Harold the Dauntless
Encyclopedia
Harold the Dauntless is a rhymed
, romantic
, narrative-poem
by Sir Walter Scott. The last of his long verse narratives, written in 1817, it weaves together elements of popular English legends
and folklore
using dramatic
themes.
The poem recounts the exploits and the personal spiritual journey of a doubtful knight errant - Harold the son of Danish Count Witikind: who seeks to recover his lands and wed a suitable spouse. Scott described it as "a strange, rude story". It was largely inspired by the Old Norse sagas, with which his library was well stocked.
Cleverly integrated into the plot is the story of how Harold gradually converts from the Norse religion
of his ancestors to Christianity. The tale of Harold's conversion alludes to the progressive Christianization of England
: especially during Anglo-Saxon
times and up to and including the Middle Ages
.
Scott published the poem anonymously, in an effort to determine whether criticism of his work was based on its content or on his critics' personal opinions of him. This caused some confusion; some critics recognised his style but considered Harold the Dauntless to be an inferior imitation.
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
, romantic
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
, narrative-poem
Narrative poetry
Narrative poetry is poetry that has a plot. The poems that make up this genre may be short or long, and the story it relates to may be simple or complex. It is usually nondramatic, with objective regular scheme and meter. Narrative poems include epics, ballads, idylls and lays.Some narrative...
by Sir Walter Scott. The last of his long verse narratives, written in 1817, it weaves together elements of popular English legends
Legends
Legends are historical narratives, symbolic representations of folk belief.Legends may also refer to:-Music:*Legend , a 1984 album*Legends , a 1998 album...
and folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
using dramatic
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
themes.
The poem recounts the exploits and the personal spiritual journey of a doubtful knight errant - Harold the son of Danish Count Witikind: who seeks to recover his lands and wed a suitable spouse. Scott described it as "a strange, rude story". It was largely inspired by the Old Norse sagas, with which his library was well stocked.
Cleverly integrated into the plot is the story of how Harold gradually converts from the Norse religion
Norse paganism
Norse paganism is the religious traditions of the Norsemen, a Germanic people living in the Nordic countries. Norse paganism is therefore a subset of Germanic paganism, which was practiced in the lands inhabited by the Germanic tribes across most of Northern and Central Europe in the Viking Age...
of his ancestors to Christianity. The tale of Harold's conversion alludes to the progressive Christianization of England
Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England
The Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England was a process spanning the 7th century.It is essentially the result of the Gregorian mission of 597, which was joined by the efforts of the Hiberno-Scottish mission from the 630s...
: especially during Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
times and up to and including the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
Scott published the poem anonymously, in an effort to determine whether criticism of his work was based on its content or on his critics' personal opinions of him. This caused some confusion; some critics recognised his style but considered Harold the Dauntless to be an inferior imitation.
External links
- Harold the Dauntless, full text at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...