Sæmundr Sigfússon (Sæmundr the Learned) (1056–1133) was an Icelandic priest and scholar. Sæmundr is known to have studied abroad. Previously it has generally been held that he studied in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, but modern scholars rather believe his studies were carried out in Franconia

Franconia

Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...

. In Iceland he founded a long-lived school at Oddi

Oddi

Oddi at Rangárvellir was a center of learning in South Iceland during the Middle Ages.For centuries it was the central home of the powerful family, Oddaverjar. The two best known leaders in Oddi were Sæmundur Sigfússon the Learned and his grandson Jón Loftsson . The famous historian Snorri...

. He was a member of the Oddaverjar

Oddaverjar

The Oddaverjar were among the most powerful family clans in the medieval Icelandic Commonwealth. They were based in Oddi at Rangárvellir in South Iceland. Their ascendancy was during the second half of the 12th century, but their power subsequently waned. They play only a minor role in the...

 clan and had the son Loftur Sæmundsson

Loftur Sæmundsson

Loftur Sæmundsson was the son of Sæmundur fróði. Loftur was the father of Jón Loftsson who adopted Snorri Sturluson. Loftur was a priest and a chieftain at Oddi in the county of Rangá in the south part of Iceland. He was married to Þóra Magnúsdóttir, daughter of Magnus III of Norway....

.

Sæmundr wrote a work, probably in Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

, on the history of Norwegian kings

Kings' sagas

The kings' sagas are Norse sagas which tell of the lives of Scandinavian kings. They were composed in the 12th to 14th centuries in Iceland and Norway....

. The work is now lost but was used as a source by later authors, including Snorri Sturluson

Snorri Sturluson

Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...

. The poem Nóregs konungatal

Nóregs konungatal

Nóregs konungatal is an Icelandic skaldic poem. Composed around 1190 the poem is preserved in the 14th century Flateyjarbók manuscript. It is based on the lost historical work of Sæmundr fróði and is the best extant testimony on the scope of Sæmundr's work...

summarizes Sæmundr's work. The authorship of the Poetic Edda

Poetic Edda

The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends, and from the early 19th century...

, or, more plausibly, just the editor's role in the compilation, was traditionally attributed to Sæmundr but is not accepted today.

In Icelandic folklore, Sæmundr is a larger-than-life character who repeatedly tricks the Devil

Devil

The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...

into doing his bidding.