skald

views updated May 11 2018

skald in ancient Scandinavia, a composer and reciter of poems honouring heroes and their deeds; the complex syllabic and rhyme structure of most skaldic verses make it likely that the majority of them have come down from oral tradition uncorrupted. Typically, skalds of the 10th and 11th centuries were court poets, providing praise-poems for the Norse rulers of Norway, Denmark, the Orkneys, and the Viking kingdoms of York and Dublin.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

skald

views updated Jun 08 2018

skald / skôld; skäld/ (also scald) • n. hist. (in ancient Scandinavia) a composer and reciter of poems honoring heroes and their deeds.DERIVATIVES: skald·ic / -ik/ adj.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

skald

views updated Jun 27 2018

skald poet of ancient Scandinavia. XVIII. — ON. skald, of unkn. orig.
Hence skaldic XVIII.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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