The Gesta Danorum (Books I-IX) on Saxo Grammaticus
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix
- attestation: Saxo Grammaticus, also known as 'Saxo the Learned', was active during the late 12th to early 13th century A.D.
"Saxo Grammaticus
("Saxo the Learned") fl. Late 12th - Early 13th Century A.D."
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Preparer'S Note:
attestation: Saxo composed the Gesta Danorum in Latin during the early 13th century.
"Originally written in Latin in the early years of the 13th Century A.D. by the Danish historian Saxo"
attestation: Saxo originally wrote sixteen books of the Danish History, but only the first nine were translated by Elton.
"Although Saxo wrote 16 books of his "Danish History", only the first nine were ever translated by Mr. Oliver Elton"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Saxo'S Position.
attestation: Saxo Grammaticus was both the earliest chronicler and the earliest literary writer of Denmark.
"Saxo Grammaticus, or "The Lettered", one of the notable historians of the Middle Ages, may fairly be called not only the earliest chronicler of Denmark, but her earliest writer"
attestation: Both Saxo and Sweyn Aageson served Bishop Absalon and were likely set to their writing tasks by him.
"Both writers, servants of the brilliant Bishop Absalon, and probably set by him upon their task"
attestation: Saxo's first nine books, containing myth and folk-lore, are described as a treasure for scholars.
"his first nine, here translated, are a treasure of myth and folk-lore"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Life Of Saxo.
attestation: Saxo's language displays aggressive patriotism, confirming his Danish birth.
"That he was born a Dane his whole language implies; it is full of a glow of aggressive patriotism"
attestation: Saxo frequently praises the Zealanders over other Danes and treats Zealand as Denmark's center.
"He also often praises the Zealanders at the expense of other Danes, and Zealand as the centre of Denmark"
attestation: Saxo's father and grandfather both served as warriors under King Waldemar I of Denmark, who reigned from 1157 to 1182.
"Saxo tells us that his father and grandfather fought for Waldemar the First of Denmark, who reigned from 1157 to 1182"
attestation: Saxo was likely born between 1145 and 1158, based on his grandfather's service and his reference to Bishop Asker's death.
"nor can Saxo himself have been born before 1145 or
- But he was undoubtedly born before 1158, since he speaks of the death of Bishop Asker, which took place in that year, as occurring "in our time""
attestation: An anonymous Zealand chronicler gave Saxo the epithet 'the Long', providing the only physical description of him.
"Except by the anonymous Zealand chronicler, who calls him Saxo "the Long", thus giving us the one personal detail we have"
attestation: The epithet 'Grammaticus' was first attached to Saxo's name by an epitomator in 1431.
"he has been universally known as Saxo "Grammaticus" ever since the epitomator of 1431 headed his compilation with the words, "A certain notable man of letters ("grammaticus"), a Zealander by birth, named Saxo, wrote," etc."
attestation: A Provost Saxo of the Chapter of Roskild has been identified with the historian, but this identification is disputed due to the Provost's mission to Paris in 1165 making him too old.
"the Provost Saxo went on a mission to Paris in 1165, and was thus much too old for the theory"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > The History.
attestation: Saxo references Waldemar II's expedition to Bremen in 1208, suggesting the Preface was written after that date.
"Saxo speaks of Waldemar II having "encompassed (`complexus') the ebbing and flowing waves of Elbe.""
attestation: The Preface must have been written between 1208 and 1223, when Anders Suneson ceased to be Archbishop.
"We do not know how late the Preface was written, except that it must have been some time between 1208 and 1223, when Anders Suneson ceased to be Archbishop"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > History Of The Work.
attestation: Saxo's work was forgotten for three hundred years and survived only in an epitome and very few manuscripts.
"a work of such force and genius, unique in Danish letters, should have been forgotten for three hundred years, and have survived only in an epitome and in exceedingly few manuscripts"
attestation: An epitome of the Gesta Danorum was produced around 1430 because the original was considered too diffuse and stylistically obscure.
"The epitome (made about 1430) shows that Saxo was felt to be difficult, its author saying: "Since Saxo's work is in many places diffuse, and many things are said more for ornament than for historical truth, and moreover his style is too obscure"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > The Mss.
- attestation: No complete manuscript of Saxo's History is known to survive.
"no complete MS. of Saxo's History is known"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Saxo As A Writer.
- attestation: Saxo's Latin shows traces of having read Virgil and Cicero, but his primary stylistic models were Valerius Maximus and Martianus Capella.
"There are traces of his having read Virgil and Cicero. But two writers in particular left their mark on him"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Folk Lore Index.
