A formal laudatory skaldic poem with refrain stanzas in a lord's honour.
The drápa was the most formally accomplished genre in skaldic art, a long laudatory poem performed in honour of a king or chieftain. It was divided into three sections by a refrain system called stef that marked the formal boundaries.
Composing and delivering a drápa was the skald's professional trial and a demonstration of linguistic and metrical mastery. Payment typically took the form of a gift of gold or weapons from the honoured lord.
Attestations
- Egils saga 55
- Egill delivers the drápa Höfuðlausn to save his own life.