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on a shield, including Thor fishing for Jormungand,
the Midgard Serpent; Gefjon plowing away part
of Sweden; and the story of Hild encouraging her
father Hogni and Hedin, her abductor, to fight, as
told in the H jadningavig .
skaldic poetry A complex form of Norse
poetry that relies on precise numbers and stresses
of syllables in each half-line of the poem. Skaldic
poetry mainly consists of kennings, or poetic, often
mythical, metaphors, to present meaning to the audi-
ence. Much information about Norse mythology is
preserved in this form of poetry.
Skaldic poems are distinct from the works in the
P oetic E dda in several important ways. Most skaldic
poems are the works of named skalds, or specialist
poets. Eddic poems, on the other hand, are anony-
mous and timeless. Skaldic poets counted syllables
carefully, while Eddic poets wrote in a freer verse.
Skaldic poets used myth to praise real heroes, and
Eddic poems are about the myths themselves.
Existing skaldic poetry is preserved in ancient
manuscripts written down centuries after the lives of
the poets, who were part of a preliterate oral tradi-
tion. Some poems have survived in full, but of others
only a stanza has survived.
S kaldskaparmal (Poetical
Diction; The Poesy
of the Skalds) The second section of Snorri Stur-
luson’s P rose E dda . The first is G ylfaginning and
the third is Hattatal.
The first portion of Skaldskaparmal is a dialogue
between a magician named Aegir (2) and the god
Bragi. When Aegir visits the Aesir in Asgard, he is
seated next to Bragi at a feast. He questions the god
and Bragi recounts many of the stories of Norse
mythology.
In the second portion of Skaldskaparmal, Bragi
provides Aegir with many examples of poetic descrip-
tions, or kennings, and lists of names, thulur, of the
gods, creatures, and objects of this northern mythol-
ogy. Both parts of Skaldsaparmal provide an in-depth
lesson to young skalds, or poets, in how to use the
stories of the gods in their work.
S kidbladnir (Wooden-Bladed) The magic
ship made by the dwarf sons of Ivaldi and brought
to Frey by Loki. The ship was big enough to hold all
the gods and their horses and equipment, yet small
enough to be folded up and put away in a pouch when
not in use. It could sail over land or through the air,
as well as on the sea and has been compared to a
swift-moving cloud or a magic carpet.
See also ships and ship burials and “Treasures of
the Dwarfs” under Loki.
S kinfaxi (Shining
Mane) The horse that each
day pulls Dag (day) across the worlds of the gods.
Skinfaxi was considered to be the best of horses. His
gleaming mane lit up the heavens and the Earth. He
is identified in G rimnismal , a poem in the P oetic
E dda . Skinfaxi’s counterpart is Hrimfaxi, the horse
that pulls Nott (night) through the sky. (See also
“Night and Day” under creation.)
S kirnir (Shining) The servant of the shining god,
Frey. He borrowed Frey’s horse and sword and went
on a long journey to woo the Jotun maid Gerda for
his lovesick master. In another myth, Skirnir was sent
by the gods to ask the dwarfs to make them a magic
chain with which to bind the wolf, Fenrir.
S kirnismal (T he L ay of S kirnir ; T he B allad
S kirnir ) A poem in the P oetic E dda , complete
in the C odex R egius , where it is also known as
Skirnir’s Journey, and in part in the A rnamagnaean
C odex . The poem tells the story of the journey of
Frey’s servant Skirnir to woo the giantess Gerda
for his master.
Skirnismal may have been created as early as the
beginning of the 10th century. It contains details that
allow scholars to gain a more complete understand-
ing of many stories in Norse mythology.
of
S koll
The terrible wolf born in Jarnvid to a
giantess and the great wolf monster, Fenrir. Skoll
steadfastly pursues the chariot of the Sun and in the
end, at Ragnarok, he devours it. His brother, Hati
Hrodvitnisson, pursues the Moon.
Skoll is named as this wolf in G rimnismal , a poem
in the P oetic E dda . Snorri Sturluson also identifies
Skoll as the wolf that the Sun fears. (See also “Sun
and Moon” under creation.)
S krymir (Big Fellow)
A very large gian