Saxo Grammaticus

Sax·o Gram·mat·i·cus

S0111200 (săk′sō grə-măt′ĭ-kəs) 1150?-1220? Danish historian whose Gesta Danorum, a chronicle of legendary and historical Danish kings, contains the story of Hamlet.

Saxo Grammaticus

(ˈsæksəʊ ɡrəˈmætɪkəs) n (Biography) ?1150–?1220, Danish chronicler, noted for his Gesta Danorum, a history of Denmark down to 1185, written in Latin, which is partly historical and partly mythological, and contains the Hamlet (Amleth) legend

Sax•o Gram•mat•i•cus

(ˈsæk soʊ grəˈmæt ɪ kəs)
n. c1150–1206?, Danish historian and poet.

Thesaurus

Noun

Saxo Grammaticus - Danish historian who chronicled the history of Denmark (including the legend of Hamlet) (1150?-1220?)

Saxo Grammaticus

(săk`sō grəmăt`ĭkəs), c.1150–c.1220, the first important Danish historian. He was in the service of AbsalonAbsalon
or Axel
, c.1128–1201, Danish churchman, archbishop of Lund (1178–1201). He had great influence on political affairs under Waldemar I and Canute VI, warred against the pagan Wends, and in 1184 won a naval victory over Bogislav, duke of Pomerania.
..... Click the link for more information. , archbishop of Lund, at whose suggestion Saxo wrote the Gesta Danorum (or Historia Danica). The first nine books, translated (1893, repr. 1967) Danish History, are mostly composed of oral tradition and legends concerning the early Danes, including the story of Hamlet. The remaining seven books, dealing more with contemporary events, are an extremely valuable source for Danish history. The cognomen grammaticus [learned] was probably bestowed on Saxo after his death.

Bibliography

See R. G. Latham, Two Dissertations on the Hamlet of Saxo Grammaticus and Shakespear (1872, repr. 1973).

Saxo Grammaticus

Born 1140; died circa 1208. Danish historian and chronicler.

Saxo Grammaticus was the author of the Gesta Danorum (History of the Danes). The first nine books of the history contain ancient Scandinavian legends, including the legend of Hamlet used by Shakespeare. The remaining seven books contain information on Denmark’s history to 1185. Saxo Grammaticus wrote in Latin in an ornate and verbose style. The Gesta were first published in Paris in 1514; it was translated into Danish several times and into German and English.

REFERENCE

Weibull, C. Saxo, kritiska undersök ningar i Danmarks historia. Lund, 1915.

Saxo Grammaticus

?1150--?1220, Danish chronicler, noted for his Gesta Danorum, a history of Denmark down to 1185, written in Latin, which is partly historical and partly mythological, and contains the Hamlet (Amleth) legend