- attestation: Saxo's work contains a mass of archaic incidents, beliefs, and practices that were classified using a subject-index approach for anthropologists and folk-lorists.
"The mass of archaic incidents, beliefs, and practices recorded by the 12th-century writer seemed to need some other classification than a bare alphabetic index"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Political Institutions.
- attestation: The ideal king in Saxo's portrayal should be generous, brave, and just, resembling the model in Beowulf.
"the ideal king should be (as in "Beowulf's Lay") generous, brave and just"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Customary Law.
comparison: Saxo's evidence on archaic law aligns with Icelandic sagas and Scandinavian kaempe-viser, completing the picture of North Teutonic Law.
"The evidence of Saxo to archaic law and customary institutions is pretty much (as we should expect) that to be drawn from the Icelandic Sagas, and even from the later Icelandic rimur and Scandinavian kaempe-viser"
attestation: Saxo notes that foster-siblings were permitted to marry each other.
"Foster-sister and foster-brother may marry, as Saxo notices carefully"
attestation: Wager of battle was the central legal process in archaic Teutonic custom-law, pervading Saxo's entire narrative.
""Procedure by Wager of Battle".--This archaic process pervades Saxo's whole narrative"
attestation: Oaths in early procedure called the gods to witness and to avenge perjury.
""Oaths" are an important art of early procedure, and noticed by Saxo; one calling the gods to witness and therefor, it is understood, to avenge perjury if he spake not truth"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > War.
attestation: The four kinds of warriors were classified as veterans who kill foes and spare flyers, young men who kill both, propertied men who neither fight nor fly, and the worthless who fly first.
"(a) The Veterans, or Doughty, who kill foes and spare flyers; (b) the Young men who kill foes and flyers too; (c) the well-to-do, landed, and propertied men of the main levy, who neither fight for fear nor fly for shame; (d) the worthless, last to fight and first to fly"
attestation: Fleets of 150 ships and a monster armada of 3,000 vessels are recorded in Saxo.
"Big fleets of 150 and a monster armada of 3,000 vessels are recorded"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Supernatural Beings.
attestation: Saxo believed the gods sprang from a race of sorcerers who rose to pre-eminence and ended the wizard-age, which had ended the giant-age.
"The gods spring, according to Saxo's belief, from a race of sorcerers, some of whom rose to pre-eminence and expelled and crushed the rest, ending the "wizard-age", as the wizards had ended the monster or "giant-age""
attestation: Giants in Saxo are stupid, mischievous, evil, and cunning, the oldest of beings with chaotic force.
""Giants".--These are stupid, mischievous, evil and cunning in Saxo's eyes. Oldest of beings, with chaotic force and exuberance, monstrous in extravagant vitality"
attestation: Gods can disguise their form, change shape, and appear or disappear at will, often shrouded in mist.
"The gods can disguise their form, change their shape, are often met in a mist, which shrouds them save from the right person; they appear and disappear at will"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Magic And Folk-Science.
- attestation: Prophetic dreams pervade Saxo's work, with animals and birds read as persons, paralleling Eddic Lays of Attila.
""Dreams" (cf. Eddic Lays of Attila, and the Border ballads) are prophetic (as nine-tenths of Europeans firmly believe still)"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > "T.M.").
- attestation: Saxo's nine books of traditional and mythic lore were collected when much ancient heathen knowledge was passing away forever.
"Saxo's nine books of traditional and mythic lore, collected and written down in an age when much that was antique and heathen was passing away forever"
The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Preface.
attestation: Saxo describes himself as the least of Absalon's followers, chosen only because all others refused the task.
"cast upon me, the least of his followers--since all the rest refused the task--the work of compiling into a chronicle the history of Denmark"
attestation: Saxo translated verses by verses from ancient Danish poems, treating them as classic books of antiquity.
"I have trod; and keeping true step with them as I translated, in the endeavour to preserve their drift, I have taken care to render verses by verses"
attestation: Saxo followed the statements of Absalon and drew on Icelandic historical attestations for his work.
"I have taken equal care to follow the statements of Absalon, and with obedient mind and pen to include both his own doings and other men's doings"
attestation: Saxo's father and grandfather served Waldemar II's father in military campaigns with loyal endurance.
"my father and grandfather being known to have served thy illustrious sire in camp with loyal endurance of the toils of war"
The Danish History, > Book One.
- attestation: Saxo describes three kinds of ancient magicians: giants of monstrous size, sorcerers skilled in divination who defeated the giants, and a third mixed race who gained credit for divinity.
"there were in old times three kinds of magicians who by diverse sleights practiced extraordinary marvels"