1. Old Norse-Icelandic Technical Terms
aðalhending, ‘noble rhyme, chief rhyme’, a combination of two syllables participating in full internal rhyme (identical vowels and postvocalic environment) within a skaldic poetic line. Normally aðalhending occurs in even lines (so ll. 2, 4, 6 and 8) of a dróttkvætt or hrynhent stanza.
afleiðingum, ‘with antecedents’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the first word of a half-stanza is linked syntactically to the last
álagsháttr, ‘extension’s form’, a dróttkvætt variant with sentence boundaries after metrical position 1 in all even lines with the word in position 1 belonging syntactically to the previous odd line
alhent, ‘completely rhymed’, a dróttkvætt variant in which each line contains two pairs of aðalhendingar
alhnept, ‘completely curtailed’, a fornyrðislag variant in which all lines are tetrasyllabic and have internal rhymes (aðalhendingar) on secondarily stressed syllables in metrical positions 2 and 4
alstýft, ‘completely apocopated’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the even lines have seven metrical positions and end in a monosyllable carrying internal rhyme
áttmælt, ‘eight-times spoken’, a dróttkvætt stanza in which each of the eight lines contains a separate clause
bálkarlag, ‘section‘s metre’, a regularised fornyrðislag with two alliterating staves in the odd lines and the main stave placed in metrical position 1 in the even ones as in dróttkvætt
bálkr (pl. bálkar), ‘section’, a longer poem containing narrative sections
belgdrǫgur, ‘bellows-drawings’, a skaldic metre with end rhyme in which each line has three metrical positions
Braga háttr, ‘Bragi’s verse-form’, a dróttkvætt variant characterised by a lack of internal rhymes in the odd lines, with the syllable in metrical position 5 of each odd line (in the cadence) forming an internal rhyme with the syllables in positions 1 (skothending) and 3 (aðalhending) in the following even line
bragarbot, ‘poem’s improvement’, a dróttkvætt variant in which all odd lines are Type D, with an alliterating monosyllabic word in metrical position 1 followed by a trisyllabic compound with skothending on the second syllable
bragarmál, poetic diction characterised by cliticisation, i.e. the suffixation of unstressed particles and pronouns with loss of vowel
detthent, ‘falling-, stumbling-rhymed’, a dróttkvætt variant in which each even line ends in a trisyllabic compound with internal rhyme in penultimate position (metrical position 5)
drápa (pl. drápur), long encomiastic skaldic poem with stef
draughent, ‘ghost- (or ‘trunk-’) rhymed’, a dróttkvætt variant in which each line consists of seven metrical positions rather than eight
draugsháttr, ‘ghost’s (or ‘trunk’s’) verse-form’, a dróttkvætt variant with trochaic even lines and internal rhyme in metrical positions 1 and 5
dróttkvætt, ‘court metre’, the most common metre used in skaldic poetry, comprising stanzas of eight hexasyllabic lines, regular alliteration and hendingar (skothending in odd lines and aðalhending in even ones)
drǫgur, ‘drawings’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the first word of a half-stanza echoes the last word in the preceding stanza
dunhent, ‘echoing-rhymed’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the fifth syllable (with skothending) in an odd line is repeated as the first syllable (carrying aðalhending) in the following even line
inn dýri háttr, ‘the ornate form’, a dróttkvætt variant in which all lines have three internal rhymes (aðalhendingar) in metrical positions 1, 2 and 5
Egils háttr, ‘Egill’s verse-form’, a dróttkvætt variant characterised by a lack of internal rhymes in odd lines and by aðalhending and riðhent in even lines
erfidrápa, ‘memorial poem’, encomium commemorating a deceased person
finngálknat, ‘monstrous, monstrosity’ (cacemphaton), a change of metaphors resulting in inconsistent imagery (see nykrat)
fjórðungalok, ‘couplets’ closure’, a dróttkvætt variant in which each couplet consists of one independent clause
fjórðungr (pl. fjórðungar), ‘couplet’ (of a stanza)
flagðaháttr, ‘ogresses’ form’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the even lines have seven syllables and positions 1-5 are occupied by a pentasyllabic compound
flagðalag, ‘ogresses’ metre’, see flagðaháttr
Fleins háttr, ‘Fleinn’s verse-form’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the internal rhymes in all lines fall in positions 1 and 3 creating a regularised trochaic rhythm
flokkr, long skaldic poem without stef
in forna skjálfhenda, ‘the ancient tremble-rhyme’, a dróttkvætt variant in which ll. 3 and 7 (Type A2l) have alliteration in metrical positions 1 and 3 and the first internal rhyme (aðalhending) falls on a heavy dip in position 2. See also skjálfhent and tvískelft.
