Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
- The Cambridge History of Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Contexts
- Part II The Distant Past
- Part III The Saga Age
- Part IV The New Christian World
- 14 Conversion and Literature
- 15 Saints’ Lives
- 16 Christian Poetry
- 17 Homilies and Christian Instruction
- 18 Biskupa sögur
- PART V Beyond Iceland
- Part VI Compilations
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
16 - Christian Poetry
from Part IV - The New Christian World
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 February 2024
- The Cambridge History of Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
- The Cambridge History of Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Contexts
- Part II The Distant Past
- Part III The Saga Age
- Part IV The New Christian World
- 14 Conversion and Literature
- 15 Saints’ Lives
- 16 Christian Poetry
- 17 Homilies and Christian Instruction
- 18 Biskupa sögur
- PART V Beyond Iceland
- Part VI Compilations
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter traces the history of Christian poetry in Old Norse-Icelandic from the tenth century to the fourteenth century. Beginning with Hallfreðr Óttarsson, it describes how poets began to incorporate Christian material into their verse during the conversion period in Norway, avoiding pagan imagery and developing new kennings for Christian concepts. It then discusses poetry composed by Icelandic skalds in praise of St Óláfr Haraldsson and his successors, including Einarr Skúlason’s twelfth-century poem Geisli. From the twelfth century onwards the body of Christian poetry is sizeable, and this chapter sets such important works as Harmsól, Sólarljóð and Lilja in the context of this developing poetic tradition. It also outlines the history of Old Norse-Icelandic poetry dealing with saints, including the Virgin Mary, apostles and virgin martyrs. It is suggested that the composition of poems on Christian subjects in praise of God, Christ and the saints was a continuation of the pre-Christian encomiastic tradition, with appropriate modifications of subjects, style and metres.
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- The Cambridge History of Old Norse-Icelandic Literature , pp. 334 - 353Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024