The Icelandic Rune Poem

Aibhilin inghean Daibhidh040186BR

Division I: Dramatic Performance/Poetic RecitationIceland1500

Setting: Middle Class/education

Summary

The Icelandic Rune Poem is a mnemonic poem based on the first 16 characters of the Runic Alphabet.It is dated to the 15th century, with the earliest known manuscript dating to circa 1500. The poemconsists of 16 stanza, each including the Rune name followed by 3 kennings (metaphorical phrases)which describe the poem. Some have interpreted the poem as a type of riddle, however, thismetaphorical language was representative of Skaldic poetry (a type of poetry developed in Icelandwhich followed strict rules and used dense metaphorical language).

The Icelandic Rune Poem is written in Old Icelandic, however, it is important to note that at this timeperiod, there was little to no distinction between Old Norse and Old Icelandic. Icelandic evolved out ofOld Norse around this time period, but the changes in the language have been so minor that modernday Icelandic speakers can still read Old Norse with only moderate difficulty.

The poem will be performed not as a poet performs a poem, due to the limited information on poets andpoetry during this time period, but instead as a scholar reading through manuscripts might read aloud apoem he found for another scholar to share an interesting find.

Table of Contents

Summary....................................................................................................................................................2Icelandic Poetry..........................................................................................................................................4

Eddic Poetry..........................................................................................................................................4Skaldic Poetry........................................................................................................................................4Rímur.....................................................................................................................................................4Icelandic Rune Poem.............................................................................................................................5The Runic Alphabet...............................................................................................................................5The Manuscript......................................................................................................................................5Icelandic Rune Poem and Translation...................................................................................................6

Old Icelandic..............................................................................................................................................8Early 16th century Scandinavian Attire.....................................................................................................9Performance Style....................................................................................................................................10Difficulties, Compromises, and Commentary..........................................................................................10

Icelandic Poetry

There are three major types of Icelandic poetry. Eddic poetry, Skaldic poetry, and Rímur. Eddic poetryis simpler in both style and language. Skaldic poetry, on the other hand is highly stylized with strictrules, complicated meters, and highly metaphorical language. Finally, Rímur is a style of rhymingpoetry that developed out of Eddic and Skaldic poetry.

Eddic Poetry

Eddic poetry is an older form of poetry used from early in the Norse area and likely came to Icelandwhen the original Norse settlers did. Poetry by Eddic authors is often anonymous and contains excitingtales of Norse gods and ancient heroes. The meter is simple and the language used morestraightforward. While Eddic poetry was less metaphorical and more literal, it did rely heavily onalliteration rather than an end rhyme popular in other cultures.

Skaldic Poetry

Skaldic poetry, like Eddic poetry, relied heavily on alliteration. However, unlike Eddic poetry, Skaldicpoetry was exemplified by complicated metaphorical passages known as kennings. Kennings consist ofphrases composed of two nouns that represent another noun, or another concept. For example, insteadof saying “rain”, a Skaldic poety may say “tears of the gods” and instead of saying “grass” a poet maysay “hair of the earth”. Kennings may also have deeper levels, and instead of being descriptive of anoun, they may describe a different idea of phrase. For example, the kennings “'enemy of gold' refers toa man who does not like gold and gives it away: a generous man” (Hurstwic).

Beyond the use of methaphorical Kennings, Skaldic poetry also had strict meter requirements and rulesgoverning use of alliteration. In a set of lines, there must be alliteration between elements, a certainstress pattern forming the meter, and internal rhyme elements. An example used by Hurstwic is below:

H ramm tangar lætr h ang a The stressed syllables are underlined; the alliteration ish ryn virgil mér b ryn ju boldfaced; and the internal rhyme is italicized.

(From Egils saga Skallagrímsson on Hurstwick)

This example shows a couplet following several rules such as: there must be 6 syllables per line, 3stressed and with the final syllable unstressed; there must be two alliterative elements on the first line;there must be internal rhyme in each line (Hurstwick). The stress pattern is followed as the two linesfollow the pattern Stress, Unstressed, Unstressed, Stress, Stress, Unstress (3 stresses, final syllableunstressed). The “h” sound is alliterated twice in the first line and ones in the second. There is internalrhyme between the first word of each line with the last word of each line.

