Its oldest manuscript a fragment dates back to AD, and comprises the sole source of information on the exploits of Egil, whose life is not historically recorded. Stylistic and other similarities between Egil's Saga and Heimskringla have led many scholars to believe that they were the work of the same author, Snorri Sturluson. The draugr or draug Old Norse: These reanimated individuals were known as draugar.

However, though the dead might live again, they could also die again. Draugar die a "second death" as Chester Gould calls it, when their bodies decay, are burned, dismembered or otherwise destroyed. Olaf Feilan Thorsteinsson Old Norse: After the death of his father Olaf was reared by his grandmother Aud the Deep-minded,[2] and emigrated with her to Iceland, where they settled at the estate called Hvamm in the Laxardal region. Olaf married a woman named Alfdis of Barra,[3] around She arranged Olaf's betrothal to Alfdis, and planned the wedding feast for the end of summer or autumn , which she predicted "would be the last feast I would hold".


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He emigrated to Iceland following his father Ketill's expulsion from Norway by King Harald Fairhair and the seizure of their lands in the north of Norway. The son of a slave woman, Olaf became one of the wealthiest landowners in Iceland and played a major role in its politics and society during the latter half of the tenth century. Birth and upbringing Olaf was the son of Hoskuld Dala-Kollsson, a chieftain who lived in the Laxardal region. It is possible that her name represents the Early Irish Mael Curcaig. The sagas relate that Gunnhild lived during a time of great change and upheaval in Norway.

Her father-in-law Harald Fairhair had recently united much of Norway under his rule. Shortly after his death, Gunnhild and her husband were overthrown and exiled. She spent much of the rest of her life in exile in Orkney, Jorvik and Denmark. A number of her many children with Erik became co-rulers of Norway in the late tenth century.

Historicity Gunnhild convinces Eric Bloodaxe to kill the Finnish wizards. From an illustration by Christian Krohg. Many of the details of her life are dis The archipelago of Gothenburg Swedish: Trafikverket has ferries from Lilla Varholmen to the northern archipelago. Some of the islands are interconnected by bridges. Northern archipelago The main islands of the northern Gothenburg archipelago are: The southern Gothenburg archipelago lies off the coast of Gothenburg, Sweden's second-largest city.

It has 5, permanent an They are known for being primarily composed of Germanic peoples, specifically Norsemen from modern day Sweden the Guard was formed approximately years into the Viking Age and Anglo-Saxons after the Norman Conquest of England created an Anglo-Saxon diaspora, part of which found employment in Constantinople. They were in Byzantine service from as early as Vladimir, who had recently usurped power in Kiev with an army of Varangian warriors, sent 6, men to Basil as part of a military assistance agreement.

Knowledge about military technology of the Viking Age end of 8th- to midth-century Europe is based on relatively sparse archaeological finds, pictorial representation, and to some extent on the accounts in the Norse sagas and laws recorded in the 14th century. According to custom, all free Norse men were required to own weapons, as well as permitted to carry them at all times. The very richest might have a helmet; other armour is thought to have been limited to the nobility and their professional warriors.

Kristni saga the book of Christianity is an Old Norse account of the Christianization of Iceland in the 10th century and of some later church history. It was probably written in the early or midth century, as it is dependent on the Latin biography of King Olaf Tryggvason written by the monk Gunnlaugr Leifsson around the last decade of the 12th century. Iceland came under the reign of Norwegian, Swedish and Danish kings but regained full sovereignty and independence from the Danish monarchy on 1 December , when Kingdom of Iceland was established.

On 17 June , the monarchy was abolished and the Icelandic republic was founded. The language spoken is Icelandic, a North Germanic language, and Lutheranism is the predominant religion. Historical and DNA records indicate that around 60 to 80 percent of the male settlers were of Norse origin primarily from Western Norway and a similar percentage of the women were of Gaelic stock from Ireland and peripheral Scotland. Development of the island was slow due to a lack of interest from the count Olaf the White Old Norse: Olaf was born around , in Ireland. His father was the Hiberno-Norse warlord Ingjald Helgasson.

Some traditional sources portray Olaf as a descendant of Ragnar Lodbrok — for instance, the Eyrbyggja Saga, claims that Olaf's paternal grandmother Thora was a daughter of Ragnar's son Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye. However, this connection seems unlikely, given that Sigurd appears to have lived in the mid-9th Century and Ragnar himself may have lived until the s.

Irish fragments provide a different genealogy, suggesting that Olaf's father was Godfred, son of Ragnall, son of Godfred, son of Godfred. The Irish sources name Olaf's wi Aud the Deep-Minded Old Norse: Aud den djuptenkte , also known as Unn, Aud Ketilsdatter or Unnur Ketilsdottir, was a 9th-century settler during the age of Settlement of Iceland. They had a son named Thorstein the Red. Thorstein married there and had six daughters and one son. He also became a great warrior king, conquering in northern Scotland; however, he was killed in battle after being betrayed by his people.

