Skaldic Slam
It is fitting at a Northern European Cultural Event that we show respect and appreciation for the ancient ones to whom we owe so much. During the Viking Age in Scandinavia, between the years 800 C.E. and 1350 C.E., it was the Skalds who perfected the oral tradition of memorizing and retelling the heroic tales and poems of the era. Because of their strict attention to detail, the modern world today enjoys such priceless manuscripts as the Icelandic Sagas and Eddas. Ireland was an almost completely oral society where Irish bards formed a professional hereditary caste of highly trained, learned poets. After many years of training, they were steeped in the history and traditions of clan and country and transmitted the lore of the people in poetry. As officials of the court of king or chieftain, they were chroniclers and satirists whose job it was to praise their employers and damn those who crossed them. It was believed that a well-aimed bardic satire, glam dicenn, could raise boils on the face of its target.
The Skalds and Bards were so popular in the courts and halls of the North and in the duns of Ireland, that when visiting, they were treated with the utmost of honor and appreciation. To treat a bard with less than this was to invite satirical verse that would damage the reputation of the chieftain at the very least! No doubt the host was expecting to have a heroic poem about his exploits to be told in verse before the gathered folk in the hall.
The Skaldic Slam is open to all who wish to continue in the tradition of the Skalds and Bards of old to hone their poetic or bardic skills before an appreciative and hopefully spellbound audience. Adherence to traditional rules of Norwegian court poetry or Irish sagas is not a requirement for entry in the Slam. Entries may be original poetry or prose, may be skillful recitations from classics such as the Hávamál, the Kalevala, the Mabinogion, or perhaps in a cultural folk song. Delivery may be in English or not; spoken or sung; presented a cappella or with musical accompaniment. Get creative!
Prizes:
1st: $100 cash
2nd: $75 cash
3rd:A copy of Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf