An excursion into Old Norse meter

In the short story I finished yesterday, the heroine causes (in a way) an evolution of poetic forms.

There are four poems overall. The first in Eddic (epic) meter, the second is a skaldic poem,  third supposedly a ballad (rhymed), and the last is free verse.

Surprisingly I had the most trouble with the formal Eddic metre, fornyrðislag - "the way of the old words," . It is surprising because this is the stuff I've been reading for years, but it is not as easily transferable into English as I thought.

The Old Norse epic meter is built on the following principles:

WARNING - IT GETS BORING HERE

Principle 1. Two half-lines, united by alliteration of two, sometimes three words.
(The bolded letters in the translation correspond to the original alliterations)

Two-word alliteration:
sól þat ne vissi     hvar hon sali átti,
máni þat ne vissi     hvat hann megins átti

Sun did not know that, where she had her  hall.
Moon did not know that, what might he had.
(this is from Voluspa)

Three-word alliteration - in many Eddic poems the three-word alliteration full line is usually followed by a shorter two-word alliteration line:

Loki:
Þegi þú, Njörðr,  þú vart austr heðan
gísl of sendr at goðom;
Hymis meyjar  höfðo þik at hlandtrogi
ok þér i munn migo.

Shut up you Niord,     you were, east of here,
Sent as a hostage for the gods;
Maidens of Hymir (a giant)    had you for a chamberpot
And pissed in your mouth.
(This is from Lokasenna)

If this is of interest, I will be happy to continue. Please tell me if I am boring too :-)

Memeage

Five questions from kythiaranos :) :)

1. Who's your favorite superhero?
Ahh... I haven't grown up in American culture, and have little knowledge of superheroes... I guess Baba Yaga is my superhero. Her superpower is Flight in a Mortar, using a Pestle.

2. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Well, not Flight in a Mortar, I don't think :) I guess if I had to have one I'd like to have Hermione's stopwatch for having more time in the day. Or the same power, without the stopwatch.

3. What's the best comfort-food meal when you're sick?
Soup!!! I love soup. Chicken soup with matzoh balls. Or lentil soup. Or vegetable soup. In fact, I am going to make soup right now :)

4. What's your craziest wish for your writing career?
I'd like one day to finish and publish my book, and to have one of my students recommend it to me as a good read. :) And I'd like to be a discussant on a Worldcon panel.

This wasn't very crazy, I know. Crazy would be to one day tbecome a tenured professor and THEN have my colleagues discover I am also a published author. But the thought makes me cringe, so no-no-no.

5. Where's your dream destination for a vacation?
Hmmm, there are three possible answers to this. First, Galapagos. I love chelonians of all shapes and sizes, and I just have to see those turtles one day. Second, I'd like to go to Central Europe. I have friends in the Czech Republic and would love a week or two away from the family, just writing, walking around Prague or Olomouc, and feasting with my friends. And third, Mendocino. I've been there once, and it has been the most beautiful vacation of my life, excluding Istanbul.