Saxo Grammaticus

Danish historian

  • Fame56.1
  • Momentum0.3
  • Wikipedia7.3K
Source-basedStable
Lived 1150–1206, aged 56
WritersWriter / Author
  • Wikipedia
    57 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    1150–1206
    Aged 56
Summary
Updated 2026-06-09

He wrote the first full history of Denmark in the late 12th century, and buried in its pages was the legend of Amleth — the raw material Shakespeare would later rework into Hamlet.

Biography

About

Saxo Grammaticus lived around 1150 to 1220 and likely worked as a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, who served as the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. A historian, theologian, and author, he produced the Gesta Danorum, the first comprehensive history of Denmark. The work chronicled the kingdom's past and preserved old Norse legends in Latin prose. Among those tales was the story of Amleth, a prince feigning madness to avenge his father — a narrative that would surface centuries later on the English stage, transformed but recognizable.

Where to find them

Platforms

By the numbers

Score breakdown

The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Stable
56.1
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum0.3
Historical24.3
Source confidence65.0
Completeness65.0
Global rank
Country rank
Category rank
Receipts

Sources

  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence