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Halisstra Dalael
Acolyte
21 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Dec 2004 : 21:40:45
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What exactly are skalds? How do you roleplay one if the Forgotten Realms? How are they trained? where are they from typically? Any help or information you could provide would be most appreciated
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Melfius
Senior Scribe
USA
516 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2004 : 03:29:36
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A skald is a bard from a Viking-type area/setting. Mostly, for Realms purposes, you could see them as being from barbarian cultures. They would sing the tales of great warriors, or the gods of the barbarians, and how brave/mighty/manly they are. (Or womanly, don't want to get attacked here!
If you can get access to it, the 2nd Ed book The Vikings Sourcebook has great info on them, and can be had relatively cheaply on e-bay (wasn't a big hit). |
Melfius, Pixie-Priest of Puck - Head Chef, The Faerie Kitchen, Candlekeep Inn
"What's in his pockets, besides me?"
Read a tale of my earlier days! - Happiness Comes in Small Packages |
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Beowulf
Learned Scribe
Canada
322 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2004 : 05:08:33
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Hail and Well met!
quote:
Originally posted by Halisstra Dalael
What exactly are skalds? How do you roleplay one if the Forgotten Realms? How are they trained? where are they from typically? Any help or information you could provide would be most appreciated
A skald is more-or-less the Nordic equivalent of the Celtic bard. The word means "shaper" and its Anglo-Saxon cognate was "scope".
The skald is (one of)the collective memory(s) of his tribe, recording in song and story all of the important exploits of his tribe. Naturally, the tales of heroes and heroic exploits make up a goodly portion of that history -- especially considering their leadership was also heroic rather than stay-at-home-behind-the-lines -- but the history-singers of the Teutonic folk wrote about far more than warrior accomplishments. They also wrote about the relationship, the love, between a man and his lord, the love between man and woman, the sorrow of being forced apart from ones love, and pretty well the nature of things, as their culture perceived them (eg. greed, envy, boldness, rightwisdom, work, play, etc.).
Most skalds will be trained by a tutor, a master skald, in a master-apprentice relationship, who will (ensure) familairize(ation) the student with the traditional heroes of their culture, various metaphors and nuances of speech known in the culture, various metres and forms of poetry. Skaldic and Teutonic poetry in general was distinguished by its use of "internal rhyme" or "alliteration", and was very rich in metaphor, drawing as it did upon a vast, deep, and broad tradition.
Sklads would also receive special training for their memory, would probably be better observers than the average person, and of course, they would also be trained in how to play to a crowd.
Given the strong heroic diminsion of the most popular type of poetry, not to mention the value of experience, a skald would probably also be served well by learning how to wield a blade.
As for where one would find a skald; well, pretty well anywhere one would find a "bard". But taking a skald as a particular cultural manifestation, and not the "flower is a flower by any other name" standard, they would be found in those islands populated by the northman and/or Illuskans. The Moonshaes, Ruathym, Gundarlun, and maybe Neverwinter. |
"Ill tempered the wretch, who laughs at everyone. He cannot recognize, as he should, that he is not without faults." the High One, Poetic Edda |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2004 : 05:42:21
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Skalds? That's what really hot water does when it gets on you. I've been skalded before, and it's not fun.   |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5699 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2004 : 08:16:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Skalds? That's what really hot water does when it gets on you. I've been skalded before, and it's not fun.
Well met
::sigh:: Aye, there's always one, there's always one 
Indeed, Halisstra Dalael, Beowulf couldn't have put it better. 
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Alaundo
Candlekeep Forums Head Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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An Introduction to Candlekeep - by Ed Greenwood
The Candlekeep Compendium - Tomes of Realmslore penned by Scribes of Candlekeep
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2004 : 08:25:07
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| Or two. Wooly beat me to it. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2004 : 10:50:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Alaundo
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Skalds? That's what really hot water does when it gets on you. I've been skalded before, and it's not fun.
Well met
::sigh:: Aye, there's always one, there's always one
Since some people have started calling me the Mischief-Maker, it means I have a reputation to maintain.  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Melfius
Senior Scribe
USA
516 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2004 : 13:06:29
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I only called you that once! |
Melfius, Pixie-Priest of Puck - Head Chef, The Faerie Kitchen, Candlekeep Inn
"What's in his pockets, besides me?"
Read a tale of my earlier days! - Happiness Comes in Small Packages |
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Mystery_Man
Senior Scribe
USA
455 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2004 : 13:20:14
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gotta love working for a college and having access to the entire encylopedia brittanica. :)
During the Middle Ages, Scandinavian minstrel-poets developed an oral court verse known as skaldic poetry. These poets, known as skalds, sang of Norse gods and of the exploits of Viking heroes.
Skaldic poetry originated in Norway but developed chiefly in Iceland from the 9th to the 13th century. It was contemporary with Eddic poetry but differed from it in meter, diction, and style. Eddic poetry is anonymous, simple, and terse, often taking the form of a dramatic dialogue (see Edda). Skalds, on the other hand, were identified by name. Their poems were descriptive and occasional, their meters strictly syllabic instead of free and variable, and their language ornamented with similes and metaphors. The formal subjects of the skalds were the mythological engravings on shields, praise of kings, epitaphs, and genealogies. There were also less formal occasional poems, dream songs, magic curses, satires, and, though forbidden by law, many love songs. The greatest of the skalds was Egill Skallagrímsson, whose life and works are preserved in the Egils saga. |
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Mystery_Man
Senior Scribe
USA
455 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2004 : 13:22:43
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What's an edda?
