Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus (c. 1150 – c. 1220), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a
Life
The
He lived in a period of warfare and Danish expansion, led by Archbishop Absalon and the Valdemars. The Danes were also being threatened by the Wends who were making raids across the border and by sea.[1] Valdemar I had also just won a civil war and later Valdemar II led an expedition across the Elbe to invade Holstein.[2]
Sven Aggesen, a Danish nobleman and author of a slightly earlier history of Denmark than Saxo's, describes his contemporary, Saxo, as his contubernalis, meaning tent-comrade. This gives evidence that Saxo and Sven might have soldiered in the Hird or royal guard, since Sven used the word contubernium in reference to them. There is also a Saxo to be found on a list of clergy at Lund, where there was a Sven recorded as Archdeacon. Likewise there is Dean Saxo who died in 1190; however, the date does not match what is known about Saxo.
Both arguments, for a secular or religious Saxo, would confirm that he was well educated; as clergy, he would have received training in Latin and sons of great men were often sent to Paris.[3] Saxo comes from a warrior family and writes that he is himself committed to being a soldier. He tells us that he follows "the ancient right of hereditary service", and that his father and grandfather "were recognized frequenters of your renowned sire's (Valdemar I) war camp".[4]
Saxo's education and ability support the idea that he was educated outside Denmark. Some suggest the title "Grammaticus" refers not to his education but rather his elaborate Latin style.
Gesta Danorum
In the preface to the work, Saxo writes that his patron
Saxo's history of the
The history is composed of sixteen books, and extends from the time of the founders of the
The first eight volumes share a likeness with the works of Saxo's contemporary
Saxo's world is seen to have had very warlike values. He glorifies the heroes that made their names in battle far more than those who made peace. His view of the period of peace under King Frode is very low and is only satisfied when King Knut brings back the ancestral customs.[16] Saxo's chronology of kings extends up to Saint Canute and his son Valdemar I. Saxo finished the history with the Preface, which he wrote last, in c. 1216[17] under the patronage of Anders Sunesen, who replaced Absalon as Archbishop of Lund. Saxo included in the preface warm appreciation of both Archbishops and of the reigning King Valdemar II.[18]
Historical contribution
Of particular interest for
Saxo's skill as a
Although Saxo is commonly viewed by modern
Saxo's works were received enthusiastically by Renaissance era scholars, who were curious about the pre-Christian history and legends. Saxo's portrayals of history have been seen to differ greatly from those of his contemporaries, especially Norwegian and Icelandic, including portrayals of various historical characters as either heroes or villains. There are also differences between Saxo's work and that of the fellow Danish historian Sven Aggesen from the same era.
These differences have to do with Saxo's elaboration and euhemerism in his descriptions of mainly Scandinavian history and mythology,[27][28] Saxo's account on the tale of Thyri, for instance, is considered to be far more fantastic than the same tale presented by Sven. Saxo's work has been criticized for this reason.[29] Kurt Johannesson's studies[30] expanded greatly on the comprehension of Gesta Danorum, deviating from the approach that focuses mostly on mythology, and allowing the development of a wider understanding of Saxo's works.
Recently some scholars, such as Sigurd Kværndrup,[31] inspired by Johannesson's study of the four cardinal virtues in Gesta Danorum, have studied other elaborations and schemes in the writings of Saxo. Some of them have concluded that Saxo, instead of simply distorting allegedly true Nordic and Baltic traditions and/or beliefs, was creating something new, attuned to the approaching 13th century Danish race to strengthen institutions and engage in the Northern Crusades.[32]
Importantly, Saxo Grammaticus appears to have changed his agenda after the death of his patron Absalon in 1202. What eventually came to be the first nine books of Gesta Danorum, were actually written after the death of Absalon, and they focus largely on mythology, for which Saxo has been criticized.[29] The contrast to the seven books written during the lifetime of Absalon is "'enormous,' leading the main core of scholars to divide the two parts into mythical (books I–IX) and historical (books X–XVI), the last of the historical books being based on Absalon's memories. "Therefore, we prefer to support the composition order of Gesta Danorum as X–XVI, followed by I–IX, and ending with the preface", says historian André Muceniecks.[33]
See also
- 10462 Saxogrammaticus, asteroid
Editions
