![Morkinskinna](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Morkinskinna.jpg)
''Morkinskinna'' is an
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
kings' saga
Kings' sagas ( is, konungasögur, nn, kongesoger, -sogor, nb, kongesagaer) are Old Norse sagas which principally tell of the lives of semi-legendary and legendary (mythological, fictional) Nordic kings, also known as saga kings. They were comp ...
, relating the history of
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
kings from approximately 1025 to 1157. The saga was written in
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
around 1220, and has been preserved in a manuscript from around 1275.
The name ''Morkinskinna'' means "mouldy parchment" and is originally the name of the manuscript book in which the saga has been preserved. The book itself, GKS 1009 fol, is currently in the
Royal Danish Library
The Royal Library ( da, Det Kongelige Bibliotek) in Copenhagen is the national library of Denmark and the university library of the University of Copenhagen. It is among the largest libraries in the world and the largest in the Nordic countries ...
in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
. It was brought to
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
from Iceland by Þormóður Torfason (
Tormod Torfæus) in 1662.
The saga was published in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
in 2000 in a translation by Theodore M. Andersson and Kari Ellen Gade.
Contents
The saga starts in 1025 or 1026 and in its received form, ends suddenly in 1157, after the death of
King Sigurðr II. Originally, the work may have been longer, possibly continuing until 1177, when the narratives of ''
Fagrskinna
''Fagrskinna'' ( ; is, Fagurskinna ; trans. "Fair Leather" from the type of parchment) is one of the kings' sagas, written around 1220. It is an intermediate source for the ''Heimskringla'' of Snorri Sturluson, containing histories of Norwegian k ...
'' and ''
Heimskringla
''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derived ...
'', which use ''Morkinskinna'' as one of their sources, end. Apart from giving the main saga, the text is lavishly interspersed with citations from
skaldic verse
A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionally ...
(about 270 stanzas) and includes a number of short Icelandic tales known as ''
þættir''. The following is an overview of the chapters in ''Morkinskinna'', chronologically subdivided by the reigns of the kings of Norway:
[The following chapter headings are based on Andersson's and Gade's translation of the text.]
Magnús I (r. 1035-1047)
:1. Here begins the saga of
Magnús and
Haraldr is uncle
In linguistics, a copula (plural: copulas or copulae; abbreviated ) is a word or phrase that links the subject of a sentence to a subject complement, such as the word ''is'' in the sentence "The sky is blue" or the phrase ''was not being'' i ...
:2. Concerning Sveinn
:3. Concerning King Magnús's feasts
:4. Concerning King Magnús
:5. Concerning the declaration of war against Magnús and concerning the Duke
:6. King Magnús in
Jutland
Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
:7. King Magnús's stay in Jutland
:8. How King Haraldr set sail when he came to
Skáney
:9. Concerning Haraldr's travels
:10. Concerning Norðbrikt
Haraldrs travels
:11. Concerning a declaration of war
:12. Concerning the raids of Norðbrikt and jarl
Gyrgir
:13. Haraldr's journey to Jerusalem
:14. Concerning King Magnús's meeting with Haraldr
:15. The slandering of Þorkell
:16. Concerning King Magnús
:17. How King Magnús bestowed a jarldom on
Ormr
:18. On the dispute between the kings
:19. Concerning the kings
:20. Concerning
Þorsteinn Hallsson
:21. Concerning the kings
:22. The good counsels of King Haraldr
:23. Concerning King Magnús and Margrét
:24. ''
Hreiðars þáttr ''Hreiðars þáttr heimska'' or the ''Tale of Hreiðarr the Stupid'' is one of the short tales of Icelanders. It tells of Hreiðarr, an apparently mentally disabled Icelandic man who travels to Norway in the time of the joint rule of the kings Mag ...
''
The tale of Hreiðarr":25. How the kings harried and how the king's mother granted a captive his life
:26. King Magnús dies
047:27. Haraldr's thingmeeting
:28. King Magnús's funeral voyage
Haraldr III (r. 1047-1066)
:29. Haraldr's thingmeeting
:30. ''
Halldórs þáttr Snorrasonar''
:31.
n King Haraldr's campaign in Denmark:32. Concerning King Haraldr
:33. Concerning the disagreement between the king and
Einarr Þambarskelfir
Einar Eindridesson Thambarskelfir (c. 980–c. 1050) (Old Norse: ''Einarr Þambarskelfir'', Modern Norwegian: ''Einar Tambarskjelve'') was an influential Norwegian noble and politician during the 11th century. He headed the feudal lords in th ...