The most ancient collection of Iceland's literature, the Edda consists of two 13th-century books: the Prose (or Younger) Edda and the Poetic (or Elder) Edda. Together they represent the fullest and most detailed source for modern knowledge of Germanic mythology.
The Prose Edda was written by Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson in about 1222. It is partly a textbook on poetry and partly a text about the Norse gods and their fate. The textbook sections on poetics were intended to instruct young poets in the difficult meters of the early Icelandic skalds (court poets). The remaining section describes mythological subjects treated or alluded to in early poetry. Cast in the form of a dialogue, it describes the visit of Gylfi, a king of the Swedes, to Asgard, the citadel of the gods. In answer to his questions, the gods tell Gylfi the Norse myths about the beginning of the world, the adventures of the gods, and the fate in store for all in the Ragnarök (Doom [or Twilight] of the Gods).
The Poetic Edda was compiled 50 or more years later but contains older literary material from pre-Christian Iceland, most likely written between 800 and 1000 AD. This material is a collection of mythological and heroic poems of unknown authorship. They are usually dramatic dialogues in a terse, simple, archaic style that is in decided contrast to the artful poetry of the skalds described in the Prose Edda. The mythological cycle is introduced by Völuspá (Sibyl's Prophecy), a sweeping myth that reviews the history of the gods, men, and dwarfs, from the birth of the world to the death of the gods and the world's destruction. The second half of the Poetic Edda contains lays about the Germanic heroes. It includes the oldest existing poetic rendition of the great Germanic legends of the Nibelungs, which became the basis of the Ring of the Nibelung opera cycle by Richard Wagner.
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Mystery_Man
Senior Scribe
USA
455 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2004 : 13:24:59
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What are nibelungs?
No literary work has provided more inspiration for German art and literature than the ‘Nibelungenlied', or ‘Song of the Nibelungs'. This epic poem, written about 1200 by an unknown author, weaves together several ancient Scandinavian and Germanic legends. Some of these date from the 5th and 6th centuries; other parts of the story reflect a later Christianized civilization of the 13th century. In the 19th century this epic became familiar to opera lovers through Richard Wagner's ‘The Ring of the Nibelung', a four-part music drama (see Opera; Wagner).
The ‘Nibelungenlied' is a story of knights and their ladies, of kings and battles, of love, jealousy, and vengeance. The Nibelung itself is a treasure possessed by the book's hero Siegfried, and it plays a fairly marginal role in the narrative. Eventually it is captured by an evil character named Hagen and dumped into the Rhine River, where he hopes eventually to recover it. He is killed for his evil deeds, especially the murder of Siegfried. The treasure is lost because he refuses to reveal its location.
The plot centers around Kriemhild, the sister of Gunther, king of the Burgundians, who holds his court at Worms on the Rhine. Siegfried comes to woo Kriemhild, and in due course they are married. Many characters are introduced into the story. One is Brunhild, an Icelandic princess of wonderful beauty and warlike strength. Only he who should overcome her in deeds of skill and strength might win her love and hand. King Gunther, attracted by the fame of her beauty, goes to woo her, and Siegfried accompanies him as his friend and ally. Wearing a cloak that makes him invisible, Siegfried aids Gunther in defeating Brunhild in three tests of prowess.
Gunther weds Brunhild, and she goes to live in the court at Worms. Later she learns that it was Siegfried and not Gunther who was worthy of her hand. Soon after, Siegfried is treacherously slain by Hagen, one of Gunther's followers, and Brunhild drops almost unnoticed out of the story. The rest of the story tells of Kriemhild's revenge, which is accomplished through her second husband, Etzel (or Attila). |
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Mystery_Man
Senior Scribe
USA
455 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2004 : 13:27:24
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Bragi, norse god of skalds
in Norse mythology, the god of poetry. Bragi was revered for his wisdom, his eloquence, his ability to compose and recite, and his knowledge of poetry. He was also the god of ceremony and the god of skalds (bards). According to the ‘Prose (or Younger) Edda', it was because of Bragi that poetry was called brag, and a person, regardless of sex, was said to be a brag (chief) of men or women if he or she excelled in eloquence.
Brag's wife was the goddess Idunn, who kept the apples of youth that the gods ate in order to avoid aging. Thus poetry was linked with the source of eternal youth.
Bragi was also the name of a celebrated Norwegian poet of the 9th century, the skald Bragi Boddason, who invented a certain type of stanza. It is possible that he became deified after his death; the god Bragi appears to be a late development in the Scandinavian imagination, and Odin, the principal god, was also identified as the patron god of skaldic poetry. |
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Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2004 : 14:10:46
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| 3e game stats for skalds(as a bard kit) are in Unearthed Arcana. A skald prestige class is in Races of Faerun. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
Posted - 22 Dec 2004 : 00:38:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Melfius
I only called you that once!
Mayhaps so, but some others have picked it up. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Skalds
