bardic
Of ancient poets
Bardic means relating to bards—poets who composed and recited verses, especially in ancient Celtic cultures.
The term evokes the oral tradition of storytelling through song and verse, where bards served as historians and entertainers for their communities.
In modern use, bardic often describes poetry or performance with an elevated, lyrical quality: His bardic voice captivated the audience.
The word appears frequently in fantasy gaming and literature, where bards are characters who use music and words as magical abilities.
Medieval Provençal lyric poet
- skaldNorse heroic poet
- griotAfrican oral tradition keeper
- balladeerSinger of narrative songs
- harperStringed instrument player
gleeman · jongleur · storyteller · lute · harp · lyre · recitation · performance
Metered poetic passage
- rhymeMatching terminal sounds
- meterDevice that measures usage
- stanzaPoem's line grouping
- alliterationMatching initial consonants
kenning · imagery · ode · ballad · couplet · lyricism · cadence · diction
Extended heroic narrative
- odysseyExtended adventurous journey
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- heroismExceptional courage under duress
- questSeeking journey for something
chronicle · narrative · heroic · deeds · ancestry · battle · glory · immortality
Pleasing sequence of notes
- chantRepetitive rhythmic phrase
- accompanimentSupplementary support element
- recitativeSpeechlike operatic singing
- modalPertaining to form
improvisation · rhythm · intonation · sung · intoned · declaimed · composition · harmonic
troubadour
Medieval Provençal lyric poet
harper · gleeman · jongleur · storyteller · lute · harp · lyre · recitation · performance · wandering
verse
Metered poetic passage
alliteration · kenning · imagery · ode · ballad · couplet · lyricism · cadence · diction · refrain
saga
Extended heroic narrative
- odysseyExtended adventurous journey
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- heroismExceptional courage under duress
quest · chronicle · narrative · heroic · deeds · ancestry · battle · glory · immortality · muse
melody
Pleasing sequence of notes
- chantRepetitive rhythmic phrase
- accompanimentSupplementary support element
- recitativeSpeechlike operatic singing
modal · improvisation · rhythm · intonation · sung · intoned · declaimed · composition · harmonic · voice
mythology
Body of traditional tales
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- legendsTraditional stories or icons
- mythsTraditional untrue narratives
tradition · oral-history · ancestral · wisdom · genealogy · memory · keeper · preservation · teaching · cultural
- Homeric epicsIliad, Odyssey, Homer, Achilles, Odysseus
- Druidrydruid, sacred grove, oak groves, druid circle, sacred trees
- Irish LiteratureJames Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett
bardicprosaic
Lacking imagination or excitement
unpoetic · prose · matter-of-fact · literal · factual
bardicbureaucratic
Excessively procedural
written · clerical · technocratic · administrative · stenographic
- The BardStratford's legendary dramatist
- bardic songsPerformed poetry of minstrels
- Bard of AvonEpithet for famous playwright
- medieval bardWandering musician-poet of antiquity