fornafn (pl. fornǫfn), ‘substitution’, ‘pronoun’ (pronomen)
fornyrðislag, ‘old story metre’, Old Norse development of the common Germanic alliterative long-line
full runhenda, ‘full end-rhyme’, see rétt runhent
galdralag, ‘incantations’ metre’, a variant of ljóðaháttr with verbal repetition and an additional full line with internal alliteration
greppaminni, ‘poets’ reminder’, dróttkvætt variant in which each line in the first helmingr of a stanza consists of an independent question that is answered in the corresponding line in the second helmingr
inn grœnlenzki háttr ‘the verse-form from Greenland’, a fornyrðislag variant in which the even lines have internal rhyme (aðalhending) in metrical positions 1 and 3 on two long-stemmed disyllabic words ending in the same vowel (approximate end rhyme)
Haðarlag ‘Hǫðr’s metre’, regularised málaháttr lines (Type D*1) with internal rhyme (skothending in odd lines and aðalhending in even ones)
hagmælt, ‘skillfully spoken’, a variant of fornyrðislag (tøglag) with internal rhyme (skothending in odd lines and aðalhending in even ones)
hálfhnept, ‘half-curtailed’, a skaldic metre in which the odd and even lines are made up of five to seven syllables (rarely four). Each line ends in a heavy monosyllable preceded by another heavy monosyllable or two resolved short syllables. The odd lines have two alliterating staves and the even lines one stave, which falls on the first lift. The metre is characterised by internal rhymes following the pattern of dróttkvætt (skothending in odd lines and aðalhending in even ones). The second hending always falls on the last syllable of the line.
háttlaus(a), ‘formless’, a variant of dróttkvætt without internal rhyme
háttr, ‘metre, verse-form’ (lit. ‘mode, manner’)
heiti, poetic synonym, an alternative and often descriptive term or name for a frequently-occurring object or person mentioned in skaldic poetry, e.g. skævaðr ‘high-strider’ for ‘horse’, or Yggr, an alternative name for the god Óðinn
helmingr (pl. helmingar), a half-stanza normally of four lines
hending (pl. hendingar), lit. ‘catching’, a syllable participating, with one other, in full internal rhyme (aðalhending) or partial rhyme (skothending) within a skaldic line
hjástælt, ‘abutted’, a dróttkvætt variant in which metrical positions 2-6 in ll. 4 and 8 consist of independent statements (ancient lore or proverbs)
hnúfu háttr, a dróttkvætt variant in which an extra line with internal rhyme and alliteration has been added at the end of each half-stanza
hnugghent, ‘deprived rhymed’, a metre in which the odd lines have no internal rhyme and seven syllables, while the even lines are structured similarly to even lines in náhent but containing skothending rather than aðalhending
hrynhent, ‘flowing rhymed’, a skaldic metre, an expanded version of dróttkvætt in which each line contains eight metrical positions
hrynjandi háttr, ‘the flowing verse-form’, see hrynhent
hǫfuðstafr, ‘main stave’, chief alliterating stave fixed in initial position of even lines of regular dróttkvætt and hrynhent stanzas
iðurmælt, ‘repeatedly spoken’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the internal rhymes (aðalhendingar) falling on the alliterating syllables in the odd lines are repeated in the even lines
kenning, a nominal periphrasis, consisting of a base-word and one or more determinants
kent heiti, see kenning
kimblaband, kimblabǫnd, ‘bundle-bond, bundle-bonds’, a dróttkvætt variant with an extra disyllabic cadence with internal rhyme added at the end of each line
klauf, lit. ‘cleft, cloven hoof, head of cattle’, the use of two sannkenningar or epithets joined without a conjunction (asyndeton)
klifat, ‘repeated’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the internal rhymes (aðalhendingar) falling on the alliterating syllables in the odd lines are repeated in the even lines, extending throughout the half-stanza
klofastef, ‘split refrain’, a refrain (stef) in a skaldic encomium that has been split into individual lines that appear separately in different stanzas, usually as the first or the last line of a stanza
konungslag, ‘king’s metre’, a hrynhent variant with trochaic odd and even lines
kviðuháttr, ‘poem’s form’, a skaldic metre (a variant of fornyrðislag) in which the odd lines consist of three metrical positions and the even lines of four positions
langlokur, langlokum, ‘late closures, with late closures’, a dróttkvætt variant in which a syntactically incomplete clause in the first line of a stanza is completed in the final line of the second helmingr
lausavísa (pl. lausavísur), ‘loose stanza, free-standing stanza’, a separate stanza or part-stanza which does not belong to a long poem, and which is normally preserved as an integral part of a prose narrative
leyfi, ‘(poetic) licence’
liðhendur, ‘helping-rhymes’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the even lines contain skothending and the first hending in each odd line, which is fixed in position 1, forms aðalhending with the first rhyme in the following even line
