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Laxdæla Saga
''Laxdæla saga'' (), Old Norse ''Laxdœla saga'' (Old Norse pronunciation ) or ''The Saga of the People of Laxárdalur'', is one of the sagas of Icelanders. Written in the 13th century CE, it tells of people in the Breiðafjörður area in western Iceland from the late 9th century CE to the early 11th century CE. The saga particularly focuses on a love triangle between Guðrún Ósvífrsdóttir, Kjartan Ólafsson and Bolli Þorleiksson. Kjartan and Bolli grow up together as close friends but the love they both have for Guðrún causes enmity between them. Second only to ''Njáls saga'' in the number of medieval manuscripts preserved, ''Laxdæla saga'' remains popular and appreciated for its poetic beauty and pathos. Authorship and sources As is the case with the other Icelanders' sagas, the author of ''Laxdæla saga'' is unknown. Since the saga has often been regarded as an unusually feminine saga, it has been speculated that it was composed by a woman. The author's extensive k ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aud The Deep-Minded (Ketilsdóttir)
Aud the Deep-Minded (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ; Norwegian: ), also known as Unn, Aud Ketilsdatter or Unnur Ketilsdottir, was a 9th-century settler during the age of Settlement of Iceland. The main source of information about her life in Iceland is Sturla Þórðarson's ''Landnámabók''; ''Laxdæla saga'', which calls her Unn, gives a varying account but has more on her background, and she also figures in several other sagas, including ''Njáls saga'', ''Eyrbyggja saga'', ''Eiríks saga rauða'' and ''Grettis saga''. Biography Aud was the second daughter of Ketill Flatnose, a Norwegian hersir, and Yngvid Ketilsdóttir, daughter of Ketill Wether, a hersir from Ringerike. She married Olaf the White (''Oleif''), son of King Ingjald, who had named himself King of Dublin after going on voyages to Britain and then conquering the shire of Dublin. They had a son named Thorstein the Red. After Oleif was killed in battle in Ireland, Aud and Thorstein journeyed to the Hebrides. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Þorgerðr Egilsdóttir
Thorgerd Egilsdottir (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) was an Icelandic woman of the tenth century. She was the daughter of Egill Skallagrímsson and the wife of Olaf the Peacock. Olaf and Thorgerd had a number of children: the sons Kjartan, Steinthór, Halldór, Helgi, and Höskuldur and the daughters Thurídur, Thorbjörg, Thorgerd and Bergthóra. The ill-fated Kjartan would be his father's favorite. Portrayal in Icelandic Sagas The character of Thorgerd Egilsdottir appears in several Icelandic sagas. She first appears in Egils Saga (Egils saga Skallagrímssonar), being born to Egil Skallagrímsson and his wife Asgerd. Thorgerd was the eldest of five children. The saga states that “all of Egil’s children were promising and intelligent.” Later, the saga states that she was “a very fine woman, wise, rather strong-tempered, but usually quiet,” and that she made a favorable match with Olaf. In chapter 79 of Egil’s Saga, Thorgerd manipulates her father for his own ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teething Present
Teething is the process by which an infant's first teeth (the deciduous teeth, often called "baby teeth" or "milk teeth") appear by emerging through the gums, typically arriving in pairs. The mandibular central incisors are the first primary teeth to erupt, usually between 6 and 10 months of age and usually causes discomfort and pain to the infant. It can take several years for all 20 teeth to complete the tooth eruption. Though the process of teething is sometimes referred to as "cutting teeth", when teeth emerge through the gums they do not cut through the flesh. Instead, hormones are released within the body that cause some cells in the gums to die and separate, allowing the teeth to come through. Teething may cause a slightly elevated temperature, but not rising into the fever range of greater than . Higher temperatures during teething are due to some form of infection, such as a herpes virus, initial infection of which is extremely widespread among children of teething ag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old Irish
Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The main contemporary texts are dated 700–850; by 900 the language had already transitioned into early Middle Irish. Some Old Irish texts date from the 10th century, although these are presumably copies of texts written at an earlier time. Old Irish is forebear to Modern Irish, Manx language, Manx and Scottish Gaelic. Old Irish is known for having a particularly complex system of morphology (linguistics), morphology and especially of allomorphy (more or less unpredictable variations in stems and suffixes in differing circumstances), as well as a complex phonology, sound system involving grammatically significant Irish initial mutations, consonant mutations to the initial consonant of a word. Apparently,It is difficult to know for sure, giv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gunnhild, Mother Of Kings
Gunnhildr konungamóðir (''mother of kings'') or Gunnhildr Gormsdóttir, whose name is often Anglicised as Gunnhild (c. 910 – c. 980), is a quasi-historical figure who appears in the Icelandic Sagas, according to which she was the wife of Eric Bloodaxe (King of Norway 930–934, King of Orkney c. 937–954, and King of Jórvík 948–49 and 952–954). She appears prominently in sagas such as ''Fagrskinna'', '' Egils saga'', ''Njáls saga'', ''Heimskringla'', and ''Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta''. The sagas relate that Gunnhild lived during a time of great change and upheaval in Norway. Her father-in-law Harald Fairhair had recently united much of Norway under his rule. Shortly after his death, Gunnhild and her husband Eric Bloodaxe were overthrown and exiled. She spent much of the rest of her life in exile in Orkney, Jorvik and Denmark. A number of her many children with Eric became co-rulers of Norway in the late tenth century. Historicity Many of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harald Greycloak
