Torstein Knarresmed (c. 981–1030) was a shipwright from

Rovde Rovde is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1905 until its dissolution in 1964. Rovde included the area on both the north and south sides of the Rovdef ...

in Sunnmøre in Møre og Romsdal,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. He played an important role in the

Battle of Stiklestad The Battle of Stiklestad ( no, Slaget på Stiklestad, non, Stiklarstaðir) in 1030 is one of the most famous battles in the history of Norway. In this battle, King Olaf II of Norway () was killed. During the pontificate of Pope Alexander III, ...

. His actions probably saved the life of

Thorir Hund Modern and imaginary presentation of Tore Hund Thorir Hund (Old Norse: Þórir hundr, Modern Norwegian: ''Tore Hund'', literally "''Thorir the Hound''") (born ca. 990) was one of the greatest chiefs in Hålogaland. Tore Hund was one of the le ...

during the battle leading to a victory over King

Olaf II of Norway Olaf II Haraldsson ( – 29 July 1030), later known as Saint Olaf (and traditionally as St. Olave), was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he was posthumously given the title '' Rex Per ...

Biography

Torstein Knarresmed was one of

's most trusted men. Thorir Hund was among the chiefs rallying against the return of King Olaf, who was seeking to reclaim the throne he had previously lost in the

Battle of the Helgeå A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. Torstein had personal reasons for opposing King Olaf, and went first into the battle under his own Sunnmøre banner. During the Battle of Stiklestad, King Olaf almost killed Thorir Hund with a war hammer. However, Torstein Knarresmed managed to get between them and gave Olaf a wound right above his left knee. Shortly later Thorir Hund thrust his spear into the king's stomach before Kalv Arnesson struck the king in the throat with his sword. Torstein Knarresmed was subsequently killed by a blow in the back but was revenged later that same day by one of Thorir's men.

Etymology

''Knarresmed'', from the

old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

words ''

knarr A knarr is a type of Norse merchant ship used by the Vikings. The knarr ( non, knǫrr, plural ) was constructed using the same clinker-built method as longships, karves, and faerings. History ''Knarr'' is the Old Norse term for a type of ...

'' and ''smed'' (smith), means "shipwright". Torstein Knarresmed was in his lifetime known for his highly seaworthy ships built at his boatyard in a bay near Knarrdal in Rovde.

Note

*This article includes a translation of its equivalent from the Norwegian (Norsk bokmål) Wikipedia. Torstein Knarresmed

Primary Source

The primary source of information regarding Torstein Knarresmed is contained in ''Olav den helliges saga'' from Snorre Sturluson: ''

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, derive ...

Kongesagaer'') ‘''Slaget på Stiklestad'' (Frå Heimskringla, etter 1230)
/ref>

Biography

Etymology

See also

Note

Primary Source

References

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