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Loftur Þorsteinsson
Loftur Þorsteinsson (born 1702) was an Icelander known as ''Galdra-Loftur'' for his supposed mastery of Old Norse sorcery (''galdr''). He was the subject of many folk sagas about his alleged magical performances. Loftur was born near in the northwest of Iceland. His father, Þorsteinn Jónsson, was a falconer at Vörðufell, and his mother was Ásta Loftsdóttir. In 1716, Loftur became a student at the Latin school at Hólar. During his time there, he developed an interest in ''galdr''. According to legend, Loftur tried (and failed) to obtain the legendary grimoire (book of spells) '' Rauðskinna'', which was supposedly buried in 1520 with its author, Bishop Gottskálk grimmi Nikulásson. Loftur left the Hólar school in 1722 — sources vary as to whether he graduated or was expelled — but what happened in his life after that is uncertain. According to one legend, Loftur was driven insane by his failure to acquire the ''Rauðskinna'' and was placed under the care of a prie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galdr
A (plural ') or (plural ) refers to a spell or incantation in Old Norse and Old English respectively; these were usually performed in combination with certain rites.The article ''Galder'' in ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (1992) Etymology and or ' are derived from the reconstructed Proto-Germanic ''*galdraz'', meaning a song or incantation. The terms are also related by the removal of an Indo-European ''-tro'' suffix to the verbs and , both derived from Proto-Germanic ''*galaną'', meaning to sing or cast a spell. In Old High German the ' suffix produced ' instead. The German forms were Old High German ' and Middle High German (MGH) ' "song, enchantment" ( Konrad von Ammenhausen ''Schachzabelbuch'' 167b), surviving in (obsolete or dialectal) Modern German ' (witchcraft) and ' (witch). From these terms are descended words such as the Icelandic verb ' "to sing, call out, yell", "magic" and as a component of ''nightingale'' (from '), related to ', the verb ancestral to Modern E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saga
Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between Icelandic families. However, sagas' subject matter is diverse, including legendary saga, pre-Christian Scandinavian legends; Heilagramannasögur, saints and Biskupasögur, bishops both from Scandinavia and elsewhere; konungasögur, Scandinavian kings and Samtíðarsögur, contemporary Icelandic politics; and chivalric romances either translated from Continental European languages or composed locally. Sagas originated in the Middle Ages, but continued to be composed in the ensuing centuries. Whereas the dominant language of history-writing in medieval Europe was Latin language, Latin, sagas were composed in the vernacular: Old Norse and its later descendants, primarily Icelandic language, Icelandic. While sagas are written in prose, they s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vörðufell
Vörðufell () is a mountain near the Hvítá river and the town of Iða in Árnessýsla, Iceland. Geologically, the mountain consists primarily of tuff and diabase. From the air, Vörðufell appears triangular with the small lake, Úlfsvatn, near the summit. According to local legends, in the 18th century a young man built a set of feathered wings and glided from the mountain top to Skálholt Skálholt (Modern Icelandic: ; ) is a historical site in the south of Iceland, at the river Hvítá, Árnessýsla, Hvítá. History Skálholt was, through eight centuries, one of the most important places in Iceland. A bishopric was established .... Another legend tells of a lake monster that lives in Úlfsvatn. References Mountains of Iceland {{Europe-mountain-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hólar
Hólar (; also Hólar í Hjaltadal ) is a small community in the Skagafjörður district of northern Iceland. Location Hólar is in the valley Hjaltadalur, some from the national capital of Reykjavík. It has a population of around 100. It is the site of the main campus of Hólar University College, a site of historical buildings and archeological excavation, home to the Center for the history of the Icelandic horse, Hólar Cathedral, and the turf house Nýibær. The first printing press in Iceland was introduced to Hólar in 1530. Hólar Agricultural College was founded 1882, and was renamed Holar University College in 2003. History Near the end of the 10th century, King Olaf I of Norway convinced his subjects to accept Christianity, then sent Christian missionaries to Iceland, where they were quickly accepted; around 1000 Icelanders made a peaceful decision that all should convert. Despite this, the '' godar'', Iceland's ruling class, maintained their power. Some built t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grimoire
A grimoire () (also known as a book of spells, magic book, or a spellbook) is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms, and divination, and how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, deities, and demons. In many cases, the books themselves are believed to be imbued with magical powers. The only contents found in a grimoire would be information on spells, rituals, the preparation of magical tools, and lists of ingredients and their magical correspondences. In this manner, while all ''books on magic'' could be thought of as grimoires, not all ''magical books'' should be thought of as grimoires. While the term ''grimoire'' is originally European—and many Europeans throughout history, particularly ceremonial magicians and cunning folk, have used grimoires—the historian Owen Davies has noted that similar books can be found all around ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rauðskinna
