Atla saga Ótryggssonar () is a relatively recent text in the genre of

sagas of Icelanders The sagas of Icelanders (, ), also known as family sagas, are a subgenre, or text group, of Icelandic Saga, sagas. They are prose narratives primarily based on historical events that mostly took place in Iceland in the ninth, tenth, and earl ...

, most probably written in the

19th century The 19th century began on 1 January 1801 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 (MCM). It was the 9th century of the 2nd millennium. It was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was Abolitionism, ...

. The oldest known

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

with this text is from 1820, where it is written down in a manuscript together with other, older

saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...

texts.Atla saga Ótryggssonar
handrit.is The saga takes place in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

and

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

during the age of the

settlement of Iceland The settlement of Iceland ( ) is generally believed to have begun in the second half of the ninth century, when Norsemen, Norse settlers migrated across the North Atlantic. The reasons for the migration are uncertain: later in the Middle Ages Icel ...

(

10th century The 10th century was the period from 901 (represented by the Roman numerals CMI) through 1000 (M) in accordance with the Julian calendar, and the last century of the 1st millennium. In China, the Song dynasty was established, with most of C ...

). The main character, Atli, grew up as an ash lad (''kolbítr''), but after he comes of age, he avenges the murder of his father and emigrates to Iceland.Atla saga Ótryggssonar
heimskringla.no

Plot Summary

The

opens in

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...

, introducing Ólafr, a kinsman of King Harald Fairhair. Ólafr is depicted as an oppressive figure. His neighbor, Ótryggr, lives with his wife Brynvör and their son, Atli. Atli is initially portrayed as a "kolbítr" or " ash lad," a lazy and unhelpful youth who spends his time by the fire, often tormenting the kitchen staff. The conflict begins when Ólafr's herdsman uses and kills one of Ótryggr's horses, for which Ólafr refuses compensation. Later, Ólafr's cattle trespass on Ótryggr's land. When Ótryggr's housecarl drives them off, accidentally injuring one of Ólafr's oxen, Ólafr retaliates by brutally killing the housecarl. He then boasts about this act of violence. Brynvör, shamed by her husband's inaction, confronts Atli about his idleness and their family's dishonor. This spurs Atli to action. Armed by his mother with a cloak, shield, and sword, Atli goes to Ólafr's home. He finds Ólafr in bed and demands compensation for the horse and the slain housecarl. Ólafr mocks him, offering three teeth from the deceased housecarl as payment. Enraged, Atli kills Ólafr by cleaving him at the hips. He then flees, and his mother advises him to seek refuge with her brother, Böðvarr, in Vík. Ólafr's foster-mother, Oddleif, reports the slaying to King Harald, who declares Atli an outlaw and offers twelve marks of silver for his head. Two brothers, Hjalti and Högni, set out to find him. Atli reaches Böðvarr's home. Böðvarr, after initial testing of Atli's character through a series of unusual hospitality rituals (including a cold milk meal and a tug-of-war over an ox-hide), accepts him after reading Brynvör's letter. Atli begins working by collecting firewood from the sea. Hjalti and Högni eventually track Atli to Vík. With information from King Harald's kinsmen, Hrafn and Krákr, they ambush Atli while he is gathering wood. Atli fights back, killing Högni with his axe and then Hjalti with his own sword. He returns to Böðvarr, who commends his actions. Atli also forms a friendship with Loðinn, a poor and mistreated kinsman of Hrafn and Krákr. When Hrafn and Krákr steal a beached whale from Loðinn and beat him, Atli avenges Loðinn by capsizing their boat, drowning Krákr, and killing Hrafn. He brings the whale back to Böðvarr's farm, causing a commotion with the kitchen staff. King Harald, further enraged by the deaths of his retainers and kinsmen, personally leads a force of sixty men in a longship to Vík to confront Atli. Atli, forewarned by a dream, prepares for the king's arrival. He goes to the shore alone, carrying his mother's cloak, shield, sword, and Böðvarr's great spear. He throws a large boulder at the king's landing boat, killing five men and breaking the stern. He then retreats to a rock and defends himself against the king's men. He kills Ívarr and Úlfr, two of the king's brothers. Despite being outnumbered, Atli fights fiercely, even jumping into the sea and reappearing on another rock to continue the battle. Böðvarr and eighteen masked men (including Loðinn) arrive to assist Atli, turning the tide of the battle. Atli kills nineteen more of the king's men, forcing King Harald and five survivors to flee by ship. Realizing they can no longer remain in Norway, Atli and Böðvarr decide to emigrate to Iceland. Atli sells his inherited property and brings his mother and wealth to Vík. Böðvarr purchases a ship, and they set sail with thirty men and several women, including Brynvör, Böðvarr's wife Thóra, and Loðinn's daughter Guðrún. Before sailing, Atli makes a final daring raid, killing Gizurr the White, another kinsman of the king, and burning the king's temple at Agðanes. They arrive in

on the west side, discovering three dead

cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...

in a

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

, which they name Þorskafjörður (Cod Fjord). Atli establishes a settlement at Atlavík, and his retainers settle further along the fjord. Loðinn settles at Núpur. Atli marries Guðrún Loðinsdóttir and has three sons: Sörli, Áki, and Böðvarr. The saga concludes with King Harald sending another expedition to

to burn Atli's settlement, led by the brothers Lambi and Kambi. Atli, again warned by a dream, gathers his kinsmen and allies, Haukr and Hrani, totaling forty men. They ambush the Norwegians, killing Lambi and several others. The remaining six Norwegians flee back to their ship. Atli and his men loot the ship and divide the spoils. The saga ends peacefully. Atli arranges for Haukr to marry Þóra Hallketilsdóttir, and Hrani marries Rannveig Gunnarsdóttir. Atli and his family prosper, and the saga traces the lineage of his sons and those of his companions. Atli lives to old age and dies naturally.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atla saga Otryggssonar Sagas of Icelanders