History Literature / GestaDanorum

* The mythological part starts with Dan, mythic progenitor of the Danish people, and goes through many generations of legendary kings and heroes. The plot is too massive for any short summary, but among the figures of this part that deserve some highlighting are prince Amleth, who hatches a plan of revenge against his brother-killing uncle while [[ObfuscatingStupidity playing a retard]]; King Harald Wartooth, who arranges the greatest battle ever fought in the Northlands to serve as a worthy end to his own life; and the cursed hero Starkather, a giant warrior who is fated to live three human lifespans and to commit one nefarious act of betrayal in each of them. Other chapters offer Saxo's take on heroic kings also known from Literature/{{the Icelandic Sagas}}, such as [[Literature/TheSagaOfHrolfKraki Hrolf Kraki]] and [[Literature/TheSagaOfRagnarLothbrok Ragnar Lothbrog]], as well as an account of the death of Baldur that is quite different from the one in ''Literature/ProseEdda''.

* LotteryOfDoom: While Starkather goes sea-roving with king Wikar, they are stopped by permanent violent storms. They determine that the gods must be appeased by a human sacrifice and draw lots over which one of them is going to be killed as an offering.

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* {{Fainting}}: When Odin makes snakes appear on the eyes of the boy Sigurd Ragnarsson, Sigurd's nurse faints at the sight.

* FedToThePigs: After killing his uncle's spying courtier that tried to eavesdrop on Amleth's conversation with his mother, Amleth cuts his body to pieces, boils it, and throws it into a sewer for pigs to eat.

As a source on NorseMythology, ''Gesta Danorum'' has been in the shadow of the Icelandic Literature/{{Edda}}s and Sagas since the 19th century, although before it, the opposite was the case[[note]]Today ''Gesta Danorum'' is considered rather libelous by many scholars regarding the Norse Gods who are here presented as humans[[/note]]. Thanks to its use of Latin rather than Old Norse, ''Gesta Danorum'' appealed to Renaissance scholars and was first printed in Paris in 1514, which is why the story of Amleth could find its way to Elizabethan England to serve as the basis of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's play ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.[[note]]Though Shakespeare got it via François de Belleforest's French ''Histoires Tragiques'' (1570).[[/note]]

* UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo: When Ragnar woos Ladgerda, she is not interested and sets a bear and a dog on him to get rid of him. Ragnar kills the animals and gets his will. Years later, when Ladgerda has already born him three children, it suddenly occurs to Ragnar he cannot trust her because she sicced the beasts on him, so he divorces her. But Ladgerda still loves him and when Ragnar is hard-pressed by the usurper Harald, she comes to his aid with a fleet and once more saves him from defeat.

* UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo: When Ragnar woos Ladgerda, she is not interested and sets a bear and a dog on him to get rid of him. Nevertheless, Ragnar kills the animals and gets his will. Years later, when Ladgerda has already born him three children, it suddenly occurs to Ragnar he cannot trust her because she sicced the beasts on him, so he divorces her. But Ladgerda still loves him and when Ragnar finds himself hard-pressed fighting the usurper Harald, she comes to his aid with a fleet, once more saving him from defeat.

* ShootTheMessenger: King Gorm vows he will kill anyone who should ever bring him the message that his favourite son Knut is dead. When Knut is killed, nobody dares to tell Gorm, until the queen finds a workaround.

As a source on NorseMythology, ''Gesta Danorum'' has been in the shadow of the Icelandic Literature/{{Edda}}s and Sagas since the 19th century, although before it, the opposite was the case. Thanks to its use of Latin rather than Old Norse, ''Gesta Danorum'' appealed to Renaissance scholars and was first printed in Paris in 1514, which is why the story of Amleth could find its way to Elizabethan England to serve as the basis of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's play ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.[[note]]Though Shakespeare got it via François de Belleforest's French ''Histoires Tragiques'' (1570).[[/note]]

* CulturalTranslation: Writing in Latin, Saxo takes the trouble to describe Norse society and mythology with a [[ClassicalMythology Classical vocabulary]]. Thus, his mythic Scandinavia is filled with amazons (shieldmaidens), satyrs (dwarfs), nymphs (valkyries?), and fauns (?). People exlaim "by Hercules!", Asgard is Byzantium, jarls are satraps, the underworld is ruled by Proserpina (Hel), and there are references to the rivers Phlegethon and Styx. In one thing Saxo is adamant, though: Odin and Thor are not Mercury and Jupiter, because Odin is Thor's father while Mercury is Jupiter's son.

* ShootTheMessenger: King Gorm vows he will kill anyone who should ever bring him the message that his favourite son Knut is dead. When Knut is killed, nobody dares to tell him, until the queen finds a workaround.

* WilliamTelling: The earliest known instance of this trope is found in the story of Toco (book 10, chapter 7), who is forced to shoot an apple from his own son's head by Harald Bluetooth. Later, Toco uses his bow and arrow to kill Harald in vengeance.

* The mythological part starts with King Dan, mythic progenitor of the Danish people, and goes through many generations of legendary kings and heroes. The plot is too massive for any short summary, but among the figures of this part that deserve some highlighting are prince Amleth, who hatches a plan of revenge against his brother-killing uncle while [[ObfuscatingStupidity playing a retard]]; King Harald Wartooth, who arranges the greatest battle ever fought in the Northlands to serve as a worthy end to his own life; and the cursed hero Starkather, a giant warrior who is fated to live three human lifespans and to commit one nefarious act of betrayal in each of them. Other chapters offer Saxo's take on heroic kings also known from Literature/{{the Icelandic Sagas}}, such as [[Literature/TheSagaOfHrolfKraki Hrolf Kraki]] and [[Literature/TheSagaOfRagnarLothbrok Ragnar Lothbrog]], as well as an account of the death of Baldur that is quite different from the one in ''Literature/ProseEdda''.

* AttendingYourOwnFuneral: After Feng has sent Amleth to England to be killed with a PleaseShootTheMessenger plot, the Danes thinks that Amleth is dead. Just the day they hold a memorial feast for him, Amleth returns to the royal palace. Later in the same night, he finally exexutes his vengeance.

''Gesta Danorum'' consists of 16 books of which Nos. 1-9 are considered [[NorseMythology mythology]] and 10-16 history. Although Saxo did not suggest any such division, modern editions usually use a corresponding two-part structure.

''Gesta Danorum'' consists of 16 books of which Nos. 1-9 are considered [[NorseMythology mythology]] and 10-16 history, although Saxo did not suggest any such division.