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Hrafnkels Saga Freysgoða
''Hrafnkels saga'' (; ) or ''Hrafnkels saga Freysgoða'' (O.N.: ; Ice.: ) is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It tells of struggles between chieftains and farmers in the east of Iceland in the 10th century. The eponymous main character, Hrafnkell, starts out his career as a fearsome duelist and a dedicated worshiper of the god Freyr. After suffering defeat, humiliation, and the destruction of his temple, he becomes an atheist. His character changes and he becomes more peaceful in dealing with others. After gradually rebuilding his power base for several years, he achieves revenge against his enemies and lives out the rest of his life as a powerful and respected chieftain. The saga has been interpreted as the story of a man who arrives at the conclusion that the true basis of power does not lie in the favor of the gods but in the loyalty of one's subordinates. The saga remains widely read today and is appreciated for its logical structure, plausibility, and vivid characters. For thes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Althing
The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembly fields"), situated approximately east of what later became the country's capital, Reykjavík. Even after Iceland's union with Norway in 1262, the Althing still held its sessions at until 1800, when it was discontinued. It was restored in 1844 by royal decree and moved to Reykjavík. The restored unicameral legislature first came together in 1845 and after 1874 operated in two chambers with an additional third chamber taking on a greater role as the decades passed until 1991 when Althing became once again unicameral. The present parliament building, the , was built in 1881, made of hewn Icelandic stone. The unicameral parliament has 63 members, and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional representation. The current ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Einar Ólafur Sveinsson
Einar Ólafur Sveinsson, often abbreviated Einar Ól. Sveinsson (12 December 1899 – 18 April 1984) was an Icelandic scholar of Old Norse literature who was Professor of Icelandic Literature at the University of Iceland. His writings on and editions of sagas were particularly influential. Life and career Einar Ólafur was born in Mýrdalur, where his father, Sveinn Ólafsson, was a farmer and smith.Robert Kaske, Otto Springer and Theodore M. Andersson, "Einar Ólafur Sveinsson", i"Memoirs of Fellows and Corresponding Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America" '' Speculum'' 60 (1985) 768–77, pp. 776–77, p. 776."Prófessor Einar Ól. Sveinsson látinn" '' |
Jón Helgason (poet)
Jón Helgason (June 30, 1899 - January 19, 1986) was an Icelandic philologist and poet. He was head of the Danish Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies from 1927 to 1972 and professor of Icelandic studies at the University of Copenhagen from 1929 to 1969. He made significant contributions to his field. As a poet he was not prolific but noted for his highly polished and effective traditional poetry. His best-known poems are ''Áfangar'' and ''Í Árnasafni''. One of his discoveries at the institute is the pair of glossaries that are the only documentation on Basque–Icelandic pidgin. In 1923 he married Þórunn Ástriður Björnsdóttir (1895-1966) and in 1975 married Agnete Loth Agnete Loth (18 November 1921 – 2 June 1990) was an editor and translator of Old Norse-Icelandic texts. She is notable for editing late medieval romance sagas, which she published in five volumes intended "to provide a long-needed provisional bas ... (1921-1990). References Höfundur: Jón ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vellum Parchment
Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other animals, or otherwise being of higher quality. Vellum is prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices, or books. Modern scholars and custodians increasingly use only the less specific, potentially-confusing term "membrane".Stokes and Almagno 2001, 114Clemens and Graham 2007, pp. 9–10. Depending on factors such as the method of preparation it may be very hard to determine the animal species involved (let alone its age) without using a laboratory, and the term avoids the need to distinguish between vellum and parchment. Vellum is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation and the quality of the skin. The manufacture involves the cleaning, bleaching, stretching o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Njáls Saga
''Njáls saga'' ( ), also ''Njála'' ( ), ''Brennu-Njáls saga'' ( ) or ''"The Story of Burnt Njáll"'', is a thirteenth-century sagas of Icelanders, Icelandic saga that describes events between 960 and 1020. The saga deals with a process of blood feuds in the Icelandic Commonwealth, showing how the requirements of honor could lead to minor slights spiralling into destructive and prolonged bloodshed. Insults where a character's manhood is called into question are especially prominent and may reflect an author critical of an overly restrictive ideal of masculinity. Another characteristic of the narrative is the presence of omens and prophetic dreams. It is disputed whether this reflects a fatalism, fatalistic outlook on the part of the author. The principal characters in the saga are the friends Njáll Þorgeirsson, a lawyer and a sage, and Gunnar Hámundarson, a formidable warrior. Gunnar's wife, Hallgerðr langbrók, instigates a feud that leads to the death of many character ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roman à Clef
