New Edition of Skaldic Poetry

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Edith Marold
• Subject Area: European and American Literary and Cultural Studies
• Term: from 2009 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 114666721

Skaldic poetry is generally understood to include all Scandinavian poetry from the Middle Ages (900-1400) which does not belong to the collection of poems in the so called Elder Edda. In addition to its significance as one of the major genres within the literary history of the Scandinavian countries, skaldic poetry is an important source for mediaeval Scandinavian political, cultural and religious history (i.e. for heathen as well as Christian religion). However, it has in the past been difficult to access for interdisciplinary researchers. The old standard edition, Finnur Jónsson's Den norsk-islandske Skjaldedigtning (1912-15), provides no translations but only a Danish summary of the poetry's contents and gives little information beyond that. The advantages of the new edition are: 1. A precise English translation. 2. A text which - in contrast to the practice in former editions - is preferably based on just a single manuscript with a minimized use of emendations (corrections of the manuscript text made by the editor). 3. Notes on editorial decisions and explanations of textual details. 4. The inclusion of runic inscriptions in metrical form which were not part of the old standard edition. 5. A new bibliography of skaldic poetry which will be published as a separate volume of the series. 6. A complete electronic version of the editions which provides additional information and search functions which cannot be part of the print edition.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants