kveðskapur

Kveðskapur is the Icelandic term for poetry or verse. The word derives from the verb kveða, to speak or compose verses, combined with skap(r) meaning craft or creation. In Icelandic usage it denotes the whole practice of composing and performing verse, from ancient ritual and court poetry to contemporary poetry.

Historically central to Icelandic culture, kveðskapur was produced by poets called skáld who served chieftains and kings. Much of early Icelandic literature survives as kveðskapur embedded in sagas and the Poetic Edda. The tradition includes two main strands: skaldic poetry, with ornate language, complex meters such as dróttkvætt, and kennings; and eddic poetry, older heroic lays with simpler metrics such as fornyrðislag.

Stylistically, kveðskapur relies on alliteration, internal rhyme, and metaphor. Kennings and heiti (poetic synonyms) are common devices. The form reflects an oral performance tradition, where poets recited verses to audiences and patrons. In modern Icelandic, the term also covers contemporary poetry, but retains its sense of craft and tradition.

Today kveðskapur is a standard scholarly term in Icelandic literature, used in philology, medieval studies, and literary criticism. It remains part of national heritage and is studied alongside prose, with many modern poets drawing on its historical forms while experimenting with new styles.