Source recordAncient text

Gesta Danorum (Deeds of the Danes)

Name: Gesta Danorum (Deeds of the Danes)
Author: Saxo Grammaticus

Saxo Grammaticus · c. 1200 · Latin

Ancient text

Saxo Grammaticus

c. 1200

Saxo's Latin history of the Danes. Its first nine books retell Norse legend, including Baldr and Höðr and the tale of Amleth; Book 14 records the destruction of Svantevit's temple at Arkona.

About this work

Saxo's Latin history of the Danes. Its first nine books retell Norse legend, including Baldr and Höðr and the tale of Amleth; Book 14 records the destruction of Svantevit's temple at Arkona.

Stories drawn from it

Retellings in the atlas that quote or cite this work.

Svantevit's Oracle Horse at ArkonalegendSaxo Grammaticus describes the sacred white horse kept at Arkona for Svantevit's exclusive use, led over crossed spears before war to divine victory or defeat, and the god's annual harvest divination with his drinking horn.

About this record

By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.

Dates and authorship follow standard scholarly references; for many ancient works both are approximate or disputed.