Óláfsdrápa sænska ‘

Drápa 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 comp ...

about Óláfr the Swede’Matthew Townend 2017, ‘ Óttarr svarti, Óláfsdrápa sœnska’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics.

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages is a project which is editing the corpus of Old Norse-Icelandic skaldic poetry., along with all poetry written down in runes. The project will publish nine volumes and is supported by a website. The c ...

3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 335
https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1342
(accessed 17 October 2022) was a

skaldic poem 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 ...

composed by

Óttarr svarti Óttarr svarti ("Óttarr the Black") 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 ...

in honour of the Swedish king

Olof Skötkonung Olof Skötkonung (; – 1022), sometimes stylized as Olaf the Swede, was King of Sweden, son of Eric the Victorious and, according to Icelandic sources, Sigrid the Haughty. He succeeded his father in c. 995. He stands at the threshold of record ...

. Óttarr spent some time with the Swedish king and worked eagerly for peace between Olof and the Norwegian king Olaf the Stout. The remaining fragments of ''Óláfsdrápa sænska'' are of some value for our knowledge of the life of Olof Skötkonung as it contradicts

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...

's depiction of Olof as a passive king. In ''Óláfsdrápa sænska'' Óttarr depicts Olof as having made glorious Viking expeditions in Eastern Europe. The following is stanza 6 of the poem, as translated by Matthew Townend: : ''The host-Baldr ULERdefends the land; few kings are able to do so; Óláfr gladdens the eagle; the ruler of the Swedes Óláfris outstanding.''

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