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scop

scop

1 9.9
A person who wrote and performed poems in Old English royal halls
  • noun
  • /skɒp/
  • Archaic
: escop
  • In Old English society, a scop would entertain kings with tales of bravery and honor.

Examples

  • As such, his role was not all that different from the Anglo-Saxon scop and the Scots makar.

    Academic text (2010)
  • For the record, the best kind of owl is obviously the white-faced scops owl.

    Blog text (21)
  • - You folks have a fine scop.

  • - Go tell the scops.

  • The scops are singing the shame of Herot as far south as the middle kingdom and as far north as the ice-lands.

  • For example, there are only one or two recent Javan records for the chestnut-bellied partridge, Javan scops owl, and a dozen other species.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The scop recited epic poems that celebrated the victories of legendary heroes.

  • At the feast, the scop captivated the audience with his melodic verses about history and fate.

Synonyms

bard
vsscop
  • Literature
27 9.8

A poet who sings or tells long stories and songs

is specific to Old English court contexts rather than general ancient oral traditions
poet-singer
vsscop
1 6.7

A person who writes and sings folk songs that tell stories

performs composed narratives and poems in formal court settings rather than folk songs

Surface Forms

scop singular
scops plural

Etymology

The word scop comes from Old English and meant a poet or bard who 'made' and sang stories in the king's hall. Think of a scop as the person who kept history alive by song, which is why the word means a storyteller who both creates and performs poems.