''Gunnars þáttr Þiðrandabana'' (''The Short Saga of Gunnar, Thidrandi's Killer'') is a short saga (or

þáttr The ''þættir'' (Old Norse singular ''þáttr'', literally meaning a "strand" of rope or yarn)O'Donoghue (2004:226). are short stories written mostly in Iceland during the 13th and 14th centuries. The majority of ''þættir'' occur in two compend ...

) written in Old Norse in medieval Iceland. The events of the story take place in the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Ger ...

and concern Gunnar, a Norwegian merchant, who avenges his host's death in Iceland's

Eastern Region Eastern Region or East Region may refer to: * Eastern Region (Abu Dhabi): Al Ain *Eastern Region, Ghana *Eastern Region (Iceland) *Eastern Region, Nepal *Eastern Region, Nigeria * Eastern Region, Serbia * Eastern Region, Uganda * Eastern Region of ...

, and must elude his enemies until he can safely escape the country.

Classification

''The Short Saga of Gunnar, Thidrandi's Killer'' has traditionally been classified as a

(a ''short saga'' in English, but often translated as a ''tale'') based on the short length of the text. The story, however, identifies itself as a saga with the concluding line "Here ends ''The Saga of Gunnar, Thidrandi's Killer''. For this reason, some scholars prefer to group it with the

Sagas of Icelanders The sagas of Icelanders ( is, Íslendingasögur, ), also known as family sagas, are one genre of Icelandic sagas. They are prose narratives mostly based on historical events that mostly took place in Iceland in the ninth, tenth, and early el ...

instead.

Content

The conflict in this story begins with an irresponsible farmhand named Asbjorn Cliff, who defaults on his debts and flees his creditors. He takes shelter with Ketil Thrym of Njardvik. His creditors come to Njardvik with Ketil Thrym's foster-son, Thidrandi, and attack Asbjorn. In the fight, Asbjorn is killed and Ketil Thrym avenges his death. Ketil Thrym is then killed in turn. Gunnar, a Norwegian merchant who was staying as a guest in Njardvik is brought into the fight. He avenges Ketil's death by killing Thidrandi, and this ends the fight. He is thereafter known as "Thidrandi's Killer" (Old Norse ''Þiðrandabani''). Gunnar is later pursued by Thidrandi's kinsmen who seek vengeance. Gunnar hides out with the help of various protectors and eventually escapes back to Norway.''The Short Saga of Gunnar, Thidrandi's Killer'', ch. 4-7

Other Sagas

The events of this story are told in the following other medieval texts: * '' The Saga of the People of Fljotsdal'' * '' The Saga of the People of Laxardal''

References

Þættir Sagas of Icelanders Old Norse literature {{Iceland-saga-stub