1. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages – a New Edition

This two-part volume is the fifth to be published of nine planned volumes of Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages (SkP), and it is Volume VIII in the overall sequence (SkP VII appeared in 2007, SkP II in 2009, SkP I in 2012 and SkP III in 2017). The series consists of eight volumes of text and a ninth containing indices and a bibliography of items cited in the editions. The aim of this new edition, which is discussed in detail in Section 2 in the General Introduction to the series (published in SkP I, xxvii-xxxix), is to provide a critical edition, with accompanying English translation and notes, of the corpus of Scandinavian poetry from the Middle Ages, excluding only the Poetic Edda and closely related poetry, and the rímur.

The edition is based on a thorough assessment of all known manuscript evidence and on a review of previous editions and commentaries, including Finnur Jónsson’s Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning (Skj A and B), which has been the standard edition of the corpus since the early twentieth century. The interpretation of individual stanzas and the layout of the corpus differ in many instances from those of Skj, often reflecting a more conservative approach to the manuscript sources, and Skj references (titles, dates, page numbers) are provided throughout the present edition for purposes of comparison. SkP is available in book form and as an electronic edition. The electronic edition is fully searchable and includes images of most manuscript texts used in the edition, along with transcriptions of the main manuscript text for each stanza and of other select manuscripts.

Whereas Finnur Jónsson was able to produce his edition single-handedly, current academic conditions make it difficult for one scholar to undertake such Herculean tasks. This edition is thus the outcome of a group effort, directed by six General Editors: Margaret Clunies Ross, Kari Ellen Gade, Guðrún Nordal, Edith Marold, Diana Whaley and Tarrin Wills. Editorial work on individual poems and fragments has been carried out by a consortium of Old Norse scholars, who have specialist expertise in the field of skaldic poetry. These editors’ work is individually acknowledged in this and the other seven volumes of edited poetic texts. One or more of the General Editors are responsible for the overall supervision of each volume as Volume Editor(s); Margaret Clunies Ross is Volume Editor for SkP VIII. Tarrin Wills is responsible for the electronic edition (comprising all nine volumes), and Hannah Burrows is in charge of Volume IX, comprising the bibliography and indices. She also checks the bibliographical information for each published volume.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj A = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15a. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. A: Tekst efter håndskrifterne. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1967. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. SkP = Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages. Turnhout: Brepols.
4. SkP I = Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Ed. Diana Whaley. 2012.
5. SkP III = Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Ed. Kari Ellen Gade in collaboration with Edith Marold. 2017.
6. SkP VII = Poetry on Christian Subjects. Ed. Margaret Clunies Ross. 2007.
7. SkP II = Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Ed. Kari Ellen Gade. 2009.
8. Internal references
9. Not published: do not cite (Run^VI)