Skáldskaparmál

Skáldskaparmál, meaning The Language of Poetry, is the second of the major sections of the Prose Edda, a medieval Icelandic compilation attributed to Snorri Sturluson and likely composed in the early 13th century. The work serves as a practical guide to Old Norse skaldic poetics, explaining how poets produce and interpret metaphorical language and complex kennings used in poetry.

The text unfolds as a didactic dialogue in which Snorri explains the rules and resources of poetic diction. A central focus is the use of kennings—figurative compounds such as referring to the sea as the "whale-road"—and the role of heiti, traditional poetic synonyms. Skáldskaparmál also shows how poets draw on myth, history, and toponymy to create meaning, and it provides extensive catalogues of kennings for gods, heroes, creatures, ships, weapons, and other elements of Norse imagery. Through numerous examples drawn from myth and saga, the work demonstrates how metaphor and allusion convey layers of significance in skaldic verse.

As both a manual for poets and a repository of poetic vocabulary, Skáldskaparmál has played a crucial role in the study of Norse literature. It illuminates the kenning tradition and the linguistic mechanisms underlying skaldic composition, making it a foundational source for scholars of Old Norse poetry. The work is followed by Háttatal, which presents a formal demonstration of metres, forming part of the instructional core of the Prose Edda.