Ormr Steinþórsson

Last updated

Ormr Steinþórsson was a skald about whom little is known. Seven fragments of poetry by him are quoted in the Skáldskaparmál section of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda. One of those fragments is also quoted in the Third Grammatical Treatise by Óláfr Þórðarson while an additional fragment is quoted in Laufás-Edda. [1] Most of the fragments are in the hálfhnept meter.

Skald profession

The term skald, or skáld, is generally used for poets who composed at the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking Age and Middle Ages. Skaldic poetry forms one of two main groupings of Old Norse poetry, the other being the anonymous Eddic poetry.

<i>Skáldskaparmál</i>

The second part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda the Skáldskaparmál is effectively a dialogue between Ægir, the Norse god of the sea, and Bragi, the god of poetry, in which both Norse mythology and discourse on the nature of poetry are intertwined. The origin of a number of kennings is given; then Bragi delivers a systematic list of kennings for various people, places and things. He then goes on to discuss poetic language in some detail, in particular heiti, the concept of poetical words which are non-periphrastic, and again systematises these. This in a way forms an early form of poetic thesaurus.

Snorri Sturluson Icelandic historian, poet and politician (1179–1241)

Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker to the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He was the author of the Prose Edda or Younger Edda, which consists of Gylfaginning, a narrative of Norse mythology, the Skáldskaparmál, a book of poetic language, and the Háttatal, a list of verse forms. He was also the author of the Heimskringla, a history of the Norwegian kings that begins with legendary material in Ynglinga saga and moves through to early medieval Scandinavian history. For stylistic and methodological reasons, Snorri is often taken to be the author of Egil's saga.

Finnur Jónsson grouped Ormr with Icelandic poets from ca. 900 to ca. 1050 on the basis of the character of his verse. He described Ormr as "apparently a capable poet" and the contents of his verses as "erotic-ironic". [2] More recent scholars have suggested that Ormr was a 12th-century poet and that five or six of his fragments belong together with a fragment of Snæfríðardrápa attributed to Haraldr hárfagri in Flateyjarbók. Ormr may have based the poem on a fairy-tale about Haraldr's love for Snæfríðr. [3]

<i>Flateyjarbók</i> manuscript

Flateyjarbók is an important medieval Icelandic manuscript. It is also known as GkS 1005 fol. and by the Latin name Codex Flateyensis.

Notes

  1. Eysteinn Björnsson.
  2. Finnur Jónsson 1920:520, "Til alle de nævnte skjalde skal der föjes enkelte, som kun anføres enkelte gange og hvis liv og lævned er ubekendt, men som dog på grund af beskaffenheden af deres vers må henføres til dette tidsrum. ... Ormr Steinþórsson. af ham anfører Snorra-Edda nogle brudstykker, hvoraf de fleste er digtede i halfnept versemål; indholdet er af erotisk-ironisk art. Ormr synes at have været en dygtig skjald." Finnr has a footnote to the word erotisk-ironisk stating: "Netop dette indhold forbyder at antage (G. Þorláksson: Udsigt 54), at et halfhnept vers af Björn breiðvíkingakappe (se ovf. s. 501) hører herhen."
  3. Faulkes 1998:161.

Related Research Articles

Hlín Norse deity

In Norse mythology, Hlín is a goddess associated with the goddess Frigg. Hlín appears in a poem in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and in kennings found in skaldic poetry. Scholars have debated whether the stanza referring to her in the Prose Edda refers to Frigg. Hlín serves as a given name in Iceland, and Hlín receives veneration in the modern era in Germanic paganism's modern extension, Heathenry.

Eir Norse deity

In Norse mythology, Eir is a goddess or valkyrie associated with medical skill. Eir is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson; and in skaldic poetry, including a runic inscription from Bergen, Norway from around 1300. Scholars have theorized about whether these three sources refer to the same figure, and debate whether Eir may have been originally a healing goddess or a valkyrie. In addition, Eir has been theorized as a form of the goddess Frigg and has been compared to the Greek goddess Hygieia.

The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda or, historically, simply as Edda, is an Old Norse work of literature written in Iceland in the early 13th century. The work is often assumed to have been written, or at least compiled, by the Icelandic scholar, lawspeaker and historian Snorri Sturluson around the year 1220.

