Saxo Grammaticus

Saxo Grammaticus Image 1

Saxo Grammaticus, drawing by Louis Moe for illustration in Frederik Winkel Horn's edition of Saxo Grammaticus' medieval chronicle about Danish history: Saxo Grammaticus, Danmarks Krønike, 1898.
Saxo, an ancient Danish historian, was born around 1132, probably in Sjælland, and died during the first decades of the thirteenth century. He seems to have been a cleric and served as a scribe to Archbishop Absalom in Lund. His byname >Grammaticus< refers to the outstanding quality of his written Latin and to his great erudition in general. His Danish Chronicles were written down just before the turn of the century.