The skalds (of skald) were itinerant poets who also acted as warriors. They belonged to the court of the Scandinavian kings during the Middle Ages, they were in charge of extolling them in poetic compositions such as the drape, that mainly had the function of exalting their generosity or the heroism they showed in some battle. His works constitute the so-called poetry skaldic, characterized by the verse alliterative and figures of speech, one of which was the kenning (naming the objective to be praised by means of a word that characterizes it due to an anecdote). Although this art developed on the mainland, it became an Icelandic specialty as highly regarded in its own country as it was in the Nordic kingdoms and the British Isles. Some even had their own saga, such as Gunlaug viper's tongue

Origin of skaldic poetry

Skaldic poetry dates back to the early 9th century with Bragi Boddason and his Ragnarsdrápa (composed in honor of the Norse hero Ragnar Lodbrok), considered one of the oldest surviving Norse poems. This was followed by many important skalds such as Egill Skallagrímsson and Torbjørn Hornklove (Thorbjorn Hornklofi), whose works reflected many references to gods such as Thor and Odin and to seers and runes.

The Skalds as chroniclers

Plus Beyond composing poems, in the Middle Ages they also eventually became chroniclers of history, similar to reporters today, which led to them gaining more prominent positions. Olaf II of Norway mentions it very clearly shortly before the battle of Stiklestad: “He called his skalds and ordered them to enter the hall of his fortress. “You must be here,” he said, “and witness everything that will happen here. Then you won't need anyone to tell you anything, because you can say it for yourself and compose verses about it later ".

Clothing

His clothing was normally composed of a cape, a Krytill (wool shirt), furry fur hat and trousers with knee protectors to walk through the snow, although it is believed that far from Iceland such a coat was not necessary and that usually he carried a lyre to adorn his song.

Change with the arrival of Christianity

With the drop From pagan mythology many Skalds worked with churches to record the lives and miracles of saints, as well as pass on the ideals of Christianity. Due to this the skalds were the main agents of the culture when they began to glorify and transmit Christianity over the old pagan beliefs, the Viking culture also leaned towards Christianity.