In Norse mythology, Níðhöggr is a dragon/serpent who gnaws at a root of the world tree, Yggdrasil. In historical Viking society, níð was a term for a social stigma implying the loss of honor and the status of a villain. Thus, its name might refer to its role as a horrific monster in its action of chewing the corpses of the inhabitants of Náströnd: those guilty of murder, adultery, and oath-breaking, which Norse society considered among the worst possible crimes.

Þrúðr valkyrie

Þrúðr, sometimes anglicized as Thrúd or Thrud, is a daughter of the major god Thor and the goddess Sif in Norse mythology. Þrúðr is also the name of one of the valkyries who serve ale to the einherjar in Valhalla. The two may or may not be the same figure.

Búri Norse mythical character

In Norse mythology, Búri is an early ancestor of the Æsir. Búri was licked free from salty rime stones by the primeval cow Auðumbla over the course of three days. Búri's background beyond this point is unattested, and he had a son, Borr, by way of an unknown process. Búri is attested in the Prose Edda, composed in the 13th century by Icelander Snorri Sturluson. The Prose Edda includes a quote from a 12th century poem by skald Þórvaldr blönduskáld that mentions the figure. Búri's mysterious origins are the subject of scholarly commentary and interpretation.

In Norse mythology, Lofn "the comforter, the mild," or "loving" is a goddess. Lofn is attested in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson and in kennings found in skaldic poetry. In the Prose Edda, Lofn is described as gentle in manner and as an arranger of marriages, even when they have been forbidden. Scholars have proposed theories about the implications of the goddess.

In Norse mythology, Vingólf is one of the buildings of the gods. It is described as the hall or hörgr of the goddesses and also as a place where righteous men and those slain in battle go after death. It is mentioned in the Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 3 and in the enigmatic poem Hrafnagaldur Óðins.

In Norse mythology, svartálfar, also called myrkálfar, are beings who dwell in Svartalfheim. Both the svartálfar and Svartálfaheimr are primarily attested in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. Scholars have noted that the svartálfar appear to be synonymous with the dwarfs and potentially also the dökkálfar. As dwarfs, the home of the svartálfar could possibly be another description for Niðavellir.

Old Norse poetry encompasses a range of verse forms written in Old Norse, during the period from the 8th century to as late as the far end of the 13th century. Most of the Old Norse poetry that survives was preserved in Iceland, but there are also 122 preserved poems in Swedish rune inscriptions, 54 in Norwegian and 12 in Danish.

Lóðurr Norse deity

Lóðurr is a god in Norse mythology. In the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá he is assigned a role in animating the first humans, but apart from that he is hardly ever mentioned, and remains obscure. Scholars have variously identified him with Loki, Vé, Vili and Freyr, but consensus has not been reached on any one theory.

Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór

In Norse mythology, four stags or harts eat among the branches of the World Tree Yggdrasill. According to the Poetic Edda, the stags crane their necks upward to chomp at the branches. Their names are given as Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór. An amount of speculation exists regarding the deer and their potential symbolic value.

In Norse mythology, Andlang is described as the second heavenly realm which stretches between the first, containing the halls of the gods, and the third, named Vídbláin. In all there are nine heavens according to Snorri. Andlang will serve as a shelter and dwelling place for the souls of the dead during and after the destruction of Ragnarök.

Litr

In Norse mythology Litr, which means "colour", is a name borne by a dwarf and a giant.

Skúli Þórsteinsson was an 11th-century Icelandic poet and warrior. He was the grandson of Egill Skallagrímsson and a courtier of Jarl Eiríkr Hákonarson. A short account of his life is given at the end of Egils saga:

<i>Morkinskinna</i>

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.

Þorbjörn dísarskáld is a 10th or 11th century Icelandic skald. His nickname means "poet of the lady" or "poet of the dís". It could be an allusion to a now lost poem about Freyja or one of the dísir.

Hallvarðr Háreksblesi was one of the skalds of Canute the Great. Nothing is known about his life or family but eight fragments of his poetry on Canute have been preserved. While Hallvarðr's poetry resembles that of Canute's other poets in many respects it is unusual in its heavy use of pagan imagery.

In Norse mythology, Njörun is a goddess attested in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and various kennings. Scholarly theories concerning her name and function in the pantheon include etymological connections to the Norse god Njörðr and the Roman goddess Nerio, and suggestions that she may represent the earth or be the unnamed sister-wife of Njörðr.

References

International Standard Book Number Unique numeric book identifier

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.