Asmund Berserkers-Slayer
Encyclopedia
Asmund Berserks-Slayer is a viking
hero in the Icelandic legendary saga
Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana
. He is also known as Gnodar-Asmund in other sagas in which his stepfather was Illugi, Foster-Son of Grid
.
, and Sigrid, daughter of the Danish
Jarl Ottar, who ruled over Jutland
.
By the time Asmund was twelve, he was already full grown, and a great deal stronger than any man he knew. Once while chasing a hare he ran into a large powerful man named Aran, who was also twelve. Aran was the son of King Rodian of Tartary, and had left his father's kingdom in search of any one his equal. Asmund and Aran then proceeded to compete against each other in every athletic contest they knew. After performing with equal skill at every contest they attempted, and when exhaustion took over them, they agreed to become blood brothers
and to never lift sword against the other. They from that day on promised to split all each other ever owned halfway between them. Aran then gave Asmund half of his Viking fleet of ten ships and the two both sailed to Tartary. Once arrived they discovered Aran's father the king was dead, and the land being pillage by the Ethiopian
brothers Bull-Bear and Visin. Asmund and Aran made short work of them, after which Aran was crowned king and Asmund was given half of everything Aran owned. Shortly after Aran died Asmund attempted to claim the kingdom as his own in which he had to battle Aran's Berserker uncles Hrærek and Siggeir. He was heavily outnumbered and captured by the brothers who tied him up for the night and planned to sacrifice him to Odin in the morning. Asmund was able to break free and extract murderous revenge on the Berserkers. Afterwards the dead King's father-in-law, King Herraud who ruled Hunland, showed up with twenty ships, and chased away the remaining supporters of the dead Berserkers. Asmund then went before King Herraud and explained the agreement Aran and him had come to. Herraud thought it was a good idea to keep the agreement. Asmund then asked for the best ships the king had to offer and went off plundering
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
hero in the Icelandic legendary saga
Legendary saga
A Legendary saga or Fornaldarsaga is a Norse saga that, unlike the Icelanders' sagas, takes place before the colonization of Iceland. There are some exceptions, such as Yngvars saga víðförla, which takes place in the 11th century...
Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana
Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana
Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana, or The Story of Egil One-Hand and Asmund Berserkers-Slayer, is a legendary saga, which takes place in Russia , a country located between Gardariki and Hunaland, the land of the Huns. There are also adventures in Halogaland and Jotunheim, the realm of...
. He is also known as Gnodar-Asmund in other sagas in which his stepfather was Illugi, Foster-Son of Grid
Illuga saga Gríðarfóstra
Illuga saga Gríðarfóstra is a Fornaldarsaga about a young Dane named Illugi who delivers a female troll and her daughter from a curse. The saga itself is of great modernity, the earliest extant manuscripts dating approximately to sometime in the 17th century.-Synopsis:The story begins in Denmark...
.
Egil and Asmund
In the Saga of Egil and Asmund, or Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana, Asmund was the son of King Ottar, ruler of HalogalandHålogaland
Hålogaland was the northernmost of the Norwegian provinces in the mediaeval Norse sagas. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hålogaland was a petty kingdom extending between Namdalen in Nord-Trøndelag and Lyngen in Troms.-Etymology:...
, and Sigrid, daughter of the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Jarl Ottar, who ruled over Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
.
By the time Asmund was twelve, he was already full grown, and a great deal stronger than any man he knew. Once while chasing a hare he ran into a large powerful man named Aran, who was also twelve. Aran was the son of King Rodian of Tartary, and had left his father's kingdom in search of any one his equal. Asmund and Aran then proceeded to compete against each other in every athletic contest they knew. After performing with equal skill at every contest they attempted, and when exhaustion took over them, they agreed to become blood brothers
Blood Brothers
Blood Brothers is a musical written by Willy Russell, based loosely on the 1844 novella The Corsican Brothers by Alexandre Dumas, père. The story is a contemporary nature vs. nurture plot, revolving around fraternal twins who were separated at birth...
and to never lift sword against the other. They from that day on promised to split all each other ever owned halfway between them. Aran then gave Asmund half of his Viking fleet of ten ships and the two both sailed to Tartary. Once arrived they discovered Aran's father the king was dead, and the land being pillage by the Ethiopian
Ethiopian people
Ethiopian people or Ethnic Ethiopians are an ethnic group found in the horn of African country of Ethiopia.-Origins:Ethnic Ethiopians are one of the nearly 80 ethnic groups of the horn of Africa country and are found in every regional state of Ethiopia...
brothers Bull-Bear and Visin. Asmund and Aran made short work of them, after which Aran was crowned king and Asmund was given half of everything Aran owned. Shortly after Aran died Asmund attempted to claim the kingdom as his own in which he had to battle Aran's Berserker uncles Hrærek and Siggeir. He was heavily outnumbered and captured by the brothers who tied him up for the night and planned to sacrifice him to Odin in the morning. Asmund was able to break free and extract murderous revenge on the Berserkers. Afterwards the dead King's father-in-law, King Herraud who ruled Hunland, showed up with twenty ships, and chased away the remaining supporters of the dead Berserkers. Asmund then went before King Herraud and explained the agreement Aran and him had come to. Herraud thought it was a good idea to keep the agreement. Asmund then asked for the best ships the king had to offer and went off plundering
Sources
- Hermann Pålsson (1985). Seven Viking Romances. London. ISBN 0-140-44474-2