''Óláfsdrápa Tryggvasonar'' (''The ''

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 ...

'' of

Óláfr Tryggvason Olaf Tryggvason (960s – 9 September 1000) was King of Norway from 995 to 1000. He was the son of Tryggvi Olafsson, king of Viken ( Vingulmark, and Rånrike), and, according to later sagas, the great-grandson of Harald Fairhair, first King ...

'') is an Icelandic

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 ...

from ca. 1200. It relates the life story of the 10th century King Óláfr Tryggvason from his upbringing in Russia to his death at

Svöldr The Battle of Svolder (''Svold'' or ''Swold'') was a large naval battle during the Viking age, fought in September 1000 in the western Baltic Sea between Olaf Tryggvason, King Olaf of Norway and an alliance of the Kings of Denmark and Sweden an ...

. The poem is only preserved in ''

Bergsbók ''Bergsbók'' is an Icelandic manuscript from the early 15th century. It contains the kings' sagas ''Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta'', a long version of ''Óláfs saga helga'' and several short texts and poems, mostly associated with the two ...

'' and the text there is defective. After 16 ''

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 ...

'' verses, there is a lacuna of an estimated 40 verses followed by 12 preserved final verses. The manuscript attributes the poem to

Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld Hallfreðr Óttarsson or Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld (''Troublesome Poet'') (c. 965 – c. 1007) was an Icelandic skald. He is the protagonist of ''Hallfreðar saga'' according to which he was the court poet first of Hákon Sigurðarson, then of ...

, Óláfr's court poet, but this attribution is rejected by modern scholars on grounds of style and language. The poem has many similarities with '' Rekstefja'', a poem from the same time on the same subject and preserved in the same manuscript. While by no means an original or historically important poem, the ''Óláfsdrápa'' has been praised for its "engaging directness". The unknown author was influenced by earlier 12th-century poets, such as

Einarr Skúlason Einarr Skúlason (c. 1100 – after 1159) was an Icelandic priest and skald. He was the most prominent Norse poet of the 12th century. Einarr's poetry is primarily preserved in ''Heimskringla'', ''Flateyjarbók'', ''Morkinskinna'', ''Fagrskinna'' ...

and Þorkell Hamarskáld.De Vries 1999:45. Other praise poems dedicated to Óláfr Tryggvason also survive.

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

is likewise credited to Hallfreðr and

another Another may refer to: * anOther or Another Magazine, a culture and fashion magazine * ''Another'' (novel), a Japanese horror novel ** ''Another'' (film), a Japanese 2012 live-action film based on the novel ** ''Another'' (TV series), a Japanese ...

to Steinn Herdísarson. Both are generally accepted as authentic.

Notes

References

* Eysteinn Björnsson (2002). ''Index of Old Norse/Icelandic Skaldic Poetry''. Published online at: http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/skindex/skindex.html See in particular "Óláfs drápa Tryggvasonar" at http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/skindex/od.html from the editions of

Finnur Jónsson Finnur Jónsson (May 29, 1858 – March 30, 1934) was an Icelandic philologist and Professor of Nordic Philology at the University of Copenhagen. He made extensive contributions to the study of Old Norse literature. Finnur Jónsson was born a ...

and E. A. Kock. * Hoops, Johannes (2003). ''Reallexikon der germanischen Altertumskunde: Band 22''. Walter de Gruyter. * Vries, Jan de (1999). ''Altnordische Literaturgeschichte: 3. Auflage. Mit einem Vorwort von Stefanie Wurth''. Walter de Gruyter. {{DEFAULTSORT:Olafsdrapa Tryggvasonar Skaldic poems Works of unknown authorship