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Tips for Poets ~
Norse
Alliterative Poetry Workshop
I.
Alliteration
3. Alliteration of consonants
A consonant alliterates with itself, or other consonant(s) that sound like
itself.
3.1
The letters b, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, t only alliterate with
themselves
– b with b, d with d,...
They do not alliterate among each other. It does not matter what kind of
letter(s) follow them.
Examples:
„tea“ alliterates with „turmoil“, „two“, „trout“, „betrothed“, „foretell“...
„birch“ alliterates with „belly“, „bright“, „blithe“, „umbilical“,
„forbidden“...
„door“ alliterates with „dreary“, „destiny“, „bedraggled“, „undreamed of“...
Reverse examples:
„team“ does not alliterate with „doom“,
„birch“ not with „perch“,
„gall“ not with „cull“.
3.2
„s“ alliterates only with „s“.
„sh“ alliterates only with „sh“.
An „s“ followed by an explosive consonant alliterates only with the same
combination:
„st“ only with „st“ , „sp“ only with „sp“, „sk/sc“ only with „sk/sc“
It does not matter what kind of letter(s) follows afterwards.
Examples:
1. Set the sails, slyly and swooning,
2. Shrouded by shields,
3. Standing with strength,
4. Spilling and splashing,
5. Skalds go scrounging.
Reverse example: No alliteration !
Shake your spear,
Stand in the sand,
Scamper and swallow.
Some Edda-translations follow these rules strictly, some more loosely and
e.g. alliterate „s“ with „sp“.
3.3
Depending on the actual pronounciation, the following alliterate:
„q“ and „c“ as in call are treated as „k“: come, query, kolon...
„c“ as in cereals is treated as soundless „s“: sun, supercilious,...
„z“ is treated as sounding „s“: zoo, „samba“,...
Both kind of „s“ sounds do not stave with each other.
(Note: I am not absolutely sure I am right about that last sentence –
I´ll have to check it up later.)
„v“ is treated like „w“: vile, weapon..
„th“ staves with „th“: That throng of thurses
„dh“ staves with „dh“: This ...
„th“ and „dh“ do not stave with each other.
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