Sketch of archaeological grave found and labelled "Bj " by Hjalmar Stolpe in Birka, Sweden, published The Birka female Viking warrior was a woman buried with the accoutrements of an elite professional Viking warrior in a 10th century chamber-grave in Birka, Sweden. Thought to be a male warrior since the grave's excavation in , the remains have been proved to be female by both osteological analysis and a DNA study in The study concludes the artifacts buried with the woman are evidence she was a high-ranking professional warrior.

That conclusion has been disputed as premature by archaeologists and historians who say the artifacts are not evidence that women were warriors in patriarchal Viking culture. This controversy has contributed to the debate about the gender roles performed by women in Viking society. Archaeological records Initial excavation Archaeologist and ethnographer Hjalmar Stolpe — excavated a warrior's burial chamber in the s, as part of his archaeological resea The wedding feast was a very crowded one, for the new hall was finished.

Ulf Uggason was of the bidden guests, and he had made a poem on Olaf Hoskuldson and of the legends that were painted round the hall, and he gave it forth at the feast. This poem is called the "House Song," and is well made. Olaf rewarded him well for the poem. Thorstein the Red or Thorstein Olafsson was a viking chieftain who flourished in late ninth-century Scotland.

After Thorstein's death Aud left Caithness, sojourning for a while in Orkney before settling with other members of her clan in Iceland. Muirchertach na Cochall Craicinn , was a King of Ailech. He kills people for trifles and for sport. The saga contains poetry attributed to him, including parts of a lay on his blood brother. Manuscripts and dating The saga survives in three early manuscripts. Each has a rather different version of the text: The poem describes mythological scenes carved on kitchen panels. In the stanzas that have come down to us three such scenes are described.

This poem is called the House Song, and is well made. Olaf rewarded him wel It is widely thought that the saga represents some historical fact. Her marriages were foretold when she relayed four dreams to Gest to interpret, each represented one of the marriages to come. Her first marriage to Thorvaldr Halldorsson ended in divorce. It was a brief unhappy marriage, however after the divorce she acquired half of his estate. She gave birth to his son soon after, naming him Thord. The culture of Iceland is rich and varied as well as being known for its literary heritage which began in the 12th century.


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  7. Other Icelandic traditional arts include weaving, silversmithing, and wood carving. There are also four active folk dance ensembles in Iceland. Iceland's literacy rate is among the highest in the world, and a love of literature, art, chess, and other intellectual pursuits is widespread. Arts The people of Iceland are famous for their prose and poetry, in particular the sagas and eddas. Architecture Icelandic architecture draws from Scandinavia, and traditionally, was influenced by the lack of native trees on the island.

    As a result, grass and turf-covered houses were developed. The original grasshouses constructed by the original settlers of Iceland were based on Viking longhouses. Literature Iceland has produced many great aut He is considered to be the first white child to be born in the Americas, apart from Greenland. He became an important figure in the Christianisation of Iceland.

    Birth years such as , , and have been postulated, but all sources agree that he was born between Official website in Icelandic With the probable exception of Papar, Iceland was an uninhabited island until around The first settlers of Iceland were greatly influenced by their Norwegian roots when creating their own form of government. This created a unique structure. He came to prominence as a BBC television journalist and was best known as the presenter of the BBC television quiz programme Mastermind, which he hosted for 25 years.

    Living in Joppa, he was educated at the Edinburgh Academy and was in the school's marching brass band. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands.

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    Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, with most of the archipelago having a tundra climate. By his Irish concubine Melkorka he was the father of Olaf the Peacock and possibly of another son named Helgi.

    References Ari the Learned. Three figures on the 12th-century Skog tapestry; they have been interpreted as the Norse Gods, Odin, Thor and Freyja Old Norse religion is the most common name for a branch of Germanic religion which developed during the Proto-Norse period, when the North Germanic peoples separated into a distinct branch of the Germanic peoples. It was displaced by Christianity during the Christianization of Scandinavia. Scholars reconstruct aspects of North Germanic religion by historical linguistics, archaeology, toponymy, and records left by North Germanic peoples, such as runic inscriptions in the Younger Futhark, a distinctly North Germanic extension of the runic alphabet.

    Numerous Old Norse works dated to the 13th century record Norse mythology, a component of North Germanic religion. Old Norse religion was polytheistic, entailing a belief in various gods and goddesses. Vatnshyrna was a major Icelandic saga codex destroyed in the Copenhagen Fire of The historical record is incomplete, and the kingdom was not a continuous entity throughout the entire period. The islands concerned are sometimes referred to as the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, although only some of the later rulers claimed that title. At times the rulers were independent of external control, although for much of the period they had overlords in Norway, Ireland, England, Scotland or Orkney.

