Úlfr Uggason (

Modern Icelandic Icelandic (; is, íslenska, link=no ) is a North Germanic languages, North Germanic language spoken by about 314,000 people, the vast majority of whom live in Iceland, where it is the national language. Due to being a West Scandinavian langua ...

: ) was an

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionall ...

who lived in the last part of the tenth century. The '' Laxdæla saga'' tells how he composed his '' Húsdrápa'' for a wedding. Geirmundr married Þuríðr, whose father, Óláfr pái ("peacock") Höskuldsson, had a magnificent hall built in his farm in Hjarðarholt (Iceland), with paintings representing legends on the walls and ceiling: :The wedding feast was a very crowded one, for the new hall was finished. Ulf Uggason was of the bidden guests, and he had made a poem on Olaf Hoskuldson and of the legends that were painted round the hall, and he gave it forth at the feast. This poem is called the "House Song," and is well made. Olaf rewarded him well for the poem. : ::—The ''Laxdæla saga'' (29)
Muriel Press's translation
Three myths are described in the twelve stanzas and half-stanzas of Úlfr's ''Húsdrápa'': Baldr's funeral,

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing ...

fishing for

Jörmungandr In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr ( non, Jǫrmungandr, lit=the Vast gand, see Etymology), also known as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent ( non, Miðgarðsormr), is an unfathomably large sea serpent or worm who dwells in the world sea, encir ...

, the Midgard serpent, and Heimdall's fight with

Loki Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi ...

for the Brísingamen. Apart from this episode, little is known about Úlfr. ''

Landnámabók (, "Book of Settlements"), often shortened to , is a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement () of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE. is divided into five parts and over ...

'' gives the name and the lineage of his wife, Járngerðr. He also appears twice in the '' Brennu-Njáls saga''. In chapter 60, on the occasion of a suit (which he loses), he is challenged to a duel by Gunnar of Hlíðarendi. In chapter 102, the

Þorvaldr veili, who has gathered a troop to slay

Þangbrandr Þangbrandr was a missionary sent to Iceland by king of Norway Óláfr Tryggvason to convert the inhabitants to Christianity. Snorri Sturluson described him as follows: Origins Þangbrandr's origins are uncertain. According to some sources, ...

(a missionary sent to Iceland by Óláfr Tryggvason) and his companion Guðleifr Arason, asks him to kill the priest, but Úlfr refuses to be involved. He then composes the '' lausavísa'' that is, along with ''Húsdrápa'', all that survives of his work.

External links

Ulfr's poetry at Skaldic arts

Biography of Úlfr
by Edith Marold at the Skaldic Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Ulfr Uggason Viking Age poets Icelandic poets Skalds 10th-century Icelandic people 10th-century Icelandic poets Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown