''Skíðaríma'' () is a humorous Icelandic ríma, of unknown authorship, dated to around 1450–1500.

Summary

The hero is the audacious and inventive beggar Skíði, who was apparently a historic figure from the 12th century. It was also a real event that he had a dream in 1195, and it is this dream that is the matter of ''Skíðaríma''. Skíði dreams that

Óðinn Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victory, ...

sends Þórr to fetch Skíði in order to broker peace between Heðinn and Högni as their incessant war about

Hildr In Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folkl ...

threatens to destroy

Valhalla In Norse mythology Valhalla (;) is the anglicised name for non, Valhǫll ("hall of the slain").Orchard (1997:171–172) It is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. Half of those who die in combat ...

. Skíði manages to make peace by asking to marry Hildr and finding her willing. However, as Skíði could not stop mentioning the word ''God'' in front of the

Æsir The Æsir (Old Norse: ) are the gods of the principal pantheon in Norse religion. They include Odin, Frigg, Höðr, Thor, and Baldr. The second Norse pantheon is the Vanir. In Norse mythology, the two pantheons wage war against each oth ...

, and finally makes the

sign of the cross Making the sign of the cross ( la, signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. This blessing is made by the tracing of an upright cross or + across the body with ...

Heimdallr In Norse mythology, Heimdall (from Old Norse Heimdallr) is a god who keeps watch for invaders and the onset of Ragnarök from his dwelling Himinbjörg, where the burning rainbow bridge Bifröst meets the sky. He is attested as possessing fore ...

struck him in the mouth with the

Gjallarhorn In Norse mythology, Gjallarhorn ( Old Norse: ; "hollering horn"Orchard (1997:57). or "the loud sounding horn"Simek (2007:110).) is a horn associated with the god Heimdallr and the wise being Mímir. The sound of Heimdallr's horn will herald th ...

. However, some of the

Einherjar In Norse mythology, the einherjar (singular einheri) literally "army of one", "those who fight alone"Simek, Rudolf. 1993. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. Translated by Angela Hall. p. 71Orchard (1997:36) and Lindow (2001:104).) are those who h ...

side with Skíði, whereas others are against him. A great battle ensued with a great many heroic deeds, some of them done by the pathetic beggar himself, until finally Sigurðr the dragon slayer throws him out through the door. Skíði wakes up with a lot of pain in a farm on

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

. The depiction of the grovelling, avaricious and impudent beggar is considered to be very funny, and the poem is full of burlesque humour.

Editions and translations

* Maurer, Konrad von (ed.), ''Die Skída-ríma'' (Munich: Verlag der k. Akademie, 1869) *
Kvæðasafn eptir íslenzka menn frá miðöldum og síðari öldum. Fyrsta deild: Ljóðmæli nafngreindra höfunda
' (Hið íslenska bókmentafélag, 1922). * Finnur Jónsson (ed.), ''Rímnasafn: Samling af de ældste islandske rimer'', Samfund til udgivelse af gammel nordisk litteratur, 35, 2 vols (Copenhagen: Møller and Jørgensen, 1905-22), I:10–40. * Finnur Jónsson'sbr>1929 Copenhagen edition
* Theo Homan (ed.), ''Skíðaríma: An Inquiry into Written and Printed Texts, References and Commentaries'', Amsterdamer Publikationen zur Sprache und Literatur, 20 (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1975) (including an English translation pp. 347–59)
Text in modern Icelandic spelling at Bragi

Manuscripts

The oldest manuscript of the ríma is Reykjavík, Stofnun Árna Magnússon, Am 1025 4to, copied in 1737 by Jón Þorkelsson Skálholtsrektor.''Skíðaríma: An Inquiry into Written and Printed Texts, References and Commentaries'', ed. by Theo Homan, Amsterdamer Publikationen zur Sprache und Literatur, 20 (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1975), pp. 13, 16.
Manuscripts listed at Handrit.is

References

Old Norse poetry Sources of Norse mythology Rímur
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