Skáldatal lists him as one of Harald Finehair's skalds.
[2] Egils saga Skallagrímssonar notes that he was Harald's oldest skald, and had earlier been a skald for Harald's father Hálfdan svarti.
He was called illskælda because he had once in a drápa about Harald copied a refrain from another skald called Úlfr Sebbason.
[3] Only a few stanzas of his works are known today.
[1] The Hauksbók contains a tale called the Skaldasaga Haralds harfagra ("Saga of the Skalds of Harald Fairhair") describing an expedition to Sweden undertaken by Olvir Hnufa, Thorbjorn Hornklofi, and Auðunn to expiate an offense.