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In:From Carving Runestones to Digitizing Skaldic Poetry: Studies in Germanic philology and historical linguistics
Edited by David Bolter, Erin Noelliste, Christopher D. Sapp and Lane Sorensen
[Studies in Germanic Linguistics 11] 2026
► pp. 63–76

Chapter 5
Imitation in skaldic poetry

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Abstract
This chapter discusses the question of whether Old Norse skaldic poets used verbal echoes of the works of earlier skalds to enhance the meaning of their compositions. Possible examples from both early and late in the history of skaldic poetry are then subject to analysis to determine the circumstances in which literary imitation in skaldic poetry can be identified and is likely to be deliberate.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Skaldic imitation: A historical overview
  • 3.A family business
  • 4.Verbal echoes
  • 5.Skaldic imitation in an age of literacy
  • 6.The nickname skáldaspillir
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Author queries
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
References (19)
References
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