Elegy |
A text of mourning |
Lyric |
Any verse text as much concerned with the communication a sentiment as with the telling of a story |
ubi sunt [qui ante fuerunt] |
“Where are they [who came before]?”: a transience topos found widely in medieval literature. In Old English, it is found both in elegy and in homilies. |
Voyage of life |
The representation of life through the image of a sea voyage. In a Christian context, this evokes the understanding that life is uncomfortable and dangerous but has a well-defined destination in a safe harbour. |
Wisdom contest |
A convention in Old Norse eddic literature in which two individuals duel each other by means of riddles or questions about the truths of the universe |