Íslendings þáttr sögufróða
Encyclopedia
Íslendings þáttr sögufróða (The Tale of the Story-Wise Icelander) is a very short þáttr about a young Iceland
ic storyteller at king Haraldr Sigurðarson's court. This þáttr, which may have been written at the end of the 13th century, was preserved in the Morkinskinna
, Hulda
and Hrokkinskinna manuscripts.
A young Icelander was given the job of entertaining the members of king Haraldr Sigurðarson's hirð by telling them saga
s. He fulfilled his task very well and was rewarded. But as jól approached, he got sad. The king soon found out why: the Icelander had told all the stories he knew but one, which related Haraldr's expeditions abroad, that he did not dare to tell. But the king ordered him to tell it during jól feast. After hearing it, the king said that he had appreciated the saga, which was faithful to the events. He asked him how he knew it. The Icelander answered that he had learnt it from Halldórr Snorrason, who had been one of Haraldr’s travelling companions.
It was suggested that Íslendings þáttr sögufróða may have been included in Morkinskinna in order to authenticate the account of Haraldr's travels abroad.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic storyteller at king Haraldr Sigurðarson's court. This þáttr, which may have been written at the end of the 13th century, was preserved in the Morkinskinna
Morkinskinna
Morkinskinna is an Old Norse kings' saga, relating the history of Norwegian kings from approximately 1025 to 1157. The saga was written in Iceland around 1220, and has been preserved in a manuscript from around 1275....
, Hulda
Hulda-Hrokkinskinna
Hulda-Hrokkinskinna is one of the kings' sagas. Written after 1280 it relates the history of the Norwegian kings from Magnús góði, who acceded to the throne in 1035, to Magnús Erlingsson, who died in 1177....
and Hrokkinskinna manuscripts.
A young Icelander was given the job of entertaining the members of king Haraldr Sigurðarson's hirð by telling them saga
Saga
Sagas, are stories in Old Norse about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, etc.Saga may also refer to:Business*Saga DAB radio, a British radio station*Saga Airlines, a Turkish airline*Saga Falabella, a department store chain in Peru...
s. He fulfilled his task very well and was rewarded. But as jól approached, he got sad. The king soon found out why: the Icelander had told all the stories he knew but one, which related Haraldr's expeditions abroad, that he did not dare to tell. But the king ordered him to tell it during jól feast. After hearing it, the king said that he had appreciated the saga, which was faithful to the events. He asked him how he knew it. The Icelander answered that he had learnt it from Halldórr Snorrason, who had been one of Haraldr’s travelling companions.
It was suggested that Íslendings þáttr sögufróða may have been included in Morkinskinna in order to authenticate the account of Haraldr's travels abroad.