Oral court poetry originating in Norway but developed chiefly by Icelandic poets (skalds) from the 9th to the 13th century.
Skaldic poetry was contemporary with Eddic poetry (see Edda ) but differed from it in metre, diction, and style. Eddic poetry is anonymous, simple, and terse, often taking the form of an objective dramatic dialogue. Skalds were identified by name. Their poems were descriptive, occasional, and subjective, their metres strictly syllabic instead of free and variable, and their language ornamented with similes and metaphors. Formal subjects were the mythical stories engraved on shields, praise of kings, epitaphs, and genealogies.