Viking poems on war and peace : a study in Skaldic narrative / / R. G. Poole

• Autore: Poole Russell Gilbert
• Pubblicazione: Toronto, [Ontario] ; ; Buffalo, [New York] ; ; London, [England] : , : University of Toronto Press, , 1991; ©1991
• Edizione: 2nd ed.
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (236 p.)
• Disciplina: 839/.61
• Soggetto topico: Old Norse poetry - History and criticism; Narration (Rhetoric) - History - To 1500; Civilization, Medieval, in literature; Vikings - Politics and government; Peace in literature; War in literature
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Introduction. Lausavísur and other verses -- Excursus : the present historic tense in poetry -- The poems. Þjóđólfr Arnórsson : The battle of the River Nissa (from Sexstefja) -- Friđgerđarflokkr : The peace negotiations between Haraldr and Sveinn -- Liđsmannaflokkr : The campaigns of Knútr and Þorkell in England -- Darrađarljóđ : A Viking victory over the Irish -- Three Reconstructed Poems. Torf-Einarr's revenge -- Egill's duel with Ljótr -- Eirkír Viđsjá : A battle on the heath.
• Sommario/riassunto: The Old Norse and Icelandic poets have left us vivid accounts of conflict and peace-making in the Viking Age. Russell G. Poole's editorial and critical analysis reveals much about the texts themselves, the events that they describe, and the culture from which they come. Poole attempts to put right many misunderstandings about the integrity of the texts and their narrative techniques. From a historical perspective, he weighs the poems' authenticity as contemporary documents which provide evidence bearing upon the reconstruction of Viking Age battles, peace negotiations, and other events. He traces the social roles played by violence in medieval Scandinavian society, and explores the many functions of the poet within that society. Arguing that these texts exhibit a mind-style so vastly different from our own present 'individualism,' Poole suggests that the mind-set of the medieval Scandinavian could be termed 'non-individualist.' The poems discussed are the 'Darradarljód,' where the speakers are Valkyries; 'Lidsmannaflokkr,' a rank-and-file warrior's description of Canute the Great's siege of London in 1016; 'Torf-Einarr's Revenge'; 'Egil's Duel with Ljótr,' five verses from the classic Egils saga Skallagrimssonar; 'A Battle on the Health,' marking the culmination of a famous feud described in a very early Icelandic saga, the Heidarviga saga; and two extracts from the poem Sexstefia, one describing Haraldr of Norway's great fleet and victory over Sveinn of Denmark, and the other the peace settlement between these two kinds. The texts are presented in association with translations and commentaries as a resource not merely for medieval Scandinavian studies but also for the increasingly interwoven specialisms of literary theory and anthropology.
• Titolo autorizzato: Viking poems on war and peace
• ISBN: 1-282-05640-9; 9786612056406; 1-4426-8308-2
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Record Nr.: 9910780557903321
• Lo trovi qui: Univ. Federico II
• Serie: Toronto medieval texts and translations ; ; 8.