Eyjólfr dáðaskáld
Encyclopedia
Eyjólfr dáðaskáld was a skald
active in the early 11th century. He was the court poet of Eiríkr Hákonarson
for whom he composed the Bandadrápa, his only known poem. Eight stanzas and a refrain are preserved of the Bandadrápa in the kings' sagas
, primarily Heimskringla
, and in Skáldskaparmál
. The content of the poem is also summarized in Fagrskinna
. The preserved parts of Bandadrápa relate Eiríkr's early deeds; his killing of Skopti, his becoming a jarl at a young age, his raids in the Baltic and his attack on Ladoga
. Judging from the Fagrskinna summary the complete poem was much more extensive, going up to the battle of Svöldr and beyond. It may have been composed around the year 1010.
Apart from what can be surmised from his poetry nothing is known about Eyjólfr. He may have been an Icelander like most known skalds of the period. The refrain of the Bandadrápa celebrates Eiríkr for conquering lands "according to the will of the gods", a phrase borrowed from Einarr skálaglamm's Vellekla. This pagan reference in a poem about the ostensibly Christian Eiríkr may suggest that the poet was himself a pagan.
Skald
The skald was a member of a group of poets, whose courtly poetry is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking Age, who composed and performed renditions of aspects of what we now characterise as Old Norse poetry .The most prevalent metre of skaldic poetry is...
active in the early 11th century. He was the court poet of Eiríkr Hákonarson
Eiríkr Hákonarson
Eiríkr Hákonarson or Eric of Norway or Eric of Hlathir was earl of Lade, ruler of Norway and earl of Northumbria.-Background:...
for whom he composed the Bandadrápa, his only known poem. Eight stanzas and a refrain are preserved of the Bandadrápa in the kings' sagas
Kings' sagas
The kings' sagas are Norse sagas which tell of the lives of Scandinavian kings. They were composed in the 12th to 14th centuries in Iceland and Norway....
, primarily Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
, and in Skáldskaparmál
Skáldskaparmál
The second part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda the Skáldskaparmál or "language of poetry" is effectively a dialogue between the Norse god of the sea, Ægir and Bragi, the god of poetry, in which both Norse mythology and discourse on the nature of poetry are intertwined...
. The content of the poem is also summarized in Fagrskinna
Fagrskinna
Fagrskinna is one of the kings' sagas, written around 1220. It takes its name from one of the manuscripts in which it was preserved, Fagrskinna meaning 'Fair Leather', i.e., 'Fair Parchment'. Fagrskinna proper was destroyed by fire, but copies of it and another vellum have been preserved...
. The preserved parts of Bandadrápa relate Eiríkr's early deeds; his killing of Skopti, his becoming a jarl at a young age, his raids in the Baltic and his attack on Ladoga
Staraya Ladoga
Staraya Ladoga , or the Aldeigjuborg of Norse sagas, is a village in the Volkhovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Volkhov River near Lake Ladoga, 8 km north of the town of Volkhov. The village used to be a prosperous trading outpost in the 8th and 9th centuries...
. Judging from the Fagrskinna summary the complete poem was much more extensive, going up to the battle of Svöldr and beyond. It may have been composed around the year 1010.
Apart from what can be surmised from his poetry nothing is known about Eyjólfr. He may have been an Icelander like most known skalds of the period. The refrain of the Bandadrápa celebrates Eiríkr for conquering lands "according to the will of the gods", a phrase borrowed from Einarr skálaglamm's Vellekla. This pagan reference in a poem about the ostensibly Christian Eiríkr may suggest that the poet was himself a pagan.