Hákonarmál

Hákonarmál (Old Norse: 'The Song of Hákon')^[1] is a skaldic poem which the skald Eyvindr skáldaspillir composed about the fall of the Norwegian king Hákon the Good at the battle of Fitjar and his reception in Valhalla. This poem emulates the approximately seven years older Eiríksmál and is intended to depict the Christian Hákon as a friend to the pagan gods. The poem is preserved in its entirety and is considered to be of great beauty.

The poem consists of 21 ljóðaháttr stanzas. It begins with a description of the valkyries who come down to witness the battle and bring the slain to Valhalla (1). It then describes the bloody battle in ornate language (2–8), culminating with the fall of Hákon’s army (9). We then hear how Hákon is escorted to the green land of the gods (10–13) and welcomed by the gods Hermod and Bragi (14). Hákon expresses his fear of Odin's intentions, but Bragi reassures him that he is in good standing (15–16). Hákon then declares that he will keep his armour on, since a warrior must always be ready for war (17); he is then bid welcome by all Norse gods as thanks for his reverence for pagan shrines (18). The poem ends with three stanzas of praise (19–21):

The last stanza is clearly related to a stanza from Hávamál. The traditional view is that Hákonarmál borrowed from that poem but it is also possible that the relation is reversed or that both poems drew on a third source.

On his deathbed, Hákon the Good willed that his bodyguard, including Eyvindr, the author of Hákonarmál, should enlist into the service of the new king Harald Greycloak rather than carry on a doomed resistance. Eyvindr was not pleased with the new king and his missionary activities, as evidenced by the final stanza of Hákonarmál; he further composed several loose stanzas expressing his discontent with Harald, labelling him a tyrant (folkstríðir).^[2] These insulting poems led to Eyvindr’s falling out of the king’s favour, and he soon fled Harald’s court instead to serve his rival and eventual successor, the staunchly Norse pagan Hákon jarl, for whom he composed the geneological poem Háleygjatal.

• R. D. Fulk 2012, ‘Eyvindr skáldaspillir Finnsson, Hákonarmál’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 171. https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1187
• Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Eyvindr skáldaspillir Finnsson, Lausavísur 8–9’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 226 ff. https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=verse&i=2560
• Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-34520-5.

• Hákonarmál in Old Norse by Finnur Jónsson (1929)
• English translation and commentary by Lee M. Hollander (1936)
• Samuel Laing's translation (within its Heimskringla context)
• Two editions of the poem