Einarr's poetry is primarily preserved in Heimskringla, Flateyjarbók, Morkinskinna, Fagrskinna and Skáldskaparmál.
For most of his life he lived in Norway, during the reign of kings Sigurd Magnusson, Harald Gille and the sons of the latter, especially Eysteinn Haraldsson, whose marshall he became.
After Eysteinn's death in 1157, he composed the poem Elfarvísur for the nobleman Gregorius Dagsson (died 1161), referring to his victory over King Hákon Herdebrei at Göta älv in Götaland.
The poem is composed in the dróttkvætt metre and it is the earliest completely preserved drápa with Christian content.
This article contains content from the Owl Edition of Nordisk familjebok, a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1904 and 1926, now in the public domain.