''Rauðskinna'' (English: ''Red Skin''), also known as ''The Book of Power'' or as the bible of all wizards, is a legendary book about black magic. alleged to have been buried with Gottskálk the cruel, Gottskálk grimmi Nikulásson of Hólar, after he stole it from Chief and wizard Jon from Svalbard. It’s said his grandfather, Thorkell had written. The subject of the book, was to learn to master magic to such a degree as to control Satan. The book has been the subject of legend and folklore and desired by practitioners of ''galdr''. One such legend is when the galdr master Loftur Þorsteinsson Loftur Þorsteinsson (born 1702) was an Icelander known as ''Galdra-Loftur'' for his supposed mastery of Old Norse sorcery (''galdr''). He was the subject of many folk sagas about his alleged magical performances. Loftur was born near in the no ... (''Galdra-Loftur'') tried to acquire it and allegedly lost his life because of it. References Other sources *Páll Eggert Ólason (1948 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gottskálk Grimmi Nikulásson
Gottskálk grimmi Nikulasson (1469 – 8 December 1520), was the Bishop of Hólar from May 1497 to 1520. He was the nephew of Ólafur Rögnvaldsson who preceded him as bishop. He was succeeded by Jón Arason (1484–1550), the last Roman Catholic bishop in Icelandprior to the restoration in 1923. Gottskálk Nikulasson has received harsh judgement in Icelandic history resulting in his nickname ''grimmi'' meaning cruel. He is also known as the author of a book about black magic; ''Rauðskinna ''Rauðskinna'' (English: ''Red Skin''), also known as ''The Book of Power'' or as the bible of all wizards, is a legendary book about black magic. alleged to have been buried with Gottskálk the cruel, Gottskálk grimmi Nikulásson of Hólar, afte ...''. References Other sources *Páll Eggert Ólason (1948''Íslenskar æviskrár''(Hið íslenska bókmenntafélag) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gottskalk grimmi Nikulasson 1469 births 1520 deaths 15th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Iceland Ic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Staðarstaður
Staðarstaður () is a small settlement and parsonage located in Snæfellsnesi, Iceland. It is claimed that Ari Þorgilsson Ari Þorgilsson (1067/1068 – 9 November 1148; Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ; also anglicized Ari Thorgilsson) was Iceland's most prominent medieval chronicler. He was the author of '' Íslendingabók'', which details the histories of the ... lived there in the 12th century. In 1981 a memorial by Ragnar Kjartansson as a remembrance of this was erected. References Snæfellsnes {{Iceland-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jóhann Sigurjónsson
Jóhann Sigurjónsson (June 19, 1880 – August 31, 1919) was an Icelandic playwright and poet. Atypically, Jóhann wrote plays and poetry in both his native Icelandic and in Danish. Biography Jóhann was the son of an Icelandic farmer and was born in Laxamýri, Iceland. In 1899 he emigrated to Denmark to study at The Royal Danish Veterinary and Agricultural University, but abandoned his studies in 1902 to devote himself to literature. During this period, he came under the influence of the Danish writer Georg Brandes and the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. He is probably best known for his play ''Fjalla-Eyvindur'' (Danish: ''Bjærg-Ejvind og hans hustru'', English: ''Eyvindur of the Mountains''), which was first published in 1911. The play was a success in Germany and Scandinavia and was also produced in the United States. It was cinematised by Victor Sjöström in 1918 as '' The Outlaw and His Wife''. The play is based on an Icelandic folk tale about a notorious outlaw. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Faust
Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a Crossroads (folklore), crossroads, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. The Faust legend has been the basis for Works based on Faust, many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical works that have reinterpreted it through the ages. "Faust" and the adjective "''Faustian''" imply sacrificing spiritual values for power, knowledge, or material gain. The Faust of early books – as well as the ballads, dramas, movies, and puppet-plays which grew out of them – is irrevocably damned because he prefers human knowledge over divine knowledge: "He laid the Holy Scriptures behind the door and under the bench, refused to be called doctor of theology, but preferred to be styled doctor of medicine". Chapbooks containing v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1702 Births
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Wednesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 2 – A total solar eclipse is visible from the southern Pacific Ocean. * January 12 – In North America, ships from Fort Maurepas arrive at Twenty-Seven Mile Bluff to build ''Fort Louis de la Mobile'' (future Mobile, Alabama), to become the capital of French Louisiana. * February 1 – The François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, Duc de Villeroy, commander of the French Army, is taken as a prisoner of war by the Austrian Army during the Battle of Cremona (War of the Spanish Succession). * March 3 (February 20 O.S.) – King William III of England is fatally injured in an accident when he is thrown from his horse, "Sorrel", when it trips on a molehill in Hampton Court Park near London. Already in poor health before the accident, he dies from complications 16 days later at the age of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
18th-century Icelandic People
The 18th century lasted from 1 January 1701 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCCI) to 31 December 1800 (MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of Enlightenment thinking culminated in the Atlantic Revolutions. Revolutions began to challenge the legitimacy of monarchical and aristocratic power structures. The Industrial Revolution began mid-century, leading to radical changes in human society and the environment. The European colonization of the Americas and other parts of the world intensified and associated mass migrations of people grew in size as part of the Age of Sail. During the century, slave trading expanded across the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, while declining in Russia and China. Western historians have occasionally defined the 18th century otherwise for the purposes of their work. For example, the "short" 18th century may be defined as 1715–1789, denoting the period of time between the death of Louis XIV of France and the start of the French Revoluti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
