Steinvör Sighvatsdóttir (early 13th–century – 17 October 1271;

Modern Icelandic Icelandic (; is, íslenska, link=no ) is a North Germanic language spoken by about 314,000 people, the vast majority of whom live in Iceland, where it is the national language. Due to being a West Scandinavian language, it is most closely re ...

: ;

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 ...

: ), was the politically most influential woman 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 ...

in the

Age of the Sturlungs The Age of the Sturlungs or the Sturlung Era ( is, Sturlungaöld ) was a 42–44 year period of violent internal strife in mid-13th century Iceland. It is documented in the Sturlunga saga. This period is marked by the conflicts of local chieftai ...

. She was also a

skald 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 ...

and listed as such in ''

Skáldatal ''Skáldatal'' (''Catalogue of Poets'') is a short prose work in Old Norse. It is preserved in two manuscripts: DG 11, or ''Codex Uppsaliensis'', which is one of the four main manuscripts of the ''Prose Edda'' (first quarter of the 14th century), an ...

''.

Family

Steinvör's parents were

Sighvatr Sturluson Sighvatr Sturluson (Old Norse: ; given name also ''Sigvatr'' ; Modern Icelandic: ''Sighvatur Sturluson'' ; c. 1170 – 1238) was a skaldic poet, ''goði'' and member of the Icelandic Sturlungar clan. His parents were Sturla Þórðarson of Hv ...

, leader of the

Sturlungs The Sturlungs ( Icelandic: ) were a powerful family clan in 13th century Iceland, in the time of the Icelandic Commonwealth. Their story is partly told in '' Sturlunga saga'', and members of the clan were significant participants in the civil wa ...

, and

Halldóra Halldóra is an Icelandic given name which is the feminine form of Halldór. List of people with the given name * Halldóra Briem (1913–1993), Icelandic architect * Halldóra Eldjárn (1923–2008), first lady of Iceland * Halldóra Eyjólfs ...

, daughter of Tumi Kolbeinsson, headman of the

Ásbirningar family clan The Ásbirnings or Ásbirningar (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) were a powerful family clan in the medieval Icelandic Commonwealth. They dominated Skagafjörður in the 12th and 13th centuries until their last leader died in the Battle of Haug ...

. Tumi's successor, Kolbeinn Tumason, was her uncle, and his successor,

Kolbeinn ungi Arnórsson Kolbeinn ungi Arnórsson (1208 – 22 July 1245) was an Icelandic chieftain or ''goði'' of the Ásbirningar family clan. He fought with Gissur Þorvaldsson against the Sturlungs in the Icelandic civil war during the Age of the Sturlungs. His h ...

, was a cousin. Steinvör considered herself a Sturlung. She had two sisters and seven brothers; among them

Sturla Sighvatsson Sturla Sighvatsson (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ; 1199 – 21 August 1238) was an Icelandic chieftain or ''goði'' of the Sturlungar family clan who played an active role in the armed conflicts in Iceland during the Age of the Sturlungs (Ic ...

and Þórðr kakali.

Life

In 1230 Steinvör married Hálfdan Sæmundsson, the son of Sæmundr Jónsson,

goði Gothi or (plural , fem. ; Old Norse: ) was a position of political and social prominence in the Icelandic Commonwealth. The term originally had a religious significance, referring to a pagan leader responsible for a religious structure and com ...

Oddi Oddi ( Icelandic: ) is a small village and church at Rangárvellir in Rangárvallasýsla, Iceland. Oddi at Rangárvellir was a cultural and learning center in South Iceland during the Middle Ages. There has been a church at Oddi since the introdu ...

. The couple settled on the estate Keldur in Rangárvellir. Hálfdan was, according to the

Sturlunga Saga ''Sturlunga saga'' (often called simply ''Sturlunga'') is a collection of Icelandic sagas by various authors from the 12th and 13th centuries; it was assembled in about 1300. It mostly deals with the story of the Sturlungs, a powerful family clan ...