:34. Concerning an Icelander
:35. Concerning King Haraldr's wise counsels
:36. How Auðunn from the Westfjords brought
King Sveinn a bear
'Auðunar_þáttr_vestfirzka''.html" ;"title="Auðunar_þáttr_vestfirzka.html" ;"title="'Auðunar þáttr vestfirzka">'Auðunar þáttr vestfirzka''">Auðunar_þáttr_vestfirzka.html" ;"title="'Auðunar þáttr vestfirzka">'Auðunar þáttr vestfirzka'':37. Concerning King Haraldr and the Upplanders
:38. Concerning King Haraldr and Brandr örvi (the Open-Handed)
:39. Concerning King Haraldr
:40. Concerning the storytelling of an Icelander [''Íslendings þáttr sögufróða'']
:41. Concerning Þorvarðr krákunel's gift of a sail to King Haraldr
:42. Concerning King Haraldr and
Hákon
:43. ''
Sneglu-Halla þáttr''.
:44.
he king encounters a man in a boat:45.
Tryggvi_Óláfsson.html" ;"title="Tryggve the Pretender">Tryggvi Óláfsson">Tryggve the Pretender">Tryggvi Óláfsson:46.
oncerning_Gizurr_Ísleifsson.html" ;"title="Gizurr_Ísleifsson.html" ;"title="oncerning Gizurr Ísleifsson">oncerning Gizurr Ísleifsson">Gizurr_Ísleifsson.html" ;"title="oncerning Gizurr Ísleifsson">oncerning Gizurr Ísleifsson:47. Concerning Stúfr enn blindi
:48. Concerning Oddr Ófeigsson
:49. How it came about that King Haraldr journeyed to the West
:50. The treachery against King Haraldr
:51. Olaf III of Norway, Óláfr Haraldsson's return to Norway
:52. The death of King
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson ( – 14 October 1066), also called Harold II, was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon English king. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings, fighting the Norman invaders led by William the C ...
066
Óláfr III (r. 1067-1093)
:53. The saga of King
Óláfr kyrri "the Quiet"
:54. Concerning King Óláfr and the
Kráku-karl (Crow Man)
Magnús III (r. 1093-1103)
:55. The Saga of King
Magnús berfœttr
:56. Concerning King Magnús and Sveinki Steinarsson
:57. Concerning King Magnús's harrying
:58. Concerning King Magnús
:59. Concerning King Magnús's death
Sigurðr I, Óláfr and Eysteinn I (r. 1103-1130)
:60. The beginning of the rule of King Magnús's sons
:61. The story of
King Sigurðr's adventures
:62. Concerning the gifts of Emperor Kirjalax (
Alexius I Komnenos)
:63. Concerning King Sigurðr's feast
:64. Concerning
King Eysteinn
:65. Concerning King Eysteinn and Ívarr
:66. Concerning the king's genealogies
:67. Concerning King Sigurðr's dream
:68. The dealings of King Eysteinn and Ingimarr with Ásu-Þórðr
:69. The death of
King Óláfr Magnússon 115:70. An account of legal dealings between King Sigurðr and King Eysteinn (''Þinga saga'')
:71. The contest of the kings
:72. Concerning
Þórarinn stuttfeldr
:73. Concerning the death of King Eysteinn
123:74. Concerning King Sigurðr and
Óttarr
:75. Concerning King Sigurðr and
Erlendr
:76. Concerning Haraldr gilli
:77. Concerning King Sigurðr and
Áslák hani (Rooster)
:78. Concerning King Sigurðr
:79. Concerning the bet between Magnús and Haraldr
:80. Concerning King Sigurðr and Bishop Magni
:81. The Death of King Sigurðr
130 130 may refer to:
*130 (number)
*AD 130
Year 130 ( CXXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Catullinus and Aper (or, l ...