Rímur

Rímur developed in the 14th century out of Skaldic and Eddic poetry. Unlike Skaldic and Eddic poetry,which did not follow an external rhyme scheme (Skaldic had only internal rhyme), Rímur used rhyme.Most Rímur were epic poems, often based on stories that were already written. This style grew inpopularity through the end of period, whereas Skaldic and Eddic poetry became less popular after the14th Century. Iceland until this time had been relatively isolated, and in the 14th century, it wasmarginally under the rul of Norway. Later in the 14th century, Norway, and with it Iceland, came under

the rule of the Danish crown, and was heavily influenced by the works of other countries (Central Bankof Iceland).

Icelandic Rune Poem

The Icelandic Rune Poem, written in Old Icelandic, is one of 3 poems written as a mnemonic devicefor remembering the Runic Alphabet, also known as the Futhark (after the first 6 letters). It is similar tomore modern alphabet rhymes, such as “Tom Thumb's Alphabet” which begins “A was an archer, whoshot at a frog. B was a butcher, and had a great dog.” The other two Rune poems are in Old Norse (TheNorwegian Rune poem), which is the earliest recorded Rune Poem and the shortest and most simple,and in Old English (The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem), which is the longest Rune Poem. It is possible thatthese Rune poems shared a common 'ancestor' and were further developed in these different cultureslanguages prior to being written down (Dickins). However, each Rune poem was first recorded indifferent years and has distinctly different elements, despite many similarities.

The Icelandic Rune Poem was written in the 15th century. It was first recorded in a manuscript datingcirca 1500. The poem addresses the first 16 characters in the Runic alphabet, in order, though otherletterss existed by this time period. Thus there are 16 stanza. Each stanza follows the same format andconsists of three kennings. The lines are connected via alliteration of the first and second kenning,while the third kenning has internal alliteration.

Each of the kennings offers ideas and elements that describe the stanza's rune. Some have referred tothis style almost as a riddle from which the rune name can be derived (Page). For example, the firstrune name “fe” means 'wealth'. This rune is then described as “discord among kinsmen” and “fire of thesea” (Svenson). The connections are more abstract than they are literal, befitting the Icelandic poeticstyle. Some stanzas contain slightly more literal descriptions, but even those have the underlyingmetaphorical complexities, such as the second stanza rune name “Ur” (shower) described as“lamentation of the clouds” (Svenson).

The Runic Alphabet

The Runic Alphabet, also known as the Futhark, is an early writing system dating from as early as the1st century, with a majority of examples from around the 11th century. Many runic inscriptions are shortstatements carved into stone or wood. Typical early examples of the Runic Alphabet include shortwritten statements such as 'Hrothgar was here” or “Belongs to Hrothgar”, grave inscriptions and

religions inscriptions. The Norwegian Futhark is provided below (Omniglot).

The Manuscript

There are four manuscripts dated from the 17th century and earlier than contain this manuscript. Theearliest version is from AM 687d, 4to, dated to the 15th century which contained the Rune Poemwithout the names of the Runes explicitly stated (see the manuscript in Appendix B). This manuscriptoffers some difficulties in transcription, as the final stanza of the poem (the rune Yr meaning “yew”) isunreadable (Page). The next earliest manuscript dated from the 16th century is AM 461, 12mo which,

unfortunately, is of no help determining the final line of the poem as it omits the Yr letter completely(Page). This manuscript also used the names of the Rune only, but not the actual futhark (Svenson).The two final manuscripts date from the 16th and 17th centuries respectively, AM 413, folio, pp. 130-5,140ff, and AM 749, 4to. The latest manuscript contains both the Runic characters and their respectivenames. Transcriptions based on these manuscripts often contain the 16th “Yr” stanza, however, the exactwords are not documented in any early forms. It is reasonable to believe that this stanza definitelyexisted, but that any modern transcription is the creation of a author of late 16th or 17th century origin, atearliest.

Icelandic Rune Poem and Translation

The following transcription and translation of the poem is from Svenson.

Fé er frænda róg

ok flæðar vitiok grafseiðs gataaurum fylkir.

Úr er skýja grátr

ok skára þverrirok hirðis hatr.umbre vísi

Þurs er kvenna kvöl

ok kletta búiok varðrúnar verr.Saturnus þengill.

