Hálfdanar saga Brönufóstra
Encyclopedia
Hálfdanar saga Brönufóstra c. 1300 is a legendary saga
on Halfdan the son of the legendary king Hringr of Denmark
.
In the saga, Halfdan flees his father's kingdom after an attack by the Viking Soti, and goes to live in exile in Bjarmaland
. During a sea-voyage he is dragged off course by the witchcraft of a troll named Jarnnef (Iron-Nose) and shipwrecked on the shore of Helluland
. Here he rescues the three children of a Scottish earl from the troll
and his wife. Halfdan encounters a troll-woman named Brana who is really the daughter of the king of Valland
, who was abducted by the troll Jarnhauss (Iron-Skull) and transformed into her current shape. She asks Halfdan and his friends to avenge her by killing Jarnhauss and his fellow trolls. In return, she provides them with shelter, and gives Halfdan a magic ring, a coat that makes him invulnerable to edged weapons, and a dragon-ship. She sends Halfdan to England
where he wins the love of Marsibil, daughter of the English king Óláfr, and defeats the schemes of the king's landwarden, Aki, with Brana's magical aid. He marries Marsibil and succeeds Óláfr when he dies. He returns to his father's kingdom and defeats and kills Soti and his Vikings.
It has a sequel in Sörla saga sterka
, where it becomes clear that Halfdan is the father of Hogni of the Hjaðningavíg.
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...
on Halfdan the son of the legendary king Hringr of Denmark
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...
.
In the saga, Halfdan flees his father's kingdom after an attack by the Viking Soti, and goes to live in exile in Bjarmaland
Bjarmaland
Bjarmaland was a territory mentioned in Norse sagas up to the Viking Age and - beyond - in geographical accounts until the 16th century. The term is usually seen to have referred to the southern shores of the White Sea and the basin of the Northern Dvina River and - presumably - some of the...
. During a sea-voyage he is dragged off course by the witchcraft of a troll named Jarnnef (Iron-Nose) and shipwrecked on the shore of Helluland
Helluland
Helluland is the name given to one of the three lands discovered by Leif Eriksson around 1000 AD on the North Atlantic coast of North America....
. Here he rescues the three children of a Scottish earl from the troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
and his wife. Halfdan encounters a troll-woman named Brana who is really the daughter of the king of Valland
Valland
In Norse legend Valland is the name the part of Europe which is inhabited by Celtic and Romance speaking peoples. The element Val- is derived from Walha, a Germanic root meaning "foreigner", usually applied to the Celtic and Italic inhabitants of Europe....
, who was abducted by the troll Jarnhauss (Iron-Skull) and transformed into her current shape. She asks Halfdan and his friends to avenge her by killing Jarnhauss and his fellow trolls. In return, she provides them with shelter, and gives Halfdan a magic ring, a coat that makes him invulnerable to edged weapons, and a dragon-ship. She sends Halfdan to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he wins the love of Marsibil, daughter of the English king Óláfr, and defeats the schemes of the king's landwarden, Aki, with Brana's magical aid. He marries Marsibil and succeeds Óláfr when he dies. He returns to his father's kingdom and defeats and kills Soti and his Vikings.
It has a sequel in Sörla saga sterka
Sörla saga sterka
Sörla saga sterka is a legendary saga which was written in the 14th or 15th century.It is a sequel to Hálfdanar saga Brönufóstra and like its prequel one of its locales is England, which is a vassal to Sweden. Sörli the Strong is a son of the king of Oppland, and is at feud with Halfdan Brana's...
, where it becomes clear that Halfdan is the father of Hogni of the Hjaðningavíg.