Ragnarsdrápa

The Ragnarsdrápa is the oldest surviving work skaldischer seal. It was written in the 9th century by the Norwegian skald Bragi " inn gamli " Boddason a him by the Prince Ragnar bestowed splendor shield to thank the donors and to honor him with it. The identity Ragnar is unclear, according to Snorri Sturluson, these were to Ragnarr Lodbrok. This, however, could not yet be sufficiently proven.

Tradition

Narrated are parts of the Ragnarsdrápa in Snorra Edda. A few lines are also found in the Fourth Grammatical Treatise.

Content

The poem itself heard within the genre of drápur to sign poems (another example would be, for example, the Haustlöng ). It describes four scenes from the bestowed shield, which were probably carved and colored, or even just painted. In the scenes it concerns:

• The fight Hamðirs and Sörlis in Jörmunreks hall ( which is found also in the Hamðismál and Guðrúnarhvöt )
• The Midgard Serpent ( also in " Thor's fishing expedition " and is among other things to be found in medieval pictorial representation ) to fight Thor
• Hild and Hjadningenkampf
• The myth of Gefjon that separates her plow Zealand from Sweden (this is taken inter alia, in the Gylfaginning reference )

Style

What is remarkable about the Ragnarsdrápa that although it is the earliest surviving skaldic poetry, already almost all characteristics are present that make this form of poetry in the next few centuries.

According to the form of the poem is in Drapa Dróttkvætt - meter, and also uses the traditional Kenningtechnik in all its complexity. Not only bipartite kennings are to be found far more complicated than that, even in eddischer seal used ( three - and four-membered ), but it is also much mythological knowledge for decryption required, and also puzzles characteristic Inge ( ofljóst ) are used.

Only the distribution of the internal Reims is not yet carried out strictly in this poem, as is the case in the later Skaldik. The requirements of this type of song price to the structure complies with the poem: the Ragnarsdrápa contains the required chorus, which here has the content that the shield is a gift Ragnar.

Poet and tradition

The research was not always completely agree on the role Bragi: Inventor skaldischer poetry (or at least the dróttkvætt - metrical ), or only the first known representative? While it is certain that there have also been other, earlier Skald ( the Skáldatal names some of which, however, no works have survived ), but the exact proportion Bragi on the seal is unknown. Astonishing arises particularly the perfection is, with the most stylistic devices, especially the kennings, are already used in the Ragnarsdrápa. A longer development phase of Skaldik, as compared with later works, can hardly recognize, and one must assume that these, has evolved in both metric as in linguistic terms for a long time to finally reach maturity, with which they presented at Bragi.

Swell

• Jan de Vries Old Norse literature. Volume 1 De Gruyter, Berlin, 1941.
• E.O.G. Turville - Petre: Skaldic Poetry. Clarendon, Oxford 1976.