- Grammaticus, Saxo (1894), Elton, Oliver; Powell, Frederick York (eds.), The First Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus, David Nutt : London
- Grammaticus, Saxo (1905), Elton, Oliver; Powell, Frederick York; Anderson, Rasmus B.; Buel, J.W. (eds.), The Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus in Two Volumes, Norroena Society
- In two volumes : Volume 1, 1905 ; Volume 2, 1905
- e-text THE DANISH HISTORY, BOOKS I-IX e-text from Elton's 1905 edition via www.gutenberg.org
- Davidson, Hilda Ellis, ed. (1979), Saxo Grammaticus: The History of the Danes, Book I-IX, vol. I: Text, translated by Fisher, Peter, Cambridge: D. S. Brewer
- Davidson, Hilda Ellis, ed. (1980), Saxo Grammaticus: The History of the Danes, Book I-IX, vol. II: Commentary, translated by Fisher, Peter, Cambridge: D. S. Brewer
- Christiansen, Eric, ed. (1980–81), Danorum Regum Heroumque Historia, Books X-XVI. The Text of the first edition with translation and commentary in three volumes, Oxford: British Archaeological Reports
- Friis-Jensen, Karsten, ed. (2015), Saxo Grammaticus: The History of the Danes, vol. 1: Books I-X, translated by Fisher, Peter, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- Friis-Jensen, Karsten, ed. (2015), Saxo Grammaticus: The History of the Danes, vol. 2: Books XI-XVI, translated by Fisher, Peter, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Bibliography
- Amory, Frederic (July 1989), "Saxo Grammaticus as Latin Poet: studies in the Verse Passages of the 'Gesta Danorum' by Karsten Friis-Jensen", Speculum (review), 64 (3): 701–706, JSTOR 2854215
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Christiansen, Eric (April 1981), "Saxo Grammaticus, The History of the Danes, Vol. I by Peter Fisher, Hilda Ellis Davidson", The English Historical Review (review), 96 (379): 382–385, JSTOR 568298
- Dumézil, Georges (1973), Coltman, Derek (ed.), From Myth to Fiction: The Saga of Hadingus, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
- Friis-Jensen, Karsten (2006), Mortensen, Lars Boje (ed.), "In the Presence of the Dead. Saint Canute the Duke in Saxo Grammaticus's Gesta Danorum", The Making of Christian Myths in the Periphery of Latin Christendom (c. 1000–1300), Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, pp. 195–216
- Johannesson, Kurt (1978), Saxo Grammaticus: Komposition och världsbild i Gesta Danorum, Stockholm: Lychnos-Bibliotek
- Jones, Gwyn (1968), A History of the Vikings, London: Oxford University Press
- Kværndrup, Sigurd (1999), Tolv principper hos Saxo: En tolkning af danernes bedrifter (in Danish), Copenhagen: Multivers Aps Forlag
- Malone, Kemp (January 1958), "Primitivism in Saxo Grammaticus", Journal of the History of Ideas, 19 (1): 94–104, JSTOR 2707955
- Muceniecks, Andre (2017), Saxo Grammaticus: Hierocratical Conceptions and Danish Hegemony in the Thirteenth Century, Kalamazoo & Bradford: ARC Humanities Press
- Muir, Kenneth (Autumn 1984), "Saxo Grammaticus and the Life of Hamlet: A Translation, History and Commentary. By William F. Hansen", Shakespeare Quarterly (review), 35 (3): 370–372, JSTOR 2870387
- Remy, Arthur (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
- Sawyer, P. H. (1982), Kings and Vikings: Scandinavia and Europe AD 700-1100, New York: Methuen & Co.
- Westergaard, Waldemar (June 1952), "Danish History and Danish Historians", The Journal of Modern History, 24 (2): 167–180, S2CID 143180277
External links
- Works by Saxo Grammaticus at Project Gutenberg
- Works by Saxo Grammaticus at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository) Illustrations from manuscripts and early print books by Saxo Grammaticus.
References
- ^ Westergaard 1952, p. 167.
- ^ Davidson 1980, p. 20.
- ^ Davidson 1980, pp. 9–11.
- ^ Davidson 1979, p. 6.
- ^ Davidson 1980, p. 1.
- ^ a b Davidson 1980, p. 10.
- ^ a b "Skjalm Hvide". Den Store Danske, Gyldendal. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c Jones 1968, p. 44.
- ^ Davidson 1979, pp. 2–4.
- ^ Davidson 1980, pp. 6–9.
- ^ Friis-Jensen 2006, p. 198.
- ^ Westergaard 1952, p. 168.
- ^ Christiansen 1981, p. 383.
- ^ Dumézil 1973, p. 78–79.
- ^ Jones 1968, p. 53.
- ^ Malone 1958, p. 96.
- ^ Davidson 1980, p. 12.
- ^ Davidson 1979, p. 1.
- ^ Muir 1984, p. 370.
- ^ a b Davidson 1980, p. 3.
- ^ Quoted in C. Tolkien ed, J. R. R. Tolkien: Beowulf (2015), p.154
- ^ Amory 1989, p. 702.
- ^ Davidson 1980, p. 2.
- ^ "Roskildekrøniken". roskildehistorie.dk. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ISBN 0-550-18022-2, page 1.
- ^ Inge Skovgaard-Petersen, in Knut Helle, ed. The Cambridge History of Scandinavia, vol. I, p. 355.
- ^ Muceniecks 2017, p. 53ff.
- ^ Muceniecks 2017, p. 175.
- ^ a b Sawyer 1982, p. 14–16.
- ^ Johannesson 1978.
- ^ Kværndrup 1999.
- ^ Muceniecks 2017, p. 67; 175f..
- ^ "The 'Thematic of the Counselor' in the Gesta Danorum and the Strengthening of the danish Hegemony in the medieval Baltic Area." An abstract of a study by André Muceniecks.