When Hallgrímur Pétursson wrote his poem “Aldarháttur” in 1663, Iceland stood at a turning point. Just a year before, the nation had formally acknowledged the King of Denmark as its absolute ruler, ending centuries of semi-independent identity. Hallgrímur, a renowned poet and churchman, responded with a work that now stands as an early exploration of national memory through poetry.
Classical form meets Icelandic tradition
“Aldarháttur” means “signs of the times” in Icelandic. The poem’s structure is notable: it is written in leonine hexameter, making it the first known adaptation of this Latin metrical form into Icelandic poetry. Such a move reflects the budding influence of humanism in early modern Iceland, which emphasised learning from classical models. Yet even as it employed foreign metre, the poem echoed the dense language of medieval Icelandic skaldic verse, blending imported and homegrown poetic traditions.
This combination of styles is rare in Icelandic literature. While the grammar and vocabulary might recall the Icelandic sagas, the rhythm follows a form more typical of Latin epic poetry, each line rolling with the stately weight of ancient verse, yet packed with local echoes and allusions.
A golden age contrasted with decline
At the heart of “Aldarháttur” is a polemical contrast between Hallgrímur’s seventeenth-century present and the earlier Icelandic commonwealth (c. 930–1262), before foreign kings held sway. For the first time in Icelandic poetry, the medieval era is cast as a golden age: a time when people valued freedom over gold, resisted oppression, and settled disputes with wisdom and solidarity. Hallgrímur celebrates valiant ancestors, quick to defend liberty, bound by honest hearts, and skilled both at arms and law.
By contrast, the poet sees his own era as marred by apathy, selfishness, weak morals and an unjust legal system. He laments a decline in courage, community spirit, and intellectual curiosity, painting a society that has lost touch with the virtues that once defined it. The vivid language likens the past’s vibrancy to blossoming fields, while the present is left stunted by greed, idleness and discord.
The poem not only laments the present but effectively introduces the idea of nostalgia for a lost Icelandic greatness. Later generations would return to this theme, with Aldarháttur cited as a model when Bjarki Karlsson wrote his 2013 “Þúsaldarháttur,” another poetic lament on changing times.
“Aldarháttur” speaks from a specific historical moment, yet its preoccupations with national identity, loss and moral decline resonate well beyond its century. The poem’s striking mix of classical and saga traditions marks it as a distinctive creation, one that reflects a society negotiating its past and future through art.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- Wikipedia (Icelandic) in Icelandic