liðhent ‘helping-rhymed’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the internal rhymes in the odd lines and the first rhyme in the even lines fall on the alliterating syllables and the hendingar in each couplet have the same postvocalic environment
ljóðaháttr, ljóðsháttr, ‘songs’ form, song’s form’, a six-line metre in which ll. 1-2 and 4-5 alliterate, while ll. 3 and 6 alliterate internally
málaháttr, ‘speeches’ form’, an extended form of fornyrðislag with five metrical positions rather than four
mansǫngr, ‘love-song’, a genre of poetry
inn meiri, inn mesti, ‘the greater, the greatest’, metrical terms employed in the claves metricae to indicate that a metrical feature exemplified occurs with greater or maximal frequency
inn minni, inn minnsti, ‘the lesser, the least’, metrical terms employed in the claves metricae to indicate that a metrical feature exemplified occurs with lesser or minimal frequency
munnvǫrp, ‘mouth-throwings’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the odd lines lack internal rhyme and the even lines have skothending rather than aðalhending
náhent, ‘close-rhymed’, an approximate variant of fornyrðislag in which the even lines are structured similarly to the even lines in stúfhent and the odd lines are catalectic variants of málaháttr with internal rhyme (skothending, the second of which falls in line-final position) and two alliterating staves
níð, shaming slander or abuse, frequently in poetic form, typically containing implications of cowardice and/or passive male homosexuality
njarðarvǫttr, ‘sponge’ (lit. ‘Njǫrðr’s mitten’), a form of antinomasia
nýgerving, nýgjǫrving (pl. nýgervingar, nýgjǫrvingar), ‘new creation, new construction’, a term applied to the device of extending a metaphor from one kenning to another or into the verb of the clause
inn nýi háttr ‘the new verse-form’, a fornyrðislag variant in which each line consists of two disyllabic long-stemmed syllables, and the internal rhymes in odd and even lines are structured like those in the even lines of inn grœnlenzka háttr (extended to include identity of the enclitic endings)
nykrat, ‘monstrous, monstrosity’ (cacemphaton), change of metaphors resulting in inconsistent imagery (see finngálknat)
oddhent, ‘front-rhymed’, initial internal rhyme falling in metrical position 1
ofljóst, ‘too transparent, excessively clear’, play on words, punning, using homonyms
ókend setning, ‘arrangement without periphrasis’, a homonym (see heiti)
ókent heiti, a base-word that must be supplied with a determinant to form a periphrastic phrase
ókent nafn, noun without periphrasis
orðkólfr, lit. ‘word-club’, apparently referring to apocope
orðskviðu háttr, ‘proverb’s form’, a dróttkvætt variant in which metrical positions 2-6 in each even line contains an independent proverb or a gnomic statement
Ragnars háttr, ‘Ragnarr’s verse-form’, a dróttkvætt variant characterised by a lack of internal rhymes in the odd lines and by alliteration in metrical position 2 rather than in position 1 in the even lines
refhvarfa bróðir, ‘the brother of fox-turns’, a dróttkvætt variant characterised by lexical antitheses in syllables that are not adjacent
refhvǫrf, ‘fox-turns, fox-tricks’, a dróttkvætt variant characterised by lexical antitheses in adjacent syllables (see refrún)
refrún, ‘fox-secret’, a stanza characterised by lexical antitheses in adjacent syllables (see refhvǫrf)
rekit, ‘extended, driven’, a term referring to an extended kenning with more than two determinants, also used of an end-rhymed variant of hrynhent in which each line ends in a disyllabic short-stemmed word
rétthent, ‘consistenly-rhymed’, a dróttkvætt variant with aðalhending in odd and even lines
rétt runhent, ‘consistently end-rhymed’, a variant of runhent in which identical end rhymes extend throughout an entire stanza
riðhent, ‘rocking-rhymed’, a dróttkvætt variant in which all even lines are Type D with an alliterating monosyllabic word in metrical position 1 followed by a trisyllabic compound with aðalhending on the second syllable
ríma (pl. rímur), later medieval Icelandic narrative poetry in rhymed metres evolving from skaldic and eddic metres
runhent, ‘end-rhymed’, skaldic metres employing end rhyme
samhent, ‘coincidental-rhymed’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the odd lines have aðalhending falling on syllables that also bear alliteration
sannkenning, lit. ‘true kenning’, i.e. epithet
sannkent, the use of affirmative or intensifying adverbs or adjectives
senna, exchange of invective between two opponents, usually in verse
sextánmælt, ‘sixteen-times spoken’, dróttkvætt variant in which each line consists of two separate clauses
inn skammi háttr, ‘the short verse-form’, a fornyrðislag variant in which the odd lines have one or two alliterating staves and lack internal rhyme, and the even lines are structured similarly to even lines in inn grœnlenzki háttr, except that the syllables carrying internal rhyme are short (bimoraic) rather than long
skjálfhent, ‘tremble-rhymed’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the odd lines (Type A2l) have alliteration in metrical positions 1 and 3, and the first internal rhyme falls on a heavy dip in position 2. See also in forna skjálfhenda and tvískelft.
