Cultural depictions of Cnut

Last updated August 16, 2025

Cnut the Great has been depicted in a number of fictional works.

Alfgar the Dane; or the Second Chronicle of Æscendune: a Tale of the Days of Edmund Ironside (1875) by Augustine David Crake. Depicts the struggle for supremacy over the English throne, from 1002 to 1018. Covering the reigns of Æthelred the Unready, Edmund Ironside, Sweyn Forkbeard, and Canute. The story is told in diary form by a fictional narrator. The main events take place in Carisbrooke, Dorchester on Thames, Dorchester Abbey, and Abingdon Abbey.^[1]^[2]
The Ward of King Canute (1903) by Ottilie A. Liljencrantz. Covers events of the years 1016–1017, focusing on the final struggle between Canute and Edmund Ironside. The Battle of Assandun and its consequences are prominently featured.^[1]^[2]
Cnut is featured in the historical novel A Hollow Crown: The Story of Emma, Queen of Saxon England (2004, also published as The Forever Queen) by Helen Hollick. The protagonist is his wife Emma of Normandy. It covers her life, including her marriage to Cnut.^[3]
The story of King Canute and the waves is the subject of numerous paintings and has entered proverbial use.
The Genesis song "Can-Utility and the Coastliners" from the 1972 album Foxtrot relates the story of King Canute and the waves. "They told of one who tired of all singing Praise him, praise him / We heed not flatterers, he cried"
Canute appears in the manga Vinland Saga , originally as a timid Danish prince with bishōnen traits, along with his strong Christianity. However, later on in the story, he develops a drastic personality change and becomes a strong ruler. His attempt to stop the waves of the sea is also featured, but in a different philosophical approach than the usual for the aforementioned legend.^[4]

References

1 2 Baker (1914), p. 12
1 2 Nield (1925), p. 25
↑ A Hollow Crown.^{[ dead link ]}
↑ Vinland Saga, chapter 97

Sources

Baker, Ernest Albert (1914), A Guide to Historical Fiction, George Routledge and sons
Nield, Jonathan (1925), A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales, G. P. Putnam's sons, ISBN 0833725092 {{citation}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

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[Baker-1] 1 2 Baker (1914), p. 12

[Nield-2] 1 2 Nield (1925), p. 25

[Gilbride-3] A Hollow Crown.^{[ dead link ]}

[4] Vinland Saga, chapter 97

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[2]

[3]

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v t e Cultural depictions of English and British monarchs
Kingdom of the English 886–1066	Alfred the Great Edward the Elder Æthelflæd Ælfweard Athelstan the Glorious ¹ Edmund the Magnificent ¹ Eadred ¹ Eadwig the Fair ¹ Edgar the Peaceable ¹ Edward the Martyr Æthelred the Unready Sweyn Forkbeard Edmund Ironside Cnut ¹ Harold Harefoot Harthacnut Edward the Confessor Harold Godwinson Edgar the Ætheling
Kingdom of England 1066–1649	William I William II Henry I Stephen Matilda Henry II ² Henry the Young King Richard I John ² Henry III ² Edward I ² Edward II ² Edward III ² Richard II ² Henry IV ² Henry V ² Henry VI ² Edward IV ² Edward V ² Richard III ² Henry VII ² Henry VIII ² Edward VI ² Jane ² Mary I ²with Philip ² Elizabeth I ² James I ³ Charles I ³
Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland 1653–1659	Oliver Cromwell ⁴ Richard Cromwell ⁴
Kingdom of England 1660–1707	Charles II ³ James II ³ William III and Mary II ³ Anne ³
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¹Overlord of Britain. ²Also ruler of Ireland. ³Also ruler of Scotland and Ireland. ⁴ Lord Protector. ⁵Also ruler of England and Ireland. Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics.