36:
20:
1137:
1107:, where two or more performers trade elaborate insults, derive from the ancient Caledonian art of "flyting." According to the theory, Scottish slave owners took the tradition with them to the United States, where it was adopted and developed by slaves, emerging many years later as rap; see also John Dollard, "The Dozens: the dialect of insult",
773:
420:
a consistent differentiation between representations in Greek of
Achaean and Trojan speech, where Achaeans repeatedly engage in public, ritualized abuse: "Achaeans are proficient at blame, while Trojans perform praise poetry."
333:
but highly poetic abuse. Flyting was permitted despite the fact that the penalty for profanities in public was a fine of 20 shillings (over £300 in 2024 prices) for a lord, or a whipping for a servant.
406:'s poem "The Holy Office" is a curse upon society by a bard. Joyce played with the traditional two-character exchange by making one of the characters representing society as a whole.
111:. Attested from around 1200 in the general sense of a verbal quarrel, it is first found as a technical literary term in Scotland in the sixteenth century. The first written
295:, flyting would take place in a feasting hall. The winner would be decided by the reactions of those watching the exchange. The winner would drink a large cup of beer or
1087:
505:", part of Harold Shea's introduction to the Norse gods is a flyting between Heimdall and Loki in which Heimdall says, "All insults are untrue. I state facts."
232:
and Norse literature involving both historical and mythological figures. The exchanges would become extremely provocative, often involving accusations of
376:
31:. Caption reads: "Don't frighten us Pope, with your ban, and don't be such a furious man. Otherwise we shall turn around and show you our rears."
205:
Flyting is a ritual, poetic exchange of insults practiced mainly between the 5th and 16th centuries. Examples of flyting are found throughout
955:
An encyclopedia of swearing : the social history of oaths, profanity, foul language, and ethnic slurs in the
English-speaking world
623:"Nicht Bapst: nicht schreck uns mit deim ban, Und sey nicht so zorniger man. Wir thun sonst ein gegen wehre, Und zeigen dirs Bel vedere"
791:
644:
1172:
379:
analysed 13 comic flytings and several other ritual exchanges in the tragedies. Flytings also appear in
Nicholas Udall's
344:
121:
81:"counter-boasting"), is a contest consisting of the exchange of insults between two parties, often conducted in verse.
1053:
962:
867:
449:
394:
While flyting died out in
Scottish writing after the Middle Ages, it continued for writers of Celtic background.
453:, for example, has many passages of flyting in which the poet's opponent is, in effect, the rest of humanity.
536:
829:"Serial Defamation in Two Medieval Tales: The Icelandic Ölkofra Þáttr and The Irish Scéla Mucce Meic Dathó"
304:
1167:
1162:
725:
342:
encouraged "court flyting" between poets for their entertainment and occasionally engaged with them.
1141:
828:
551:
as a modern expression, providing a platform for two individuals to poetically insult each other.
387:
1182:
730:
665:
541:
531:
video game series, insults are often integral to duels such as sword fighting and arm wrestling.
24:
526:
259:
634:
288:, flytings were used as either a prelude to battle or as a form of combat in their own right.
1177:
738:
381:
353:
938:
Quaestio: selected proceedings of the
Cambridge Colloquium in Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic
27:
referencing (and possibly illustrating) flyting. German peasants respond to a papal bull of
1187:
1147:
783:
514:
465:
335:
218:
196:
772:
Dunbar, William (1979). "23 The
Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedie". In Kinsley, James (ed.).
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237:
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540:, in which the protagonist is a Viking, players can engage in flyting with various
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28:
1088:"Rap music originated in medieval Scottish pubs, claims American professor"
519:
509:
395:
356:
in front of James IV, which includes the earliest recorded use of the word
186:
Thersites: The plague of Greece upon thee, thou mongrel beef-witted lord!
1104:
813:
579:
490:
403:
225:
94:
1011:
987:
368:
60-line flyte to James V after the King demanded a response to a flyte.
