandinavian Attire.....................................................................................................9 Performance Style....................................................................................................................................10 Difficulties, Compromises, and Commentary..........................................................................................10 Icelandic Poetry There are three major types of Icelandic poetry. Eddic poetry, Skaldic poetry, and Rímur. Eddic poetry is simpler in both style and language. Skaldic poetry, on the other hand is highly stylized with strict rules, complicated meters, and highly metaphorical language. Finally, Rímur is a style of rhyming poetry that developed out of Eddic and Skaldic poetry. Eddic Poetry Eddic poetry is an older form of poetry used from early in the Norse area and likely came to Iceland when the original Norse settlers did. Poetry by Eddic authors is often anonymous and contains exciting tales of Norse gods and ancient heroes. The meter is simple and the language used more straightforward. While Eddic poetry was less metaphorical and more literal, it did rely heavily on alliteration rather than an end rhyme popular in other cultures. Skaldic Poetry Skaldic poetry, like Eddic poetry, relied heavily on alliteration. However, unlike Eddic poetry, Skaldic poetry was exemplified by complicated metaphorical passages known as kennings. Kennings consist of phrases composed of two nouns that represent another noun, or another concept. For example, instead of saying “rain”, a Skaldic poety may say “tears of the gods” and instead of saying “grass” a poet may say “hair of the earth”. Kennings may also have deeper levels, and instead of being descriptive of a noun, they may describe a different idea of phrase. For example, the kennings “'enemy of gold' refers to a man who does not like gold and gives it away: a generous man” (Hurstwic). Beyond the use of methaphorical Kennings, Skaldic poetry also had strict meter requirements and rules governing use of alliteration. In a set of lines, there must be alliteration between elements, a certain stress pattern forming the meter, and internal rhyme elements. An example used by Hurstwic is below: H ramm tang ar lætr h ang a The stressed syllables are underlined ; the alliteration is h ryn virgil mér b ryn ju boldfaced ; and the internal rhyme is italicized . (From Egils saga Skallagrímsson on Hurstwick) This example shows a couplet following several rules such as: there must be 6 syllables per line, 3 stressed and with the final syllable unstressed; there must be two alliterative elements on the first line; there must be internal rhyme in each line (Hurstwick). The stress pattern is followed as the two lines follow the pattern Stress, Unstressed, Unstressed, Stress, Stress, Unstress (3 stresses, final syllable unstressed). The “h” sound is alliterated twice in the first line and ones in the second. There is internal rhyme between the first word of each line with the last word of each line. Rímur Rímur developed in the 14 th century out of Skaldic and Eddic poetry. Unlike Skaldic and Eddic poetry, which did not follow an external rhyme scheme (Skaldic had only internal rhyme), Rímur used rhyme. Most Rímur were epic poems, often based on stories that were already written. This style grew in popularity through the end of period, whereas Skaldic and Eddic poetry became less popular after the 14 th Century. Iceland until this time had been relatively isolated, and in the 14 th century, it was marginally under the rul of Norway. Later in the 14th century, Norway, and with it Iceland, came under the rule of the Danish crown, and was heavily influenced by the works of other countries (Central Bank of Iceland). Icelandic Rune Poem The Icelandic Rune Poem, written in Old Icelandic, is one of 3 poems written as a mnemonic device for remembering the Runic Alphabet, also known as the Futhark (after the first 6 letters). It is similar to more modern alphabet rhymes, such as “Tom Thumb's Alphabet” which begins “A was an archer, who shot at a frog. B was a butcher, and had a great dog.” The other two Rune poems are in Old Norse (The Norwegian Rune poem), which is the earliest recorded Rune Poem and the shortest and most simple, and in Old English (The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem), which is the longest Rune Poem. It is possible that these Rune poems shared a common 'ancestor' and were further developed in these different cultures languages prior to being written down (Dickins). However, each Rune poem was first recorded in different years and has distinctly different elements, despite many similarities. The Icelandic Rune Poem was written in the 15 th century. It was first recorded in a manuscript dating circa 1500. The poem addresses the first 16 characters in the Runic alphabet, in order, though other letterss existed by this time period. Thus there are 16 stanza. Each stanza follows the same format and consists of three kennings. The lines are connected via alliteration of the first and second kenning, while the third kenning has internal alliteration. Each of the kennings offers ideas and elements that describe the stanza's rune. Some have referred to this style almost as a riddle from which the rune name can be derived (Page). For example, the first rune name “fe” means 'wealth'. This rune is then described as “discord among kinsmen” and “fire of the sea” (Svenson). The connections are more abstract than they are literal, befitting the Icelandic poetic style. Some stanzas contain slightly more literal descriptions, but even those have the underlying metaphorical complexities, such as the second stanza rune name “Ur” (shower) described as “lamentation of the clouds” (Svenson). The Runic Alphabet The Runic Alphabet, also known as the Futhark, is an early writing system dating from as early as the 1st century, with a majority of examples from around the 11 th century. Many runic inscriptions are short statements carved into stone or wood. Typical early examples of the Runic Alphabet include short written statements such as 'Hrothgar was here” or “Belongs to Hrothgar”, grave inscriptions and religions inscriptions. The Norwegian Futhark is provided below (Omniglot). The Manuscript There are four manuscripts dated from the 17 th century and earlier than contain this manuscript. The earliest version is from AM 687d, 4to, dated to the 15 th century which contained the Rune Poem without the names of the Runes explicitly stated (see the manuscript in Appendix B). This manuscript offers some difficulties in transcription, as the final stanza of the poem (the