Knutsdrapa
Encyclopedia
Knútsdrápur are Old Norse
skaldic compositions in the form of drápur which were recited for the praise of Canute the Great
. There are a number of these:
Old Norse poetry
Old Norse poetry encompasses a range of verse forms written in Old Norse, during the period from the 8th century to as late as the far end of the 13th century...
skaldic compositions in the form of drápur which were recited for the praise of Canute the Great
Canute the Great
Cnut the Great , also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death of his heirs within a decade of his own and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history, historian Norman F...
. There are a number of these:
- The KnútsdrápaKnutsdrapa (Ottar the Black)The Knútsdrápa by the skald Óttarr svarti is one of the Old Norse poems composed for King Cnut. Knútsdrápur are Old Norse skaldic compositions in the form of drápur which were recited for the praise of Cnut...
by Óttarr svartiÓttarr svartiÓttarr svarti was an 11th century Icelandic skald. He was the court poet first of Óláfr skautkonungr of Sweden, then of Óláfr Haraldsson of Norway, the Swedish king Anund Jacob and finally of Cnut the Great of Denmark and England... - The Knútsdrapa by Sigvatr ÞórðarsonSigvatr ÞórðarsonSigvatr Þórðarson or Sigvat the Skald was an Icelandic skald. He was a court poet to King Olaf II of Norway, as well as Canute the Great, Magnus the Good and Anund Jacob, by whose reigns his floruit can be dated to the earlier eleventh century.Sigvatr was the best known of the court skalds of...
- Eight poetic fragments thought to derive from a single Knútsdrapa by Hallvarðr háreksblesiHallvarðr HáreksblesiHallvarðr Háreksblesi was one of the skalds of Canute the Great. Nothing is known about his life or family but eight fragments of his poetry on Canute have been preserved...
Further reading
- Townend, Matthew. "Contextualising the Knútsdrápur: Skaldic Praise-Poetry at the Court of Cnut." Anglo-Saxon England 30 (2001): 145-79. Abstract of his paper (same title) for the 11th International Saga Conference available as online PDF.