Old Norse Poetry - Metrical Forms

Metrical Forms

Old Norse poetry has many metrical forms. They range from the relatively simple fornyrðislag to the deeply complex dróttkvætt, the "courtly metre".

In Eddic poetry, the metric structures are generally simple, and are almost invariably ljóðaháttr or fornyrðislag. Ljóðaháttr, (known also as the "metre of chants"), because of its structure, which comprises broken stanzas, lends itself to dialogue and discourse. Fornyrðislag, "the metre of ancient words", is the more commonly used of the two, and is generally used where the poem is largely narrative. It is composed with four or more syllables per line. Other metrical forms include

• Málaháttr is similar to fornyrðislag, but with a fixed metrical length of five syllables.
• Hrynhenda, a variant of dróttkvætt, which uses all the rules of dróttkvætt, with the exception that the line comprises four metrical feet rather than three.
• Kviðuháttr, another variant of fornyrðislag with alternating lines of 3 and 4 syllables
• Galdralag, the "magic spell metre", which contains a fourth line which echoes and varies the third line