Haraldr IV (r. 1130-6) and Magnús IV (r. 1130-5, 1137-9)
:82. Concerning
Haraldr and
Magnús
:83. The gifts of King Haraldr to Bishop Magnús
:84. The story of
Sigurðr slembidjákn
:85. Concerning
Sigurðr slembir
:86. The slaying of King Haraldr
y Sigurðr slembidjákn in 1136:87. Concerning King Sigurðr slembir
Sigurðr II (1136-1155)
:88. Concerning King Haraldr's sons
:89. Concerning Sigurðr
:90. Concerning King Sigurðr slembir
:91. King Ingi's letter
:92. Concerning Sigurðr slembir
:93. Concerning King Sigurðr slembir
:94. The slaying of
Óttarr birtingr
:95.
o title:96. Concerning King Sigurðr
:97. Concerning King Eysteinn
:98. The slaying of
Geirsteinn
:99.
o title:100. Concerning the death of King Sigurðr
155
Notes
Primary sources
*
Finnur Jónsson
Finnur Jónsson (May 29, 1858 – March 30, 1934) was an Icelandic-Danish philologist and Professor of Nordic Philology at the University of Copenhagen. He made extensive contributions to the study of Old Norse literature.
Finnur Jónsson was b ...
(ed.). ''Morkinskinna''. Copenhagen: Samfund til udgivelse af gammel nordisk litteratur, 1932
Available online from Septentrionalia
*
Ármann Jakobsson
Ármann Jakobsson (born 18 July 1970) is an Icelandic author and scholar.
Biography
Ármann was born and raised in Reykjavík, Iceland. His father was a banker and his mother a psychologist. His sister is Katrín Jakobsdóttir, prime minister ...
and Þórður Ingi Guðjónsson (eds.).
Morkinskinna I-II'. Íslenzk fornrit 23–24. Reykjavík: Hið íslenzka fornritafélag, 2011.
* Andersson, Theodore Murdock and Kari Ellen Gade (trs.).
Morkinskinna: The Earliest Icelandic Chronicle of the Norwegian Kings (1030-1157)'. Islandica 51. Ithaca:
Cornell University Press
The Cornell University Press is the university press of Cornell University; currently housed in Sage House, the former residence of Henry William Sage. It was first established in 1869, making it the first university publishing enterprise in th ...
, 2000. With introduction. {{ISBN, 0-8014-3694-X
Further reading
* Ármann Jakobsson, "Den kluntede afskriver: Finnur Jónsson og ''Morkinskinna''." ''Opuscula'' 11 (2003): 289–306.
* Ármann Jakobsson, ''Staður í nýjum heimi. Konungasagan Morkinskinna''. Reykjavík: Háskólaútgáfan, 2002.
* Ármann Jakobsson, "The Amplified Saga: Structural Disunity in ''Morkinskinna''." ''Medium Ævum'' 70.1 (2001): 29-46.
* Ármann Jakobsson, "The Individual and the Ideal: The Representation of Royalty in ''Morkinskinna''." ''Journal of English and Germanic Philology'' 99.1 (2000): 71-86.
* Ármann Jakobsson, "Rundt om kongen. En genvurdering af Morkinskinna." ''Maal og Minne'' 1 (1999): 71-90
Available online
* Ármann Jakobsson, "King and Subject in ''Morkinskinna''." ''Skandinavistik'' 28 (1998): 101-117.
* Indrebø, Gustav, "Harald haardraade in ''Morkinskinna''." In ''Festskrift til Finnur Jónsson'', ed. Johs. Brøndum-Nielsen et al. Copenhagen: Levin & Munksgaard, 192. 173-80.
* Kalinke, Marianne, "Sigurðar saga jórsalafara: The Fictionalization of Fact in ''Morkinskinna''." ''Scandinavian Studies'' 56.2 (1984): 152-67.
* Sandaaker, Odd, "''Ágrip'' og ''Morkinskinna''. Teksthistoriske randnotar." ''Maal og Minne'' (1996). 31-56.
* Thunberg, Carl L. ''Särkland och dess källmaterial''
'Serkland and its Source Material'' Göteborgs universitet. CLTS (2011): 59-67.
External links
* Finnur Jónsson. (Ed.) (1932)
''Morkinskinna'' Copenhagen: Samfund til udgivelse af gammel nordisk litteratur. Available in pdf format a
septentrionalia.net Comprehensive list of skaldic poetry cited in ''Morkinskinna'' Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages.
Kings' sagas
Icelandic manuscripts