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 ...
in the service of King
Harald Hardrada
Harald Sigurdsson (; – 25 September 1066), also known as Harald III of Norway and given the epithet ''Hardrada'' in the sagas, was List of Norwegian monarchs, King of Norway from 1046 to 1066. He unsuccessfully claimed the Monarchy of Denma ...
of Norway. Little is known about his life or origin but his name suggests he may have been a kinsman, perhaps a son, of Mörðr Valgarðsson of Völlr, a
chieftain
A tribal chief, chieftain, or headman is a leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom.
Tribal societies
There is no definition for "tribe".
The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of weste ...
who plays a role in ''
Njáls saga
''Njáls saga'' ( ), also ''Njála'' ( ), or ''Brennu-Njáls saga'' ( ) (Which can be translated as ''The Story of Burnt Njáll'', or ''The Saga of Njáll the Burner''), is a thirteenth-century Icelandic saga that describes events between 960 a ...
''. He is listed in ''
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 ...
'' among the court poets of Harald Hardrada.
Extant poetry
The Norse sources attribute 11 stanzas or half-stanzas 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 ...
'' poetry to Valgarðr. There are three in ''
Skáldskaparmál
''Skáldskaparmál'' (Old Norse: 'Poetic Diction' or 'The Language of Poetry'; ; ) is the second part of the ''Prose Edda'', compiled by Snorri Sturluson. It consists of a dialogue between Ægir, the divine personification of the sea, and Bra ...
'' where they are used to illustrate the use of certain ''
heiti
A heiti (Old Norse , Modern Icelandic , pl. "name, appellation, designation, term") is a synonym used in Old Norse poetry in place of the normal word for something. For instance, Old Norse poets might use "steed" instead of the prosaic "hors ...
'' (poetic synonyms). Of these, one mentions that
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
was laid waste. Two others are descriptions of destruction by fire in an unknown context.
There are 8 stanzas or half-stanzas preserved in the
kings' sagas
Kings' sagas (, , ) are Old Norse sagas which principally tell of the lives of semi-legendary and legendary (mythological, fictional) Nordic kings, also known as saga kings. They were composed during the twelfth through the fourteenth centuries, ...
where they are used as sources of historical information on events in the life of Harald Hardrada. The first chronologically is preserved only in ''
Fagrskinna
''Fagrskinna'' ( ; ; trans. "Fair Leather" from the type of parchment) is one of the kings' sagas, written around 1220. It is assumed to be a source for what is known as the '' Heimskringla'', containing histories of Norwegian kings from the 9th ...
'' and relates to events in 1042 as Harald joined an uprising against emperor Michael V Kalaphates and had some of his
Varangian
The Varangians ( ; ; ; , or )Varangian ," Online Etymology Dictionary were
Morkinskinna
''Morkinskinna'' is an Old Norse kings' saga, relating the history of Norwegian kings from approximately 1025 to 1157. The saga was written in Iceland around 1220, and has been preserved in a manuscript from around 1275.
The name ''Morkinskinn ...
'', ''
Heimskringla
() is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland. While authorship of ''Heimskringla'' is nowhere attributed, some scholars assume it is written by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (117 ...
'' and ''
Hulda-Hrokkinskinna
''Hulda-Hrokkinskinna'' is one of the kings' sagas. Written after 1280, it relates the history of the Norwegian kings from Magnús góði, who acceded to the throne in 1035, to Magnús Erlingsson, who died in 1177.
The saga is based on Snorri St ...
'' and describes Harald travelling from Garðar (Russia) to
Sigtuna
Sigtuna is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality situated in the eponymous Sigtuna Municipality, in Stockholm County, Sweden with 9,689 inhabitants in 2020. It is the namesake even though the seat of the municipality is in another locality, Märsta.
S ...
in Sweden. Another stanza, preserved in the same sources as well as in ''
Flateyjarbók
''Flateyjarbók'' (; "Book of Flatey, Breiðafjörður, Flatey") is an important medieval Iceland, Icelandic manuscript. It is also known as GkS 1005 fol. and by the Latin name ''Codex Flateyensis''. It was commissioned by Jón Hákonarson and p ...
'', describes a voyage from Sweden to Denmark which the sagas state that Harald undertook to meet his nephew, King
Magnus the Good
Magnus Olafsson (; Norwegian and Danish: ''Magnus Olavsson''; – 25 October 1047), better known as Magnus the Good (; Norwegian and Danish: ''Magnus den gode''), was King of Norway from 1035 and King of Denmark from 1042 until his death in ...
.
Three complete stanzas describe Harald's harrying of Denmark ca. 1044–1045. The skald praises Harald for crushing his enemies: "Haraldr, you thoroughly ravaged all
Sjælland
Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020, comprising ...
". As the king burns down a settlement south of
Roskilde
Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
, the surviving inhabitants take flight: "families slipped, grief-stricken, silent in flight to the forest". The description then moves on to the capture of women by Harald's victorious forces:
Finally, there are two stanzas describing a sea voyage and Harald's rule over all of Norway.
Evaluation
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 ...
described the surviving fragments of Valgarðr's works as testifying highly to his abilities as a poet, showing mastery over language and form and an appealing sense of fantasy. He noted that instead of dry reports on battle and bloodshed, Valgarðr focused in on single moments that were worth paying attention to. Finnur regarded the description of the captured women as a particularly successful example of his vivid style.Finnur Jónsson 1894:638.