Scandinavian Poetry (Critical Survey of Poetry, Second Revised Edition)
Introduction
The oldest evidence of lyric writing in the Nordic countries can be dated back to the introduction of the runic alphabet in the third century. Thousands of runic inscriptions—first carved in wood and on tools and later in stone as memorials—are preserved in Denmark, Norway, and especially Sweden; more than two thousand inscriptions dating from the eleventh century are known to exist in Sweden alone. These inscriptions, characteristically concise and laconic, provide invaluable insights into both personal destinies and events of national scope. Frequently, the...
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