Itinerant poet

An itinerant poet or strolling minstrel (also known variously as a gleeman, circler, or cantabank) was a wandering minstrel, bard, or other poet common in medieval Europe but extinct today. They were a lower class than jesters or jongleurs, because they did not have steady work, but roamed about making their living instead.

Gleeman

In Medieval England, a gleeman was a reciter of poetry. Similar to the scop, the gleeman performed this poetry to the accompaniment of the harp or "glee wood." The gleeman occasionally attached himself to a single/particular court, but was most often a wandering entertainer, unlike the more so static scop. A gleeman was also less likely to compose or perform his own poetry, relying on the work of others for his material.

Further Reading

References

Bahn, Eugene, and Margaret L. Bahn. "Medieval Period." A History of Oral Interpretation. Minneapolis: Burgess Pub., 1970. 56-57. Print.