''Hjálmþés saga ok Ölvis'' is a late

legendary saga A legendary saga or ''fornaldarsaga'' (literally, "story/history of the ancient era") is a Norse saga that, unlike the Icelanders' sagas, takes place before the settlement of Iceland.The article ''Fornaldarsagor'' in ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (1991 ...

without an apparent historic basis. It is about two children of a

jarl Jarl was a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia during the Viking Age and Early Middle Ages. The institution evolved over time and varied by region. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", specifically one appointed to rule a territory in a king's stea ...

, and one of them is Hjálmþér whose evil stepmother commands him to work as a

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 ...

until he has performed an impossible task. In its present form, it stacks different motifs on top of each other. However, according to Icelandic philologist

Finnur Jónsson Finnur Jónsson (May 29, 1858 – March 30, 1934) was an Icelandic 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 born a ...

the variou
Hjálmþésrímur
which appear in the saga reveal that it once had a different structure. There are many folk tales similar to ''Hjálmþés saga ok Ölvis'', including a number of medieval Irish stories, the

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

n tale ''

The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh ''The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh'', also known as ''The Laidly Worm of Bamborough'', is a Northumbrian ballad about a princess who is changed into a dragon (the "laidly worm" of the title). Synopsis In the Northumbria, Kingdom of Northumb ...

'' (also known as ''The Laidly Worm of Bamburgh'' (or ''Bamborough'').

Sources

* Ohlmarks, Åke. (1982). ''Fornnordiskt lexikon''. Tiden.

References

External links

The textEntry in the ''Stories for All Time'' bibliography
Legendary sagas {{saga-stub