The Narrative Techniques and the Image of Cnut the Great in Deeds of the Danes

Abstract

The article examines the narrative techniques used by Saxo Grammaticus when creating the image of the Danish king Cnut the Great in “Deeds of the Danes” (c. 1208/1216). It focuses especially on Saxo’s intepretation of the conflict between Cnut the Great and his political opponents — King Olaf II Haraldsson of Norway and Ulf Jarl. This conflict, which led to the death of both opponents of the Danish ruler, is considered in the sources of “Deeds of the Danes” as an example of the unjust rule of Cnut the Great. The image of Cnut the Great in the “Deeds of the Danes” testifies to a decisive break with the previous historical tradition that portrayed him as a cruel ruler. The author created a narrative which discredited the enemies of the Danish king. The textual analysis reveals that Saxo Grammticus managed to achieve said effect by transferring the conflict from the political to the moral and ethical contexts, reinterpreting his sources, including messages with ambiguous interpretations in the text, removing “supernatural elements” from the story about Olaf the Saint, as well as including implicit comparison between the heroes of the narrative. One of the possible reasons for the actualization of the image of this king and his “rehabilitation” in Danish historiography is the claim of the Danish kings of the 12th — early 13th centuries to the Norwegian throne, which was once held by Cnut the Great.