Víkingarvísur or Konungavísur? On the Potential Role of the Skaldic Viking Encomia

Scald poems celebrating the Viking achievements of their heroes have long attracted the attention of scholars, especially those who have undertaken studies of Scandinavian activity in the British Isles region in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. Poems such as Hallfred Óttarsson's Óláfsdrápa, Sigvat Þórðarson's Víkingarvísur, and Óttar svarti's Hǫfuðlausn have also been seen as testaments to a particular memory of the Viking past, used by these poets in their efforts to have their work recognized as central to the creation of an ideology of power. The article presented here offers a slightly different perspective on poems celebrating the Viking achievements of Scandinavian rulers. In it, the author tries to show that the referenced poems served not only to commemorate the wartime achievements of their heroes but, above all, to emphasize their rulerly qualities. This was served, among other things, by depicting the victims of Viking attacks as rebels and villains whom the ruler tamed, rightly punishing them for their transgressions and forcing recognition of his power.