Harald Greycloak (Old Norse: ''Haraldr gráfeldr'', lit. "Harald Grey-hide"; Norwegian: ; Danish: ; c. 935 – c. 970) was a king of Norway from the Fairhair dynasty. Harald acquired his nickname "Gray-hide" after an encounter with the crew of an Icelandic merchant ship which carried a large load of ''vararfeldir'', a type of faux fur made from sheep's wool. The Icelanders were having trouble selling their faux furs so when the king asked them if they would make a present to him of one of the furs, which happened to be grey, the sailors did not hesitate and the king immediately used it as a cloak. This set an instant fashion trend and before long the Icelanders had sold their entire load of previously unsalable furs to the king's men and the locals. Harald was ever after known as Harald "Gray-hide". Harald was the son of Eric Bloodaxe and a grandson of Harald Fairhair. His mother was Gunnhild, the sister of King Harald Bluetooth. After his father's death in 954, Harald and h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muirchertach
Muirchertach (modern spelling: Muircheartach, anglicised as Murtagh) is an Irish language male given name meaning "mariner". The name was sometimes Anglicised as "Mortimer." The Old Norse name Kjartan is derived from this name. Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon. ', 1st edition, 2nd printing (1989). Reykjavík, . Muirchertach was borne by several figures from legend and history, including: *Muirchertach mac Muiredaig (Mac Ercae), great-grandson of Niall of the Nine Hostages and High King of Ireland *Muirchertach mac Néill, 10th-century king of Cenél nEógain *Muircheartach Ua Briain, 12th-century High King of Ireland *Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn, 12th-century king of Cenél nEógain * Muirchertach mac Maelruanaidh Mor, obscure king of Magh Luirg See also *List of Irish-language given names This list of Irish-language given names shows Irish language given names, their Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicisations and/or English language equivalents. Not all Irish given names have E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melkorka
Melkorka (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) is the name given in ''Landnámabók'' and ''Laxdæla saga'' for the Irish mother of the Icelandic goði Ólafr Höskuldsson. It is possible that her name represents the Irish ''Mael Curcaig''. According to ''Laxdæla saga'', Hoskuld Dala-Kollsson purchased Melkorka, who he believed to be a selective mute thrall-woman, from a Rus' merchant on Brännöyar while on a trading expedition to Norway, and made her his concubine while away from his wife Jorunn Bjarnadottir. When Höskuldur returned home to Iceland, he took her with him. Despite Jórunn's irritation, the concubine was accepted into Höskuldr's household, though he remained faithful to Jórunn while in Iceland. The following winter the concubine gave birth to a son, to whom they gave the name Ólafr after Höskuldr's uncle, Olaf Feilan, who had recently died. ''Landnámabók'' mentions that Höskuldr and Melkorka had another son, Helgi, but he does not appear in ''Laxdæla''. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Olaf The Peacock
Olaf the Peacock or Olaf Hoskuldsson (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ; c. 938–1006) was a merchant and chieftain of the early Icelandic Commonwealth, who was nicknamed "the Peacock" because of his proud bearing and magnificent wardrobe. He is a major character in the ''Laxdæla saga'' and is mentioned in a number of other Icelandic sources. The son of a slave woman, Olaf became one of the wealthiest landowners in Iceland and played a major role in its politics and society during the latter half of the tenth century. In addition to the ''Laxdæla Saga'' in which he takes a leading role, Olaf also is mentioned in ''Egils saga'', ''Njáls saga'', '' Gunnlaugs saga'', ''Kormáks saga'', '' Grettirs saga'' and the ''Landnámabók'', among others. Birth and upbringing Olaf was the son of Hoskuld Dala-Kollsson, a chieftain who lived in the Laxardal region. According to ''Laxdæla Saga'', Hoskuld purchased a mute thrall-woman named Melkorka from a Rus' merchant on Brännö while ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haakon The Good
Haakon Haraldsson (c. 920–961), also Haakon the Good (Old Norse: ''Hákon góði'', Norwegian: ''Håkon den gode'') and Haakon Adalsteinfostre (Old Norse: ''Hákon Aðalsteinsfóstri'', Norwegian: ''Håkon Adalsteinsfostre''), was the king of Norway from 934 to 961. He was noted for his attempts to introduce Christianity into Norway. Early life Haakon is not mentioned in any narrative sources earlier than the late 12th century. According to this late saga tradition, Haakon was the youngest son of King Harald Fairhair and Thora Mosterstang. He was born on the Håkonshella peninsula in Hordaland. King Harald determined to remove his youngest son out of harm's way and accordingly sent him to the court of King Æthelstan. Haakon was fostered by King Athelstan, as part of an agreement made by his father, for which reason Haakon was nicknamed ''Adalsteinfostre''. According to the Sagas, Athelstan was tricked into fostering Haakon when Harald's envoy used the custom of knésetja, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thrall
A thrall was a slave or Serfdom, serf in Scandinavia, Scandinavian lands during the Viking Age. The status of slave (, ) contrasts with that of the Franklin (class), freeman (, ) and the nobleman (, ). Etymology Thrall is from the Old Norse , meaning a person who is in bondage or serfdom. The Old Norse term was lent into late Old English, as . The term is from a Common Germanic ("runner", from a root "to run"). Old High German had a cognate, , meaning "servant, runner". The English derivation ''thraldom'' is of High Medieval date. The verb "to enthrall" is of Early Modern origin (metaphorical use from the 1570s, literal use from 1610). The corresponding term in Old English was (from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic , perhaps from a Proto-Indo-European, PIE root , "to run"). A related Old English term is "labourer, hireling" (from Germanic , cognate with Gothic language, Gothic "hireling", a derivation from "reward", from the same root as English '':wikt:earn, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
