Bjarnar saga Hítdœlakappa

Bjarnar saga Hítdælakappa (listen ; The Saga of Björn, Champion of the Hitardal People, 'Björn's saga) is one of the sagas of Icelanders. The text is incomplete and can be found in two parchment manuscripts from the 14th century (AM 162, fol.) And two paper manuscripts of the 17th century (AM 551 d alfa 4to).

Björn (Bjørn Hitdølakappe) was a relative of Egill Skallagrímsson from Egil's Saga, and grew up at Borg á Mýrum, the homestead that passed ownership from Egill to his son and grandson. The saga takes place between the years 1000–1025 near Snæfellsnes and is about the disagreement between Bjørn and his rival Tord (Þórður skáld Kolbeinsson). Tord becomes friends with BjörnBjørn in Norway. Tord promises to take a bid from Björn to Oddny (Oddný Þorkelsdóttir), but falsifies the message, and marries Oddny after casting a rumor that Björn has died. The story ends after Björn's death with Tord sentenced at the Thing. [1][2]

Family relationship

Björn was born 989.[3] His grandmother was Sæunn Skallagrímsdóttir, making him a great-nephew of the warrior-poet Egill Skallagrímsson.[4] He was fostered at Borg á Mýrum and grew up with Egill's grandson Skule Torsteinsson (Skúli Þórsteinsson).[lower-alpha 1]Finlay & Waley 2002, Chap. 1–2 (pp. 153–4) and notes[6]

Analysis

The saga contains a number of erotic and satirical content. It is notable for a passage that appears to describe a man being found to possess primitive pornography; a woodcutting depicting anal sex between two men.

Þess er nú við getið að hlutur sá fannst í hafnarmarki Þórðar er þvígit vinveittlegra þótti. Það voru karlar tveir og hafði annar hött blán á höfði. Þeir stóðu lútir og horfði annar eftir öðrum. Það þótti illur fundur og mæltu menn að hvorskis hlutur væri góður þeirra er þar stóðu og enn verri er fyrir stóð.

Translation:

Now it is mentioned that an item was found amongst the possessions Thordur left behind at shore, an item that was no more friendly. It was two men, and one bore a blue hat on his head. They were leaning over and one was looking over from behind the other. This was considered a terrible find and all were agreed that both parties seen standing there were in a bad position, but the one in front a much worse position still.

Explanatory notes
  1. Although referred to only obliquely as "Skúli's father" in the saga (e.g. "Skuli and his father gave [Bjorn] ample funds for the trip."Finlay & Waley 2002, Chap. 2 (p. 154)), Þórsteinn would have been alive and the patriarch of the household in the years of the opening narrative.[5] Þórsteinn was the father of Helga the fair, the woman in the love triangle in Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu.

References
  1. "Bjarnar saga hítdælakappa". sagadb.org. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  2. "Bjørn Hitdølakappe". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  3. Finlay & Waley (2002), p. 308.
  4. "Íslendingabók". www.islendingabok.is (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 2019-02-10. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  5. Finlay & Waley 2002, Chap. 1 (p. 153) and note 2
  6. Guðbrandur Vigfússon (1865). On the Word Rúnhenda or Rímhenda, and the Introduction of Rhyme into Iceland. Transactions of the Philological Society. p. 208.
bibliography
  • Finlay, Alison (tr.); Waley, Diana (introd. and notes) (2002) [1997], "The Saga of Bjorn, Champion of the Hitardal People", Sagas of the Warrior-Poets, Penguin, pp. 153–221, ISBN 9788772895703


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