Óss er algingautr

ok ásgarðs jöfurr,ok valhallar vísi.Jupiter oddviti.

Reið er sitjandi sæla

ok snúðig ferðok jórs erfiði.iter ræsir.

Kaun er barna böl

ok bardaga [för]ok holdfúa hús.flagella konungr.

Hagall er kaldakorn

ok krapadrífaok snáka sótt.grando hildingr.

Nauð er Þýjar þrá

ok þungr kostrok vássamlig verk.opera niflungr.

Wealth

source of discord among kinsmenand fire of the seaand path of the serpent.

Shower

lamentation of the cloudsand ruin of the hay-harvestand abomination of the shepherd.

Giant

torture of womenand cliff-dwellerand husband of a giantess.

God

aged Gautrand prince of Ásgarðrand lord of Vallhalla.

Riding

joy of the horsemenand speedy journeyand toil of the steed.

Ulcer

disease fatal to childrenand painful spotand abode of mortification.

Hail

cold grainand shower of sleetand sickness of serpents.

Constraint

grief of the bond-maidand state of oppressionand toilsome work.

Íss er árbörkr

ok unnar þakok feigra manna fár.glacies jöfurr.

Ár er gumna góði

ok gott sumaralgróinn akr.annus allvaldr.

Sól er skýja skjöldr

ok skínandi röðullok ísa aldrtregi.rota siklingr.

Týr er einhendr áss

ok ulfs leifarok hofa hilmir.Mars tiggi.

Bjarkan er laufgat lim

ok lítit tréok ungsamligr viðr.abies buðlungr.

Maðr er manns gaman

ok moldar aukiok skipa skreytir.homo mildingr.

Lögr er vellanda vatn

ok viðr ketillok glömmungr grund.lacus lofðungr.

Ýr er bendr bogi

ok brotgjarnt járnok fífu fárbauti.arcus ynglingr.

Ice

bark of riversand roof of the waveand destruction of the doomed.

Plenty

boon to menand good summerand thriving crops.

Sun

shield of the cloudsand shining rayand destroyer of ice.

Týr

god with one handand leavings of the wolfand prince of temples.

Birch

leafy twigand little treeand fresh young shrub.

Man

delight of manand augmentation of the earthand adorner of ships.

Water

eddying streamand broad geysirand land of the fish.

Yew

bent bowand brittle ironand giant of the arrow.

Old Icelandic

Old Icelandic is a member of the Germanic family of language and is pat of the North Germanicbranch. In the late 9th century, the Norwegians settled Iceland, thus Old Icelandic descended directlyfrom Old Norse as the Icelandic people diverged from the Norwegians. Iceland was responsible for alarge majority of literature written in Old Norse, and the evolution into Old Iceland occurred graduallybetween the 14th and 16th centuries and contained only minor changes from Old Norse (thus thedifficulty in determining a 'date' to being Old Icelandic) (Robinson). In modern day, Icelandic is theclosest language to something spoken in the Medieval time period, and modern Icelandic speakers areable to read Old Norse with only minor difficulties. Thus, I have provided both the Old Norse andmodern Icelandic alphabets below (from Omniglot) to show the similarities.

Old Norse

Icelandic

Early 16th century Scandinavian Attire

It is difficult to find records of clothing for 16th century Iceland. The only extant example I was able tofind is the below tapestry dated to the 16th Century which is found in the Draflastadir Church (IcelandicEmbroidery).

My best assumption for clothing, then, is a long tunic with long sleeves over which a coat/cloak isworn. Some of the images show hats of various types.

Performance Style

There is limited information on actually poets from this time period. However, due to the nature of thepoem as a mnemonic device, I decided to take a different approach for performance. I will beperforming as a scholar looking through manuscripts and “discovering” this poem. I will be performingit as a reading as if sharing the poem with another scholar. Thus, the presentation will be characterizedby a slow delivery style which would allow the listener to decipher the kennings used, as this style ofpoetry had fallen into disfavor. Additionally, this seems to be an appropriate way to present a poeminteresting for it's double use as a mnemonic device rather than an epic saga or story of some kind.