    At times there also appear to have been competing claims for all or parts of the territory. Ingjaldr Helgason[1] was a Hiberno-Norse chieftain of the 9th Century. However, this connection is dubious, as Ingjald appears to have been born in the early 9th Century — either before or at around the same time as Ragnar. Ingjald had at least one son, Olaf the White, who became King of Dublin. Notes In some sources his father's name is given as Olaf. He studied at the University of Copenhagen, but in failed his defense.

    Sagas of Icelanders

    He later worked variously as a writer, journalist, translator, librarian, and language teacher. In , he worked as a sub-librarian at the Advocates Library in Edinburgh, Scotland. In , he returned to Copenhagen, where in , he edited the newspaper Dagen. In —, he edited the newspaper Tiden. Dansk Biografisk Leksikon in Danish. Retrieved 3 July The Viking Age or Carolingian-era developed in the 8th century from the Merovingian sword more specifically, the Frankish production of swords in the 6th to 7th century, itself derived from the Roman spatha and during the 11th to 12th century in turn gave rise to the knightly sword of the Romanesque period.

    Although popularly called "Viking sword", this type of sword was produced in the Frankish Empire during the Carolingian era. The association of the name "Viking" with these swords is due to the disappearance of grave goods in Christian Francia in the 8th century, due to which the bulk of sword blades of Frankish manufacture of this period were found in pagan burials of Viking Age Scandinavia, imported by trade, ransom payment or Kjartan sees Hrefna with the headdress and decides he might as well own "both together, the bonnet and the bonnie lass".

    Sagas of Icelanders Revolvy Brain revolvybrain Iceland knackerzz. Member feedback about Bolli Bollason: Medieval literature Revolvy Brain revolvybrain. Saga topic Sagas are stories mostly about ancient Nordic and Germanic history, early Viking voyages, the battles that took place during the voyages, and migration to Iceland and of feuds between Icelandic families. Member feedback about Saga: Member feedback about Sagas of Icelanders: Member feedback about Ketill Flatnose: Sagas of Icelanders Revolvy Brain revolvybrain.

    Member feedback about Thorgerd Egilsdottir: Eyrbyggja saga topic Eyrbyggja saga Icelandic pronunciation: Member feedback about Eyrbyggja saga: Member feedback about Egil's Saga: Draugr topic The draugr or draug Old Norse: Member feedback about Draugr: Member feedback about Olaf Feilan: Norwegian Sami people Revolvy Brain revolvybrain.

    Icelandic/norse sagas

    Member feedback about Olaf the Peacock: Member feedback about Melkorka: Member feedback about The Lion has Many Ears: Member feedback about Gunnhild, Mother of Kings: Member feedback about Gothenburg archipelago: Car-free zones Revolvy Brain revolvybrain. Member feedback about Varangian Guard: Warfare of the Middle Ages Revolvy Brain revolvybrain. Viking Age arms and armour topic Knowledge about military technology of the Viking Age end of 8th- to midth-century Europe is based on relatively sparse archaeological finds, pictorial representation, and to some extent on the accounts in the Norse sagas and laws recorded in the 14th century.

    What do you'll think. Well, an archetypal analysis of women in the Icelandic sagas would certainly work. A new historicist approach would be, IMO, a bit harder, but certainly not impossible. But I have no idea how you'd combine the two. Could you give an example of a new historicist argument you would make? And which Icelandic sagas are you using?

    Ecce quam bonum et jocundum, habitares libros in unum! You should not be thinking of which theoretical approach you want to use first. This is putting the cart before the horse. Rather than thinking in terms of doing an "archetypal" project or a "new historicist" project, think instead about what it is you want to say, what the major questions you want to explore are and what hypotheses you have that you want to sound out.

    Write out an initial paragraph or more about your thesis in plain, non-theoretical language. Then and only then should you think about what methodology or combination of methodologies makes sense and will be most productive for your project. Theoretical and methodological schools of thought are tools not ends. You should be thinking of your project as an exploration of certain questions related to Icelandic Sagas, not as an example of one school of thought or another.

    Think to yourself why you would use, for example, a new historicist approach. How would that help you with the goals of your project? How would it hinder you?

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    What part of the methodology is useful for what you want to say and what part is not? Where do you agree with new historicist critics you've read and want to build on their work and where do you disagree and want to try something different?

    Laxdæla saga

    Has this approach been applied to the genre or period of literature you're working in? If not, how is applying that approach going to help you to provide the insights you want to give in your thesis? If you can't think of any reason that a particular school of thought is useful for what you want to say then don't include it.

    If you only find some aspects of that approach useful and find aspects of another approach useful as well then certainly combine them. Last edited by Petrarch's Love; at Come to think of it now Thanks for the input. The university I go to expects us to use a contemporary theory or a gendered analysis. So I'm definitely ruling out an archetypal analysis of women and was considering doing just a gendered analysis or applying a new historicist analysis.

    I'm quite keen on applying a some aspect of new historicism though I'm not sure how to go about with it.