Klœingr Þorsteinsson — KlœIII
skaldsVol. 3, 268 — — ed. Kari Ellen Gade
Poetry
Biography
Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘(Biography of) Klœingr Þorsteinsson’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 268.
Klœingr Þorsteinsson (Klœ) was bishop of Skálholt in Iceland (1152-76; for his life, see
Hungrvaka chs 9-11,
Byskupa sögur 1953, I, 24-31). He hailed from northern Iceland, and was the son of Þorsteinn and Halldóra Eyjólfsdóttir. He is described as ‘the greatest poet’ (
ít mesta skáld) and very learned, and he succeeded Magnús Einarsson to the see of Skálholt in 1151. The same summer Klœingr went to Lund, where he was consecrated bishop by Archbishop Áskell, and he sailed back to Iceland in 1152. Upon his return, he erected the church at Skálholt which is commemorated in
RKet LvIV. Klœingr died after a long illness on 27 February 1176, and he was buried at Skálholt. Only the
helmingr edited below survives of his poetry.
References
- Bibliography
- Byskupa sögur 1953 = Guðni Jónsson, ed. 1953. Byskupa sögur. 3 vols. [Reykjavík]: Íslendingaútgáfan, Haukadalsútgáfan.
- Internal references
- (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Hungrvaka’ in Guðrún Nordal (ed.), Poetry on Icelandic History. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 4. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=82> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- Not published: do not cite (RKet LvIV)
other information
Klœingr Þorsteinsson (Klœ)
12th century
Skj AI, 534; BI, 515
volume 3
main editor: Kari Ellen Gade