, a peaceful man who preferred the calm of his own farm to getting involved in contemporary politics. Steinvör, who supported the Sturlungs, seems to have put up with this – at least as long as her own dynasty prospered. But in 1238 the Sturlungs suffered a crushing defeat in the

battle of Örlygsstaðir The Battle of Örlygsstaðir was a historic battle fought by the Sturlungar against the Ásbirningar and the Haukdælir clans in northern Iceland. The battle was part of the civil war that was taking place in Iceland at the time between various ...

, where Steinvör's father and four brothers were killed. When her brother Þórðr kakali returned four years later from Norway to take revenge and restore the lost power of the Sturlungs, he first sought refuge with his sister at Keldur. According to ''Þórðar saga kakala'' he reckoned that Steinvör "who was a very powerful woman, certainly would prompt her husband to act".Þórðar saga kakala So she did. She even threatened to hand over the ''fatabúr'' (storeroom) keys (i.e. the symbol of a married woman) to ''him'' and take up arms herself if he did not help her brother. The peaceful Hálfdan relented, but was still cautious and refused as long as possible to take open position in the conflict. Steinvör was highly respected by her contemporaries and had a greater influence than most women in her days. This was clearly shown in the conflict between Þórðr kakali and the peasants of Southern Region in the autumn of 1242. Open assault at arms was averted when Steinvör and bishop Sigvarðr Þéttmarsson were chosen as mediators. The peasants agreed to a reconciliation provided that these two stipulated the conditions. But if also the mediators disagreed ''Steinvör alone would decide''. Thus, the peasants had a greater trust in her than in their bishop. At Þórðr kakali's death in 1256 Steinvör was sole heir. She then gave the estate Grund to her son-in-law Þorvarðr Þórarinsson of the Svínfellingar family clan, and set him to take charge of Þórðr's

goðorð Gothi or (plural , fem. ; Old Norse: ) was a position of political and social prominence in the Icelandic Commonwealth. The term originally had a religious significance, referring to a pagan leader responsible for a religious structure and com ...

Eyjafjörður Eyjafjörður (, ''Island Fjord'') is one of the longest fjords in Iceland. It is located in the central north of the country. Situated by the fjord is the country's fourth most populous municipality, Akureyri. Physical geography The fjord is ...

. This led to a conflict between him and Þorgils skarði (a Sturlung), who also claimed power in the district. As a result, Þorvarðr treacherously ambushed and killed Þorgils on the night of January 22, 1258. For this outrage, however, he lost all reputation in the district and was soon driven away from Eyjafjörður.Þorgils saga skarða ´ Steinvör and Hálfdan had three sons: Loft, who became knight (''riddari'') at Grund, Sighvatr who became knight at Keldur, and Sturla.

Poetry

Steinvör is a rare example of a woman whose name is included in the ''

'' catalogue of court poets. She is said to have sung the praises of a chieftain called Gautr on Melr (died 1270), who was an ally of the Sturlungs. But nothing of this poem (a

drápa 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 ...

?) has survived. In ''Íslendinga saga'' is a collection of versified dreams and portents said to have occurred shortly before the battle of Örlygsstaðir. One of these stanzas, written in a kind of '' töglag'', is attributed to Steinvör. She is there said to have dreamed that she found a severed human head on a field and that a dream figure asked her why the head was there. If this short poem is authentic, it is the only verse that remains of Steinvör's poetry.

Notes

Sources

Most of what is known about Steinvör Sighvatsdóttir is told in ''Íslendinga saga, Þórðar saga kakala'' and ''Þorgils saga skarða'', all of which are included in the ''

''.

External links

Steinvör´s only remaining stanza (verse 32).The Sturlunga Saga (in Danish).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steinvor Sighvatsdotter Steinvor Sighvatsdottir Steinvor Sighvatsdottir 1271 deaths Year of birth unknown Steinvor Sighvatsdottir Steinvor Sighvatsdottir Icelandic women poets 13th-century Icelandic women