Difficulties, Compromises, and Commentary

This piece offered many challenges in research. I chose the piece because I thought that the poem as amnemonic for the runes was really cool, unfortunately, the information about this time period causedme to rethink this decision many times. The difficulties were in finding 1) reliable transcriptions of thepoem, 2) information pertaining to poetry (and poets) in this time period, 3) information pertaining toclothing and culture of the time period.

None of the oldest manuscript offer a perfect transcription of the poem. The manuscript in Appendix Bhas many areas that are unreadable. Other manuscripts add and leave out elements as they choose.Thus, it is difficult to know what the original poem might have been. On the other hand, if this poemwere based on a much older poem, the multiple versions may be accurate if many authors had theirown interpretation of this older poem. Even though certain elements were unreadable, and may or maynot document from period, I decided to leave them in under the assumption that it was very likely thatthey did exist due to the various references in manuscripts and due to comparisons to the Norwegianand Anglo-Saxon rune poems. An example of this is the final Yr stanza – I chose to leave it in eventhough it is unreadable in the manuscript in Appendix B. Though it may be a more modern creation, itseems appropriate to the style of the poem and could be an actual period creation.

Additionally, I struggled to find adequate information on poetry in this time period. There is ampleinformation on Eddic and Skaldic poetry, however, these styles of poetry were not often used in the 16th

century (and starting as early as the 14th century). The Rune Poem does use some elements of Skaldicpoetry, which suggests the poem may originate during this time period, however, due to lackinginformation on poetry in this time period (Rimur being the only reference, and as it is described as arelatively simple and externally rhyming style, it does not fit the Icelandic Rune Poem), I was not ableto delve as deeply into the poem as I would have liked. Additionally, I could find no information on“poets” in this time period. It is possible more information would be available if I were able tounderstand Icelandic, as modern Iceland still maintains Icelandic as it's only Official language and mostsites are available only in Icelandic, limiting my abilities to search even relying on website translators.

Finally, finding information on the overall culture of this time period, including clothing, proved to benext to impossible. Most information on Scandinavian cultures focuses on the earlier Viking Age andthere is very little about the later periods. The happened to stumble upon the tapestry used in theclothing section after hours of searching, but I have no idea of whether the people in the tapestry were aspecific group, or if the entire population would have dressed this way. I can use the assumption thatthey likely would have dressed in similar fashions to other Scandinavian countries, as Iceland wasunder the rule of Norway which was, in turn, under the rule of the Danish Crown, however, theinformation on these cultures is often just as difficult to acquire in this time period. Most informationfocuses on the High German cultures with little attention paid to the Low German peoples.

Works Cited

Brittanica. Tom Thumb's Alphabet. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/598807/Tom-Thumbs-Alphabet. June 11, 2011

Baynes, Thomas Spencer. The Encyclopaedia Brittanica: A Dictionary of Arts, Science and GeneralLiterature, Volume XII. Henry G. Allen and Company. New York. 1888.

Central Bank of Iceland. Iceland, the Republic. http://www.sedlabanki.is/uploads/files/History%20and%20culture.pdf. June 11, 2011.

Dickins, Bruce. Runic and Heroic Poems of the Old Teutonic Peoples. University Press, Cambridge.1915. http://www.houseofdubhros.com/library/scriptorium/runicpoems.pdf. June 11, 2011.

Hurstwic. http://www.hurstwic.org/index.html, June 11, 2011.

Icelandic Embroidery. http://medieval.webcon.net.au/loc_scandinavia_iceland.html. June 11, 2011.

Omniglot: writing systems and languages of the world. Http://www.omniglot.com. June 11, 2011.

Page, R.I. The Icelandic Rune-Poem. NU Printers, University of Nottingham. 1998. http://vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/The%20Icelandic%20Rune-Poem.pdf. June 11, 2011.

Robinson, Orrin W. Old English and its Closest Relatives: A Survey of the Earliest GermanicLanguages. Stanford University Press. Stanford, CA. 1992.

Skaldic Project Academic Body. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages.http://skaldic.arts.usyd.edu.au/db.php. June 11, 2011.

Appendix A: Manuscript

From: The Arnamagnæan Collection, Den arnamagnæanske samling, Nordisk forskningsinstitut,University of Copenhagen and Stofnun Árna Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum, Reykjavík

Located Online at Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ageshttp://skaldic.arts.usyd.edu.au/db.php