The ''Knútsdrápa'' by the

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

Óttarr svarti Óttarr svarti (“Óttarr the Black”) was an 11th-century Icelandic skald. He was the court poet first of Olof Skötkonung, Óláfr skautkonungr of Sweden, then of Olaf II of Norway, Óláfr Haraldsson of Norway, the Swedish king Anund Jacob and ...

(Óttar the Black) is one of the Old Norse poems composed for King

Cnut 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 ...

. '' Knútsdrápur'' (plural of ''Knútsdrápa'') are

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

skaldic compositions in the form of '' drápur'' which were recited for the praise of

. Most of Óttarr's poem is cited in the ''

Knýtlinga saga ''Knýtlinga saga'' (''The Saga of Cnut's Descendants'') is an Icelandic kings' saga written in the 1250s, which deals with the kings who ruled Denmark since the early 10th century.Ármann Jakobsson, "Royal biography", p. 397-8 There are good rea ...

'', while one stanza is known only from other sources such as the ''

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, derived ...

''. It has been debated whether strophe 9 truly belongs to Óttarr's ''Knútsdrápa'' or to a poem which Óttarr composed for Cnut's father Svein Haraldsson.Egilsson, et al. (eds.). ''Edda Snorra Sturlusonar''. Vol 3. Copenhagen, 1848-87. p. 282; compare R. Poole, "Skaldic Verse and Anglo-Saxon History. Some Aspects of the Period 1009-16." ''Speculum'' 62 (1987): 265-98: 276-80. The focus is on the deeds of its subject as a prince, and as a king, with the climax of his conquest of England, at the

Battle of Assandun The Battle of Assandun (or Essendune) was fought between Danish and English armies on 18 October 1016. There is disagreement whether Assandun may be Ashdon near Saffron Walden in north Essex, England, or, as long supposed and better evidenced, ...

, in 1016, and with the

Battle of the Helgeå A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, in 1026, when he was victorious over the Norwegian and Swedish kings who were in alliance against him, amongst its events. This skaldic verse's style and metre have been cause for some controversy, on the point of Canute's age. It is often difficult to understand, let alone translate

poems Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in a ...

The poem

:Hratt lítt gamall, lýtir :lögreiðar, framm skeiðum; :fórat fylkir œri :folksveimuðr þér heiman; :hilmir bjótt ok hættir :harðbrynjuð skip kynjum; :reiðr hafðir þú rauðar :randir Knútr fyr landi.

:Út fylgðu þér Jótar, :auðmildr, flugar trauðir, :skauthreina bjótt skreytir :Skánunga lið Vánar; :váð blés of þér vísi, :vestr settir þú flesta :(kunt gerðir þú þannig :þitt nafn) í haf stafna.

:Herskjöld bart ok helduð :hilmir ríkr af slíku; :hykkat þengill þekðusk :þik kyrrsetu mikla; :ætt drapt, Jóta dróttinn, :Játgeirs í för þeiri; :þveit rakt (þrár est heitinn) :þeim stillis konr illan.

:Brunnu byggðir manna :buðlungr fyr þér ungum, :opt lézt, hús ok, heiptar :herkall búendr gerva.

:Gunni lézt í grœnni :gramr Lindisey framða, :beldu viðr þeir 's vildu :víkingar því ríki; :bíða lézt í breiðri :borg Helminga sorgir :œstr fyr Úsu vestan :engst folk, Svía þrengvir.

:Ungr fylkir lézt Engla :allnær Tesu falla, :flóði djúpt of, dauða, :dík Norðimbra líkum; :svefn brauzt svörtum hrafni :sunnarr, hvötuðr Gunnar, :ollir sókn hinn snjalli :Sveins mögr at Skorsteini.

:Fjörlausa hykk Frísi :friðskerðir þar gerðu, :brauzt með byggðu setri :Brandfurðu, þik randa; :Játmundar hlaut undir :ættniðr göfugr hættar, :danskr herr skaut þá dörrum :drótt, en þú rakt flótta.

:Skjöldungr, vant und skildi :skœru verk, hinn sterki, :(fekk blóðtrani bráðir :brúnar) Assatúnum; :vátt, en valfall þótti :verðung, jöfurr sverði :nær fyr norðan stóru :nafn gnógt Danaskóga.

:Bjóðr, vant brynjur rauðar, :blíðr stórgjafa, síðan :(lætr önd áðr þrek þrjóti :þinn) fyr Norðvík innan.

:Framm gekt enn þars unnuð :(almr gall hátt) við malma, : náttutslæ �ars sóttuð:sverð astala verja :unnuð eigi minni :(ulfs gómr veit þat) rómu, :hnekkir hleypiblakka :hlunns, á Tempsar grunni.

:Svíum hnekðir þú, sóknar :siklingr örr, en mikla :ylgr, þars á hin helga, :ulfs beitu fekk, heitir; :helt, þars hrafn né svaltat, :(hvatráðr est þú) láði, :ógnar stafr, fyr jöfrum, :ýgr, tveimr (við kyn beima).

Notes

Editions (external links)

Matthew Towend (ed.)
Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages.

Se

for sources. {{DEFAULTSORT:Knutsdrapa (Ottarr Svarti) Skaldic poems 11th-century poems