CPS Lecture: Anatoly Liberman

"Skaldic Tradition and the Definitive Origin of the word 'Skald'"
Illustration from the 18th-century Icelandic manuscript NKS 1867 of Thor's fight with the World Serpent, the subject of early skaldic verses by Bragi Boddason and Úlfr Uggason
Illustration from the 18th-century Icelandic manuscript NKS 1867 of Thor's fight with the World Serpent, the subject of early skaldic verses by Bragi Boddason and Úlfr Uggason.
Event Date & Time
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Event Location
1210 Heller Hall

271 19th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Abstract: Unlike the rest of the Germanic-speaking world, pre-Chistian Scandinavia was the home of two types of oral poetry: traditional, as almost everywhere in Eurasia (mythological and heroic, known in Scandinavia as eddic, from EDDA, the name of the most famous collection of such verses), and skaldic, composed by individual authors (skalds). Skaldic poetry poses numerous questions, none of which has been answered to everybody's satisfaction. One of them concerns the mysterious origin of that poetry, another centers on its incredibly convoluted form. Somewhat unexpectedly, the answers may partly depend on understanding the origin (etymology) of the word SKALD, which is also unknown. The presentation will address the rise of skaldic poetry and propose what seems to be the most reasonable etymology of SKALD.

Bio: Anatoly Liberman is a professor in the Department of German, Nordic, Slavic, and Dutch at the University of Minnesota. In medieval studies, his main areas of research are historical phonology, etymology, Old English and Old Icelandic literature, and the main features of the medieval mentality. He is also an active translator of poetry from and into English, a historian of the Golden Age of Russian poetry, and a literary critic. His most recent books are The Saga Mind and the Beginnings of Icelandic Prose and an explanatory and etymological dictionary of English Idioms (the latter published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2022).

Cosponsored by the Medieval Studies Fund.

Access to Heller Hall is restricted at certain doors. Enter the building via Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the ground floor tunnels (from Wilson Library or Blegen Hall), or the second floor skyway from Blegen. If you have any questions or ever get lost, call the CPS office (612-625-6303).

This is a hybrid event. Click the registration link to sign up for the Zoom webinar. 

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