''Roman à clef'' (, anglicised as ), French for ''novel with a key'', is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship between the nonfiction and the fiction. This metaphorical key may be produced separately—typically as an explicit guide to the text by the author—or implied, through the use of epigraphs or other literary techniques. Madeleine de Scudéry created the ''roman à clef'' in the 17th century to provide a forum for her thinly veiled fiction featuring political and public figures. The reasons an author might choose the ''roman à clef'' format include satire; writing about controversial topics and/or reporting inside information on scandals without giving rise to charges of libel; the opportunity to turn the tale the way the author would like it to have gone; the opportunity to portray personal, autobiographical experiences without having ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catechism
A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult converts. Catechisms are doctrinal manuals – often in the form of questions followed by answers to be memorised – a format #Secular catechisms, that has been used in non-religious or secular contexts as well. According to Norman DeWitt, the early Christians appropriated this practice from the Epicureans, a school whose founder Epicurus had instructed to keep summaries of the teachings for easy learning. The term ''catechumen'' refers to the designated recipient of the catechetical work or instruction. In the Catholic Church, catechumens are those who are preparing to receive the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, Sacrament of Baptism. Traditionally, they would be placed separately during Holy Mass from those who had been baptized, and wo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hermann Pálsson
Hermann Pálsson (26 May 1921 – 11 August 2002) was an Icelandic language scholar and translator, "one of the most distinguished scholars of Icelandic studies of his generation". Often working in collaboration with others such as Magnus Magnusson or Paul Edwards, he translated around 40 works of medieval Icelandic literature. Life Hermann Pálsson was born at Sauðanes á Ásum, a farm near Blönduós and the Húnafjördur in the north of Iceland in 1921. Though he was the sixth of 12 children, and the family was not rich, he managed to gain a degree in Icelandic Studies at the University of Iceland in Reykjavík in 1947. From there he moved to take another honours degree, in Irish Studies, at the National University of Ireland in Dublin in 1950. His first books reflected his Celtic interests: a volume of ancient Irish tales, ''Irskar fornsögur'' (1953), and another of Gaelic poetry from the Hebrides, ''Söngvar frá Sudureyjum'' (1955), both translated into Icelandic. He al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sigurður Nordal
Sigurður Nordal (14 September 1886 – 21 September 1974) was an Icelandic scholar, writer, and ambassador. He was influential in forming the theory of the Icelandic sagas as works of literature composed by individual authors. Education Nordal studied Scandinavian Philology in Copenhagen where he received his MA in 1912. In 1914 he completed his doctoral thesis. He then went on to study philosophy in Berlin and Oxford. Career In 1918 he became Professor of Icelandic Language and Literature at the University of Iceland. He retained this position until his death but was exempted from teaching duties in 1945. From 1931 to 1932 Nordal held the Charles Eliot Norton professorship at Harvard University. From 1951 to 1957 he was the Icelandic ambassador in Copenhagen. He was the editor-in-chief of the Íslenzk fornrit series from 1933 to 1951. In 1965, he coined the word "''tölva''" (a portmanteau made from ''tölu-völva'' / "numerical oracle") as the Icelandic word for "comp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fljótsdæla Saga
Fljótsdæla saga () is one of the Icelandic sagas. It was probably the last one written, perhaps from the 1400s or 1500s. The text is known from several manuscripts which are from the early 1600s. It was probably written by an author in the east of Iceland and is a sequel to ''Hrafnkels saga''. The saga revolves around the lives and times of the residents of the Fljótsdalur region in Iceland, including Helge Åsbjørnsson (''Helgi Ásbjarnarson'') and of Grim (''Grímr'') and Helge (''Helgi''), two sons of the widow Droplaug, a pair of brothers who have their own saga, ''Droplaugarsona saga Droplaugarsona saga () is one of the Icelanders' sagas, probably written in the 13th century. The saga takes place near Lagarfljót in the east of Iceland about 1000 AD. It tells the story of Grim (''Grímr'') and Helge (''Helgi''), sons of th ...''. Translations *''The Saga of the People of Fljotsdal''. Translated by John Porter. In: Viðar Hreinsson (general editor): ''The Complet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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