Þórarinn loftunga was an

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry in alliterative verse, the other being Eddic poetry. Skaldic poems were traditionally compo ...

active during the first half of the 11th century. He composed ''Tögdrápa'', a poem in praise of King Canute. Like Sigvatr Þórðarson's poem in praise of the same king, ''Knútsdrápa'', the ''Tøgdrápa'' is composed in the metrical form '' töglag'', a variant of ''

dróttkvætt Old Norse poetry encompasses a range of verse forms written in the Old Norse language, during the period from the 8th century to as late as the far end of the 13th century. Old Norse poetry is associated with the area now referred to as Scandinav ...

'' which may have been invented at King Canute's court. According to ''

Skáldatal ''Skáldatal'' (''Catalogue of Poets'') is a short prose work by Snorri Sturluson in Old Norse. It was preserved in two manuscripts: DG 11, or ''Codex Uppsaliensis'', which is one of the four main manuscripts of the ''Prose Edda'' (first quarter of ...

'', Þórarinn was also a court poet to Sveinn Knútsson, son of Knút, and his mother

Ælfgifu of Northampton Ælfgifu of Northampton (; 990 – after 1036) was the first wife of Cnut the Great, King of List of English monarchs, England and List of Danish monarchs, Denmark, and mother of Harold Harefoot, King of England. She was regent of Norway f ...

. In Sveinn's honour, he wrote ''Glælognskviða'', which is also the oldest extant testimony to the sainthood of King

Olaf II of Norway Saint Olaf ( – 29 July 1030), also called Olaf the Holy, Olaf II, Olaf Haraldsson, and Olaf the Stout or "Large", was List of Norwegian monarchs, King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he w ...

Works

#''Höfuðlausn''. Two lines referring to Canute: ''Knútr verr grund sem gætir / Gríklands himinríki.'' ("As Christ the heavenly kingdom, / Knútr defends the country.").''Höfuðlausn'', ed. Matthew Townend, ''Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages'', ed.

Margaret Clunies Ross Margaret Beryl Clunies Ross (born 24 April 1942) is a medievalist who was until her retirement in 2009 the McCaughey Professor of English Language and Early English Literature and Director of the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of S ...

''et al''., volume 1; tr. Lee M. Hollander, ''Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway''. University of Texas Press, 1964. Chapter 172, p. 461. #''Tøgdrápa''. Eight stanzas, most of which are cited in for instance, '' Óláfs saga helga'', the '' Legendary Saga of St. Olaf'' and the ''Óláfs saga helga'' of '' Heimskringla''. #''Glælognskviða''. Ten stanzas, cited in for instance, '' Óláfs saga helga'' and the ''Óláfs saga helga'' of '' Heimskringla''.

Notes

References

Simms, Douglas Peter Allen. "Reconstructing an Oral Tradition."
A dissertation (PDF). *
Skáldatal
'.

Online editions

Þórarinn loftunga, works edited by Matthew Townend
Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages.

All extant poetry
Þórarinn loftunga, ''Glælognskviða''
An edition of the poem with short notes on the skald. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thorarinn loftunga 11th-century Icelandic poets