Þorvaldr veili
Encyclopedia
Þorvaldr veili ("the Ailing") was an Iceland
ic skald
who lived in the last part of the 10th century.
The Brennu-Njáls saga relates the circumstances of his death. Þorvaldr was pagan and opposed the conversion to Christianity. According especially to Snorri Sturluson
's Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar
, he had composed defamatory verses (níð
) about Þangbrandr
, a missionary sent to Iceland by Óláfr Tryggvason. When Þangbrandr arrived in his area, in Grímsnes
, Þorvaldr gathered a troop to slay him and his companion Guðleifr Arason. But the priest was forewarned and Þorvaldr eventually got killed:
As he was setting his trap, Þorvaldr had asked the skald Úlfr Uggason
to lend him assistance against the "effeminate/sodomitic wolf to the [pagan] gods" (argr goðvargr), but Úlfr refused to be involved. This request, which takes the form of a lausavísa
, is all that survives of his work. But according to Snorri's Háttatal
, he was also the author of a drápa about the story of Sigurðr. This drápa was remarkable for being refrainless (steflaus) and composed in a variant of skjálfhent.
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 skald
Skald
The skald was a member of a group of poets, whose courtly poetry is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking Age, who composed and performed renditions of aspects of what we now characterise as Old Norse poetry .The most prevalent metre of skaldic poetry is...
who lived in the last part of the 10th century.
The Brennu-Njáls saga relates the circumstances of his death. Þorvaldr was pagan and opposed the conversion to Christianity. According especially to Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
's Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar
Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar
Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar or the Saga of Óláfr Tryggvason can refer to several different kings' sagas.* Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar by Oddr Snorrason* Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar by Gunnlaugr Leifsson...
, he had composed defamatory verses (níð
Níð
In historical Germanic society, nīþ ; was a term for a social stigma implying the loss of honour and the status of a villain. A person affected with the stigma is a nīðing ....
) about Þangbrandr
Þangbrandr
Þangbrandr was a missionary sent to Iceland by king of Norway Óláfr Tryggvason to convert the inhabitants to Christianity. Snorri Sturluson described him as follows:-Origins:...
, a missionary sent to Iceland by Óláfr Tryggvason. When Þangbrandr arrived in his area, in Grímsnes
Grímsnes- og Grafningshreppur
Grímsnes- og Grafningshreppur is a municipality in the south-western part of Iceland, in the region of Suðurland.It has a population of 400 inhabitants in an area of 900 km².-Overview:...
, Þorvaldr gathered a troop to slay him and his companion Guðleifr Arason. But the priest was forewarned and Þorvaldr eventually got killed:
- Thangbrand shot a spear through Thorwald, but Gudleif smote him on the shoulder and hewed his arm off, and that was his death.
-
- —The Story of Burnt Njal (98), Dasent's translation
As he was setting his trap, Þorvaldr had asked the skald Úlfr Uggason
Úlfr Uggason
Úlfr Uggason was an Icelandic skald who lived in the last part of the tenth century.The Laxdæla saga tells how he composed his Húsdrápa for a wedding...
to lend him assistance against the "effeminate/sodomitic wolf to the [pagan] gods" (argr goðvargr), but Úlfr refused to be involved. This request, which takes the form of a lausavísa
Lausavísa
In Old Norse poetry and later Icelandic poetry, a lausavísa is a single stanza composition, or a set of stanzas unconnected by narrative or thematic continuity....
, is all that survives of his work. But according to Snorri's Háttatal
Háttatal
The Háttatal is the last section of the Prose Edda composed by the Icelandic poet, politician, and historian Snorri Sturluson. Using, for the most part, his own compositions, it exemplifies the types of verse forms used in Old Norse poetry...
, he was also the author of a drápa about the story of Sigurðr. This drápa was remarkable for being refrainless (steflaus) and composed in a variant of skjálfhent.