is the Old Norse term for an insult tradition in medieval Norse society.
Níðmeans “scorn, libel, calumny”, and indicates a particular form of ritual defamation that manifests in both verbal and sculptural forms. Verbal or tongue
níð(
tunguníð) comprises scandalous verses,
níðvísur, sexually defaming or libelous in nature such as that a man has borne children or becomes a mare every ninth night. Sculptural
níð(
tréníð), literally “timber-
níð”, occurs when a pole, a
níðstöng, is varyingly carved with runes or persons in sexually compromising positions. A horse’s head or even an entire horse may be impaled on the pole and the resulting apparatus turned towards an enemy. Raising the
níð-pole is accompanied by an incantation, formula, or libelous verse…
3071 words
Citation: Lawing, Sean. "Níð". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 September 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19661, accessed 09 October 2024.]