Sigvat Tordsson

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Sigvat Tordsson (also Sigvard Tordsson , Sighvatur Þórðarson ; * 995 in Iceland , † around 1047) was a skald in the retinue of Olav the saint .

life and work

Sigvat came to Norway in 1015, where his father was the king's follower. He became not only a skald of the king, but also his personal friend. There is more of him about Olav than of any other skald combined. His poetry is simpler and not of excessive artistry. His friendship with the king influenced his poetry, but he was not a propagandist. He also wrote about Olav's enemies, such as Canute the Great and Erling Skjalgsson after King Olav had killed him.

Nevertheless, its source value is limited. His poem Erfidrápa is a memorial poem composed about 10 years after the death of Olav, in which the Olav legends have already asserted their influence. The poem also describes the battle of Stiklestad . He describes how Olav struck goals with the sword at his main opponent, but did not "bite" the sword, ie did not inflict a wound on him, because he was protected by Sami magic (the Sami were considered to be a people with magic knowledge). This is where the legend of the saints found its way into the poem, from where it even wandered on to Snorris Heimskringla .

Sigvat wrote a prize poem on Olav II Haraldsson's wife, Queen Astrid Olofsdottir, of which three stanzas have survived. In it he portrays Astrid as a “good advisor” and “eloquently arguing, wise woman”. While the skald poetry was otherwise a purely male-oriented literary genre, Sigvat did not shy away from breaking new ground here and making a woman the subject of his poem of praise.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hedningen: Sigvat Tordsson - Hedniska Tankar. In: hedniskatankar.com. November 7, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2017 (Swedish).
  2. ↑ Andreas Winroth: The Vikings. The age of the north. Klett-Cotta Stuttgart, 2016, p. 190
  3. ↑ a b Andreas Winroth: The Vikings. The age of the north. Klett-Cotta Stuttgart, 2016, p. 191
personal data
SURNAME Tordsson, Sigvat
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Tordsson, Sigvard; Þórðarson, Sighvatur
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Skald in the retinue of Olav the Saint
DATE OF BIRTH 995
PLACE OF BIRTH Iceland
DATE OF DEATH around 1047