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752:
719:
704:
680:
594:
548:
461:
456:
Flyting is similar in both form and function to the modern practice of
399:
243:
Norse literature contains stories of the gods flyting. For example, in
19:
605:
245:
233:
147:
900:
696:
279:
477:
464:, a verbal-combat game representing a synthesis of flyting and its
365:
322:
214:
329:
would engage in verbal contests of provocative, often sexual and
284:
820:
604:
Pwnco, a verse 'battle' forming part of the Welsh custom of the
468:
descendants with comparable
African verbal-combat games such as
254:
98:
1136:
437:
104:
40:
568:
425:
416:
326:
221:
175:
The Answer Which Sir David
Lyndsay made to the King's Flyting
184:
Ajax: Thou bitch-wolf's son, canst thou not hear? Feel then.
1114:(1939), pp. 3–24; Roger D. Abrahams, "Playing the dozens",
753:"Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: DOST :: flyting"
561:
357:
296:
268:
264:
250:
210:
44:
952:
814:"Flyting | Scottish verbal contest | Britannica"
171:
An Answer quhilk Schir David
Lyndsay maid Y Kingis Flyting
428:
culture, among many others. Flyting can also be found in
681:"Flyting, Sounding, Debate: Three Verbal Contest Genres"
940:
Volumes 2–3, pp. 43–44, University of
Cambridge, 2001.
636:
Luther's Last Battles: Politics and Polemics 1531-46
299:
in victory, then invite the loser to drink as well.
718:
547:Some see the subculture of hip hop music known as
1045:Talking Trojan: Speech and Community in the Iliad
717:
443:Echoes of the genre continue into modern poetry.
1154:
436:, as well as the competitive verses of Japanese
826:
659:
518:consists of a flyting between the protagonist
1103:Professor Ferenc Szasz argued that so-called
802:– via Oxford Scholarly Editions Online.
460:between rappers and the historic practice of
1026:Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
885:"The Germanic Context of the Unferþ Episode"
862:. Berkeley: University of California Press.
78:
1028:. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1995.
632:
948:
946:
125:, written in the late fifteenth century.
1048:. Lanham MD: Rowmann & Littlefield.
626:
161:Ay fukkand lyke ane furious fornicatour
157:Like ane boisteous bull, ye rin and ryde
34:
18:
16:Exchange of insults in the form of verse
1085:
360:as a personal insult. In 1536 the poet
321:Flyting became public entertainment in
263:, Hárbarðr (generally considered to be
1155:
1041:
985:
943:
882:
771:
489:(duel singing) to defeat his opponent
253:insults the other gods in the hall of
953:Geoffrey Hughes; M.E. Sharpe (2006).
855:
678:
325:in the 15th and 16th centuries, when
267:in disguise) engages in flyting with
992:The Shakespeare Association Bulletin
784:10.1093/actrade/9780198118886.book.1
739:participating institution membership
496:
409:
1079:
159:Royatouslie, lyke ane rude rubatour
47:flyte in an illustration (1895) by
13:
633:Edwards Jr, Mark U. (2004-11-19).
424:Taunting songs are present in the
414:Hilary Mackie has detected in the
345:The Flyting of Dumbar and Kennedie
122:The Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedie
103:meaning 'to quarrel', made into a
14:
1199:
1129:
988:"Flyting in Shakspere's Comedies"
1135:
1060:, reviewed by Joshua T. Katz in
544:for prestige and other rewards.
450:A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle
135:I will no longer keep it secret:
1070:
1035:
1018:
979:
931:
876:
849:
639:. Fortress Press. p. 199.
398:parodied flyting in his poem, "
806:
765:
745:
711:
672:
653:
617:
371:Flytings appear in several of
128:
1:
1086:Johnson, Simon (2008-12-28).
1042:Mackie, Hilary Susan (1996).
485:uses the similar practice of
318:contain elements of flyting.
1116:Journal of American Folklore
957:. M.E. Sharpe. p. 175.
84:
7:
775:The Poems of William Dunbar
554:
305:The Owl and the Nightingale
141:hardly worse than thyself.
10:
1204:
1173:European court festivities
1030:Literature Resource Center
859:Feud in the Icelandic Saga
537:Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
348:records a contest between
986:Galway, Margaret (1935).
883:Clover, Carol J. (1980).
726:Oxford English Dictionary
662:The Irish Comic Tradition
432:in a popular form called
1148:Flyting – britannica.com
827:Sayers, William (1991).
611:
522:and the Norse god Loki.
274:In the confrontation of
1094:. Telegraph Media Group
731:Oxford University Press
666:Oxford University Press
660:Vivian Mercier (1962).
