What is "knutsdrapa"

Knútsdrápur (plural of Knútsdrápa) are Old Norse skaldic compositions in the form of drápur which were recited for the praise of Canute the Great. There are a number of these:

• The Knútsdrápa by Óttarr svarti
• The Knútsdrapa by Sigvatr Þórðarson
• Eight poetic fragments thought to derive from a single Knútsdrapa by Hallvarðr háreksblesi

The Knútsdrápa by the skald Óttarr svarti (Óttar the Black) is one of the Old Norse poems composed for King Cnut. Knútsdrápur (plural of Knútsdrápa) are Old Norse skaldic compositions in the form of drápur which were recited for the praise of Cnut. Most of Óttarr's poem is cited in the Knýtlinga saga, while one stanza is known only from other sources such as the Heimskringla. It has been debated whether strophe 9 truly belongs to Óttarr's Knútsdrápa or to a poem which Óttarr composed for Cnut's father Svein Haraldsson.

The focus is on the deeds of its subject as a prince, and as a king, with the climax of his conquest of England, at the Battle of Assandun, in 1016, and with the Battle of the Helgeå, in 1026, when he was victorious over the Norwegian and Swedish kings who were in alliance against him, amongst its events. This skaldic verse's style and metre have been cause for some controversy, on the point of Canute's age. It is often difficult to understand, let alone translate Old Norse poems.