Full Answer
How many stanzas are in the poem Krákumál?
The complete Old Norse skaldic poem “Krákumál” (Lay of Kráka) , probably composed at the end of the 12th century on Iceland, consists of 29 stanzas. Ragnar Lodbrok (Ragnar ‘Hairy-Breeches’, Old Norse: Ragnarr Loðbrók) was a semi-legendary king of Sweden and Denmark who reigned sometime in the eighth or ninth centuries.
Did Ragnar Lothric write “Krákumál”?
It seems obvious the words did not come from Ragnar himself, but from a later time. The complete Old Norse skaldic poem “Krákumál” (Lay of Kráka) , probably composed at the end of the 12th century on Iceland, consists of 29 stanzas.
What is the meaning of the lay of Kraka?
Krákumál or the Lay of Kraka is a skaldic poem, consisting of a monologue in which Ragnar Lodbrok is dying in Ælla 's snake pit and looks back at a life full of heroic deeds. It was composed in the 12th century, almost certainly in the Scottish islands.
Translation
The poem has been translated into several languages and it has contributed to the modern image of a Viking warrior.
Other external links
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Video
Krákumál is a long (29-stanza) skaldic poem in Old Norse about a dying warrior's great exploits and death in a snake-pit, composed in the voice of Ragnar Lothbrok but dating to centuries after his death. This video features a reading from excerpts in both Old Norse and in Dr. Jackson Crawford's original English translation. Dr.
License
Original video by Jackson Crawford. Embedded by Emma Groeneveld, published on 28 August 2018. Please check the original source (s) for copyright information. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
Cite This Work
Crawford, J. (2018, August 28). Krákumál: Ragnar Lothbrok's Last Words? . World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/1546/krakumal-ragnar-lothbroks-last-words/
Literal translation
We swung our sword; that was ever so long ago when we walked in Gautland to the murder of the dig-wulf. Then we received Þóra; since then (at that battle when I killed the heather-fish) people called me Furry-pants. I stabbed the spear into the loop of the earth.
Translation from Runic Poetry
We fought with swords: when in Gautland I slew an enourmous serpent: my reward was the beauteous Thora. Thence I was deemed a man: they called me Lodbrog from that slaughter. I thrust the monster through with my spear, with the steel productive of splendid rewards.
Literal translation
We swung our sword. I was rather young when we sliced a meal for a greedy wolf east in Eyrasund - and to the foot-yellow bird we gave a great meal where hard irons sung by high-nailed helmets. All the sea was swollen, a raven waded in the blood of the slain.
Translation from Runic Poetry
We fought with swords: I was very young, when towards the East, in the straights of Eirar, we gained rivers of blood for the ravenous wolf: ample food for the yellow footed fowl. There the hard iron sung upon the lofty helmets. The whole ocean was one wound. The raven waded in the blood of the slain.
Literal translation
We swung our sword. When we were counted twenty, then we carried our spears high and smeared our reputation widely [with blood]; we defeated eight lords east by Dína's mouth; then, at that battle, we gave enough of a meal to the wolf. Blood fell into the swollen sea, people lost [their] lives.
Translation from Runic Poetry
We fought with swords: we lifted high our lances; when I had numbered twenty years, and every where acquired great renown. We conquered eight barons at the mouth of the Danube. We procured ample entertainment for the eagle in that slaughter. Bloody sweat fell in the ocean of wounds. A host of men there lost their lives.
Literal translation
We swung our sword. Héðinn's wife was held when we sent the Helsingjar to Óðinn's halls. We waded into Íva. A point did bite then. All that river became smeared with blood. A sword cried by the byrnies. Wound-herrings cleft shields.