Bolli Þorleiksson was a key historical character in the Medieval Icelandic

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

 Laxdœla saga

Laxdœla saga

Laxdæla saga ; also Laxdœla saga, Laxdoela saga, Laxdaela saga, or The Saga of the People of Laxárdalr) is one of the Icelanders' sagas. Written in the 13th century, it tells of people in the Breiðafjörður area of Iceland from the late 9th century to the early 11th century...

, which recounts the history of the People of Laxárdalur

Norse clans

The Scandinavian clan or ætt was a social group based on common descent or on the formal acceptance into the group at a þing.-History:...

. He courted the famed Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir

Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir

Guðrún Ósvífrsdóttir was the historical protagonist of the Medieval Icelandic Laxdœla saga, which recounts the history of the People of Laxárdalur. She was famed for her beauty and was married four times. Her first marriage to Thorvaldr Halldorsson ended in divorce...

, but Guðrún preferred his foster-brother Kjartan Ólafsson. Guðrún gave herself to Bolli, because of a false rumour that Kjartan was engaged to Ingibjörg, the sister of King Ólafur Tryggvason. Bolli engaged in hostilities with his foster-brother, which ended with him killing Kjartan, and then being killed in turn by Kjartan's kinsmen at the dairy.

Death and aftermath

Bolli was well known for his skill and his sword "Footbiter". Prior to the attack, Thorstein the Black said "however underhanded he may be where he is, you may make up your mind for a brisk defence on his part, strong and skilled at arms as he is. He also has a sword that for a weapon is a trusty one." Bolli dealt one of his attackers a blow with Footbiter, which clove him through the head to the shoulder, killing him.
His second son, Bolli Bollasson, was born the winter after his killing, and his first son Thorleik was only four at the time. They grew up in Holyfell, after his mother Guðrún exchanged homes with the renowned Snorri the Goði

Snorri Goði

Snorri Þorgrímsson or Snorri Goði was a prominent chieftain in Western Iceland, who featured in a number of Icelandic sagas. The main source of his life is the Eyrbyggja saga, in which he is the main character, although he also figures prominently in Njál's saga and the Laxdæla saga...

. Guðrún constantly argued for revenge for his killing, but eventually his two sons made peace with the sons of Ólaf, Kjartan's kinsmen, at the Thorness Thing

Thing (assembly)

A thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...

; it is not known how much money was exchanged in compensation

Weregild

Weregild was a value placed on every human being and every piece of property in the Salic Code...

 as part of the agreement, but "both sides were thought to have gained in esteem from these affairs".

External links

• Translation in English by Muriel Press (The Temple Classics, London, 1899)
• Text with modern Icelandic spelling
• Laxdæla saga in an English translation by Muriel A. C. Press, 1899, from Project Gutenberg
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