Skáld-Sveinn was a fifteenth century Icelandic poet whose name refers to his poetry, as “skáld” means poet in Icelandic. Nothing is known about this poet other than his name, but his work is important in Icelandic literary history. The only known poem by Skáld-Sveinn is
Heimsósómakvæði, written in the late fifteenth century, which is often regarded as the first critical poem in the tradition of “heimsósómakvæði” [de contemptu mundi, lamentations on the state of the world] composed in Iceland. This form of poetry later became a popular genre in Iceland, especially in the early modern period, and its title is still used to refer to laments, in poetry or prose, about the decline and sad state of the world (Böðvar Guðmundsson 437). Poets often describe what is going…
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Citation: Pálsson, Oddur. "Skáld-Sveinn". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 January 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15205, accessed 22 February 2025.]