skothending, ‘inserted rhyme’, a combination of two syllables participating in partial internal rhyme (different vowels and similar postvocalic environments) within a skaldic line. Normally skothending occurs in odd lines (so ll. 1, 3, 5 and 7) of a dróttkvætt or hrynhent stanza.
skothendr háttr, ‘the half-rhymed form’, a dróttkvætt variant with skothending in odd and even lines
slœmr, the concluding section of a poem
smærri hættir, ‘lesser verse-forms’, eddic verse-forms (fornyrðislag, málaháttr, ljóðaháttr), including skaldic runhent and kviðuháttr, and variations on these in terms of rhyme, alliteration, and syllabic structure
stafasnúning, ‘letter-change’, rearrangement of letters within a syllable (metathesis)
stál, ‘abutted clause’ (see hjástælt)
stamhendr háttr, ‘the stuttering-rhymed form’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the odd lines contain aðalhending and alliteration in metrical positions 4 and 5
Starkaðar lag, ‘Starkaðr’s metre’, fornyrðislag with two alliterating staves in odd lines and anacrusis in even lines
stef, refrain of a skaldic drápa
stefjabálkr, middle section of a drápa containing one or more refrains (stef)
stefjamél, each of the sets of stanzas ending with a refrain (stef) within a stefjabálkr
stikkalag, ‘needle’s metre’
stuðlar, ‘props, supports’, alliterating staves in odd lines
stuðning, ‘support’, the addition of intensifying prefixes to adjectives
stúfr, ‘apocopated’, see stýft
stúfhent, ‘stump-rhymed’, a fornyrðislag variant (Type A2l) with internal rhymes (skothending in odd lines and aðalhending in even lines) on adjacent syllables (the syllable with secondary stress in metrical position 2 and the fully stressed syllable in position 3, the first syllable of the cadence)
stýfðr, ‘apocopated’
stýft, ‘apocopated’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the final syllable in odd and/or even lines is left off, creating pentasyllabic lines
stælt, ‘intercalated, inlaid’, a dróttkvætt variant in which ll. 2-3 and 6-7 consist of a syntactically independent statement
svipa, ‘whip’, i.e. many epithets attached to the same noun without a conjunction (polysyndeton)
tilsagt, ‘annotated’, a dróttkvætt variant characterised by parenthetic clauses in metrical positions 1-4 in even lines
tilsegjandi, ‘annotating’, see tilsagt
tiltekit, ‘linked’, see afleiðingum
Torf-Einars háttr, ‘Torf-Einarr’s verse form’, a dróttkvætt variant characterised by a lack of internal rhyme in odd lines and by skothending in metrical positions 3 and 5 in even Type D‑lines
trollsháttr, ‘troll’s verse-form’, a trochaic hrynhent variant
tvíkent, ‘doubly modified, doubly paraphrased’, an extended kenning in which the determinant is itself a kenning
tvískelft, ‘twice trembled’, a dróttkvætt variant in which the odd lines (Type A2l) have alliteration in metrical positions 1 and 3, and the first internal rhyme (skothending) falls in metrical position 1 (see also in forna skjálfhenda and skjálfhent)
tøgdrápu háttr, ‘journey-poem form’, see tøglag
tøgdrápulag, ‘journey-poem metre’, see tøglag
tøglag, ‘journey metre’, a variant of fornyrðislag in which the even lines have aðalhending and the odd may have skothending
upphaf, ‘beginning’, the opening section of a skaldic poem, the section before the beginning of the stefjabálkr
veggjat, ‘inserted’, a dróttkvætt variant in which a monosyllabic word is inserted between metrical positions 4 and 5 in all even lines, creating heptasyllabic lines
viðkenning, a description of something in terms of something else, a metaphor (antonomasia)
vísa (pl. vísur), a skaldic stanza, in the plural often a term used of a long poem lacking refrain (e.g. Sigvatr Þórðarson’s Bersǫglisvísur)
þreskǫld, ‘threshold’ (cacemphaton), when the final sound in one word is the same as the onset of the next word
þríhent, ‘triple-rhymed, a dróttkvætt variant in which all even lines have three internal rhymes rather than two, and the internal rhymes fall in metrical positions 2, 4 and 6 (syllables with secondary stress)
þula (pl. þulur), a list of poetic synonyms (heiti) in metrical form
ævikviða, ‘life-poem’, a poem recited by a person usually close to death, detailing events from his earlier life