Runhent

As Runhent or Runhenda refers skaldic versification in which both alliteration and rhyme occur. So it is not a fixed meter, but a collective term, the connecting criterion of which is the end rhyme. The basis for the Runhent strophes are usually the two most common meters of the Nordic Middle Ages - Fornyrðislag and Dróttkvætt .

construction

A rune stanza always follows the meter of the meter on which it is based. Early rune stanzas often use the Fornyrðislag , probably because it leaves a lot of freedom in the position of the staff and is not syllable. An example of such verse is found in the "head solution" of Egill Skallagrímsson :

B regðr b roddfleti með b augseti h jǫrleiks h daddy, h ann's baugskati; Höfuðlausn 18 1-4

Anvers, Langzeile 1 Abvers Anvers, Langzeile 2 Abvers structure

4th 4th 4th 4th Syllables

He throws the face of the spear (the shield) with the ring seat (arm) from yourself, the causative agent of swordplay; he's a ring waster. translation by sea

The underlying verse rules correspond to that of Fornyrðislag . The bars are regularly according to the scheme 1 2 || 3 4 distributed. The Fornyrðislag often tends to four syllables, which is also given in this stanza. The end rhyme is simply added as well.

In his " Poetics ", Snorri divides the rune strophes according to the number of lines connected by the end rhyme:

• rétt (correct) or full (full) runhendur extend the rhyme over all eight lines ( e.g. Háttatal 80)
• minni (smaller) runhendur now only cover four lines (see example above or Háttatal 81)
• minzta (smallest) runhendur only bind two lines with an end rhyme ( e.g. Háttatal 82)

use

The first seal in Runhent is the Höfuðlausn by Egill Skallagrímsson . According to the Egils saga 936 it was created at Erik Blutaxt's court in Northern Humbria . The meter was used for price songs ( drápa ) for various kings and, conspicuously, often for mocking songs. The Norwegian rune poem is also written in Runhent.

Origin of the final rhyme

It is generally believed that the end rhyme came to the north via southern seals. How this happened, however, remains the subject of discussion. Egill Skallagrímsson , who was the first to write rune verses, has been proven to have spent part of his life in England. There he could have come into contact with the ending rhyme. But a Germanic origin cannot be ruled out either, as the skalds had long been familiar with rhyming syllables due to their inner rhyme.

See also

• Alliance
• Germanic poetry

literature

• Klaus von See: Germanic verse art ; Metzler Collection M 67; Stuttgart (1967) p. 49 ff.
• Edith Marold : Runhent . In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde Vol. 25 (2nd edition) Berlin, New York 2003. pp. 596–601.