542:non-playable characters
508:The climactic scene in
99:
856:Byock, Jesse (1983) .
388:Gammer Gurton's Needle
302:The 13th-century poem
188:
163:
143:
137:it was with thy sister
74:
51:
32:
1067:.2 (1998) pp. 408–09.
382:Ralph Roister Doister
182:
155:
139:thou hadst such a son
133:
38:
22:
1144:at Wikimedia Commons
679:Parks, Ward (1986).
515:The Ship of the Dead
475:In the Finnish epic
466:Early Modern English
197:Troilus and Cressida
1121:(1962), pp. 209–18.
729:(Online ed.).
503:The Roaring Trumpet
391:from the same era.
373:William Shakespeare
315:Parlement of Foules
293:Anglo-Saxon England
192:William Shakespeare
52:
33:
1168:Theatrical combat
1140:Media related to
793:978-0-19-811888-6
737:(Subscription or
646:978-1-4514-1398-4
497:Modern portrayals
458:freestyle battles
410:Similar practices
385:and John Still's
362:Sir David Lyndsay
238:sexual perversion
167:Sir David Lyndsay
107:with the suffix -
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1163:Genres of poetry
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838:. pp. 35–57
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310:Geoffrey Chaucer
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200:, Act 2, Scene 1
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63:Classical Gaelic
23:1545 woodcut by
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377:Margaret Galway
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93:comes from the
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39:The Norse gods
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1130:External links
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1109:American Image
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998:(4): 183–191.
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895:(3): 444–468.
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836:Oral Tradition
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691:(3): 439–458.
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668:. p. 146.
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354:Walter Kennedy
350:William Dunbar
257:. In the poem
230:Middle English
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117:William Dunbar
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49:Lorenz Frølich
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29:Pope Paul III
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25:Lucas Cranach
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1096:. Retrieved
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331:scatological
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282:in the poem
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260:Hárbarðsljóð
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53:
1188:Folk poetry
1105:rap battles
1024:"flyting."
580:Slam poetry
491:Joukahainen
483:Väinämöinen
481:, the hero
404:James Joyce
364:composed a
226:Old English
129:Description
115:example is
95:Old English
75:iomarbháigh
1157:Categories
1098:2008-12-30
842:2016-03-16
799:2023-12-18
758:2023-12-18
741:required.)
595:Battle rap
549:battle rap
462:the Dozens
400:To a Louse
375:'s plays.
1004:0270-8604
973:827752811
925:163023116
909:0038-7134
720:"Fliting"
606:Mari Lwyd
512:'s novel
246:Lokasenna
234:cowardice
148:Lokasenna
89:The word
85:Etymology
1062:Language
1012:23684827
889:Speculum
555:See also
478:Kalevala
447:'s poem
336:James IV
323:Scotland
249:the god
215:Medieval
67:immarbág
1142:Flyting
917:2847235
705:1772505
525:In the
434:naqā’iḍ
402:", and
340:James V
285:Beowulf
276:Beowulf
211:Ancient
177:), 1536
91:flyting
59:fliting
55:Flyting
1052:
1010:
1002:
971:
961:
923:
915:
907:
866:
790:
703:
643:
600:Banter
585:Dozens
438:Haikai
366:ribald
327:makars
280:Unferð
222:Celtic
219:Modern
105:gerund
100:flītan
41:Freyja
1008:JSTOR
921:S2CID
913:JSTOR
832:(PDF)
735:
701:JSTOR
612:Notes
575:Senna
569:Craic
426:Inuit
417:Iliad
207:Scots
113:Scots
97:verb
71:Irish
1050:ISBN
1000:ISSN
969:OCLC
959:ISBN
905:ISSN
864:ISBN
788:ISBN
641:ISBN
562:Beot
501:In "
358:shit
352:and
338:and
308:and
297:mead
278:and
269:Thor
265:Odin
255:Ægir
251:Loki
217:and
79:lit.
45:Loki
43:and
897:doi
780:doi
693:doi
534:In
312:'s
291:In
236:or
109:ing
57:or
1159::
1119:75
1101:.
1090:.
1065:74
1006:.
996:10
994:.
990:.
967:.
945:^
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707:.
695::
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173:(
61:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
