Þórarinn loftunga was an

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

ic skald active during the first half of the 11th century. He composed ''Tögdrápa'', a poem in praise of King

Canute Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norwa ...

. Like

Sigvatr Þórðarson Sigvatr Þórðarson or Sighvatr Þórðarson or Sigvat the Skald (995–1045) 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 ca ...

's poem in praise of the same king, ''Knútsdrápa'', the ''Tøgdrápa'' is composed in the metrical form '' töglag'', a variant of ''

dróttkvætt In prosody, alliterative verse is a form of verse that uses alliteration as the principal ornamental device to help indicate the underlying metrical structure, as opposed to other devices such as rhyme. The most commonly studied traditions of ...

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

Skáldatal ''Skáldatal'' (''Catalogue of Poets'') is a short prose work in Old Norse. It is preserved in two manuscripts: DG 11, or ''Codex Uppsaliensis'', which is one of the four main manuscripts of the ''Prose Edda'' (first quarter of the 14th century), an ...

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

Ælfgifu of Northampton Ælfgifu of Northampton ( non, Álfífa, 990 – after 1036) was the first wife of Cnut the Great, King of England and Denmark, and mother of Harold Harefoot, King of England. She was regent of Norway from 1030 to 1035. Biography Family ...

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

Olaf II of Norway Olaf II Haraldsson ( – 29 July 1030), later known as Saint Olaf (and traditionally as St. Olave), was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he was posthumously given the title '' Rex Per ...

Works

#''Höfuðlausn''. Two lines referring to

: ''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 Syd ...

''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 ''Óláfs saga helga'' or the ''Saga of St. Olaf'', written in several versions, is one of kings' sagas (''konunga sǫgur'') on the subject of King Olaf Haraldsson the Saint. List of saga versions *''Oldest Saga of St. Olaf'', ca. 1190, mostly ...

'', the '' Legendary Saga of St. Olaf'' and the ''Óláfs saga helga'' of ''

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 Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derive ...

''. #''Glælognskviða''. Ten stanzas, cited in for instance, ''

'' and the ''Óláfs saga helga'' of ''

''.

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 Icelandic poets Viking Age poets Skalds 11th-century Icelandic poets