Skáldskaparmál

Icelandic literature

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

The term "Skáldskaparmál" refers to a section of the Prose Edda, an important work of Icelandic literature. This section, meaning "The Language of Poetry," was written by Snorri Sturluson around 1222-1223. Its primary purpose was to serve as a textbook for young poets, explaining the complex and often riddle-like language used in skaldic poetry.12

Skaldic poetry, developed by Icelandic poets from the 9th to 13th centuries, is characterized by its strict meter, subjective descriptions, and ornate language. This language features heiti, which are poetic nouns like "brand" for sword, and kennings, which are metaphorical phrases such as "wave-horse" for ship or "sword liquid" for blood. These kennings often allude to Norse mythology and require specific knowledge to understand. The Skáldskaparmál section of the Prose Edda explains these kennings and other poetic devices, making it a key resource for understanding early Icelandic literature and Norse mythology.231

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Germanic religion and mythology
Scandinavian literary sources
…then furnished a section entitled “Skáldskaparmál” (“Poetic Diction”), explaining and illustrating the abstruse allusions to gods and ancient heroes in the poetry of the skalds. After this, he wrote an introduction to the mythology of the north in the “Gylfaginning” (“Beguiling of Gylfi”), a section describing all of the major…
Read More
…then furnished a section entitled “Skáldskaparmál” (“Poetic Diction”), explaining and illustrating the abstruse allusions to gods and ancient heroes in the poetry of the skalds. After this, he wrote an introduction to the mythology of the north in the “Gylfaginning” (“Beguiling of Gylfi”), a section describing all of the major…
Read More

Edda
The Prose Edda.
Two of the sections—Skáldskaparmál (“The Language of Poetry”), dealing with the elaborate, riddle-like kennings and circumlocutions of the skalds, and Háttatal (“A Catalog of Metres”), giving examples of 102 metres known to Snorri—are of interest chiefly to specialists in ancient Norse and Germanic literature. The remaining section, Gylfaginning…
Read More
Two of the sections—Skáldskaparmál (“The Language of Poetry”), dealing with the elaborate, riddle-like kennings and circumlocutions of the skalds, and Háttatal (“A Catalog of Metres”), giving examples of 102 metres known to Snorri—are of interest chiefly to specialists in ancient Norse and Germanic literature. The remaining section, Gylfaginning…
Read More