Arnór jarlaskáld was an Icelandic poet from the eleventh century. Not much is known about his personal life, but he was the son of the court poet Þórður Kolbeinsson and grew up in Hítarnes in western Iceland. It is not known if he returned to Iceland in his old age. Arnór’s epithet “jarlaskáld” refers to his long sojourn with the Earls of the Orkney Islands -- whom he served for a time -- their great achievements, and their success in warfare (Vésteinn Ólason 1992:138). He also composed skaldic poetry for the kings of Norway.

Arnór composed skaldic poetry in the old Icelandic metre dróttkvæður háttr, where each stanza consists of eight lines and each line has six syllables. He does not feature prominently in any of the Icelandic sagas, but is known for composing

896 words

Citation: Pálsson, Oddur. "Arnór jarlaskáld". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 February 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15196, accessed 08 February 2025.]

15196 Arnór jarlaskáld 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.