ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the way in which the Danish kings, Valdemar I and his sons, Knud VI and Valdemar II, sought to mobilize the resources of the Viking past. King Valdemar, who loved to hear about ancient deeds and to recount them, would often show to his friends. The knife had been eaten away by rust and could hardly cut anymore. In interpreting the symbolical significance of the knife to Valdemar it is tempting to place it in the context of his claims to overlordship in Norway, and particularly over the Viken area in Eastern Norway. According to Saxo Grammaticus, Valdemar's friend, Archbishop Absalon, had in his following an Icelander named Arnold who was well versed in knowledge of the ancient past and a skilled story-teller. Valdemar II's eloquence in the interpretation of runes and the composition of verses also had European parallels. Harald Hardrada's viking reputation may also have made him attractive to Valdemar.
