The Fox as a Dying Hero: An Edition and Translation of the Late Medieval Icelandic Poem Skaufalabálkur

Authors

  • Haukur Þorgeirsson
  • William Sayers Cornell University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/scancan239

Keywords:

Beast epic, satire, literary conventions, heroic poetry, Eddic poetry

Abstract

The late-medieval Icelandic poem Skaufalabálkur describes the final hunting trip of an old fox in a style mimicking heroic epic. The work is traditionally connected with poets working at or near Skarð in Western-Iceland in the 15th century and we argue here that the language of the poem is consistent with that dating. This new edition presents a text of the poem based on the oldest manuscript with some advances in the reading and interpretation of certain words. The translation aims to accurately transmit the poem’s rich vocabulary pertaining to the life of foxes and medieval farming in the subarctic and to accessibly convey a satiric gem to a modern audience.

Author Biography

William Sayers, Cornell University

William Sayers is adjunct full professor in the Graduate Program in Medieval Studies at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.  He writes on medieval western European languages and literatures, with a current focus on Old Norse poetics and English etymology. 

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Published

2023-11-05

How to Cite

Þorgeirsson, H., & Sayers, W. (2023). The Fox as a Dying Hero: An Edition and Translation of the Late Medieval Icelandic Poem Skaufalabálkur. Scandinavian-Canadian Studies, 30, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.29173/scancan239