The drottkvett was a form of Old Norse skaldic poetry composed to glorify a chieftain's deeds or to lament his death. Kari Ellen Gade explores the structural peculiarities of ninth- and tenth-century drottkvett poetry and suggests a solution to the mystery of the origins of the drottkvett and its eventual demise in the fourteenth century.

The drottkvett was a form of Old Norse skaldic poetry composed to glorify a chieftain's deeds or to lament his death. Kari Ellen Gade explores the structural peculiarities of ninth- and tenth-century drottkvett poetry and suggests a solution to the mystery of the origins of the drottkvett and its eventual demise in the fourteenth century.

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This splendid book represents a triumph over the massive technical difficulties inherent in its production.... The originality and thoroughness of Gade's methodology, her awareness and synthesis of pertinent work by other scholars, and her ability to communicate lucidly to the reader are an inspiration throughout.

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The Islandica Series from Cornell has come to be associated with scholarship of the highest standard in central areas of Icelandic studies. Gade's book is a controversial and stimulating account which succeeds admirably in living up to the expectations of the series.