Hymns & Liturgical Texts

Husdrapa

Norse Paganism Hymns

Origin Composed c. 985 CE; preserved via the thirteenth-century Prose Edda

Husdrapa ("house poem") is a skaldic praise poem composed by the Icelandic skald Ulfr Uggason around 985 CE, according to Laxdaela saga for the wedding feast of Olaf Hoskuldsson, describing three mythological scenes carved on the panels of the wedding host's hall: Baldr's funeral, Thor's fishing expedition to catch the Midgard Serpent, and Heimdall's fight with Loki over the necklace Brisingamen. Twelve stanzas survive, quoted by Snorri Sturluson in the Prose Edda's Skaldskaparmal as evidence for these myths, making the poem both religious praise-poetry and one of the primary sources for the myths it describes.

Facts

Origins

Origin Period

Composed c. 985 CE; preserved via the thirteenth-century Prose Edda 1

Language

Old Norse 1

Attributed Author / Compiler

Ulfr Uggason, c. 985 CE 1

Practice

Who Performs It

Trained or authorised specialists 1

Frequency

As the occasion requires 1

Solitary or Communal

Performed by a gathered group 1

Use

What It Is Used For

Praise 1

Form

Form of the Text

Skaldic praise poem (drapa) 1

Connections