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Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson (4 July 1924 – 23 December 1993) was an Icelandic religious leader and singer of
rímur In Icelandic literature, a ''ríma'' (, literally "a rhyme", pl. ''rímur'', ) is an epic poetry, epic poem written in any of the so-called ''rímnahættir'' (, "rímur meters"). They are rhymed, they alliterative verse, alliterate and consist of ...
who was instrumental in gaining the Icelandic government's recognition of pre-Christian Heathenry in the country.


Biography

Sveinbjörn lived his entire life in West Iceland Borgarfjörður. From 1944 on, he was a sheep farmer while also pursuing literary interests on the side. He published a book of
rímur In Icelandic literature, a ''ríma'' (, literally "a rhyme", pl. ''rímur'', ) is an epic poetry, epic poem written in any of the so-called ''rímnahættir'' (, "rímur meters"). They are rhymed, they alliterative verse, alliterate and consist of ...
in 1945, a textbook on the verse forms of rímur in 1953, two volumes of his own verse in 1957 and 1976, and edited several anthologies. He was married to Svanfríður Hagvaag with whom he had two sons, born in 1965 and 1966. The
Ásatrúarfélagið (, ''Ásatrú Fellowship''), also known simply as , is an Icelandic religious organisation of Heathenry (new religious movement), heathenry (in Iceland also called , " faith"). It was founded on the first day of summer (Iceland), first day of s ...
("Fellowship of
Æsir Æsir (Old Norse; singular: ) or ēse (Old English; singular: ) are deities, gods in Germanic paganism. In Old Nordic religion and Nordic mythology, mythology, the precise meaning of the term "" is debated, as it can refer either to the gods i ...
faith"), which he co-founded in 1972, and for which he acted as '' allsherjargoði'', was officially recognised as a religious body in 1973. Sveinbjörn is regarded with much respect and affection amongst Germanic neopagans. He was not only well known as a rímur singer, or kvæðamaður, in Iceland but also attracted fans and audiences throughout Europe and North America. He sometimes performed at rock concerts and is the opening act in the film
Rokk í Reykjavík ''Rokk í Reykjavík'' () is a documentary directed by Icelandic Friðrik Þór Friðriksson during the Icelandic winter of 1981-1982 and released for the local television in 1982. With this documentary, Friðriksson showcases the alternative ...
, directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson. Sveinbjörn can be heard singing on the bootleg album "Ragnarok (A New Beginning)" by
Burzum Burzum (; ) is a Norwegian music project founded by former Mayhem member Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a staple of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most infl ...
, on the last track of the album entitled "Hávamál". In 1978, Sveinbjörn appeared on the television program In Search Of in an episode on "Lost Vikings" which examined the possibility of Viking pre-Columbian contact with North America. Sveinbjörn can be heard performing Ásatrú marriage rites for
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
and Paula P-Orridge on
Psychic TV Psychic TV (aka PTV or Psychick TV or several other aliases) were an English experimental music, experimental video art and music collective, formed by performance artist Genesis P-Orridge and Scottish musician Alex Fergusson (musician), Alex ...
's LP ''Live in Reykjavik'' and on the double LP entitled ''Those who do not''. In 1982 Sveinbjörn released an album, ''Eddukvæði (Songs from The
Poetic Edda The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems in alliterative verse. It is distinct from the closely related ''Prose Edda'', although both works are seminal to the study of Old Norse ...
),'' in which he recites in rímur style 75 stanzas from
Hávamál ''Hávamál'' ( ; Old Norse: ''Hávamál'',Unnormalised spelling in the Codex Regius:''Title'': hava mal''Final stanza'': Nv ero Hava mál q''ve''ðin Háva hꜹ''l''lo i ..classical pron. , Modern Icelandic pron. , ‘Words of Hávi he H ...
, Völuspá and Sigrdrífumál">Völuspá">he H ...
, Völuspá and Sigrdrífumál. The album, on the Gramm label, included a booklet of the poems in Icelandic, with translations into English, Swedish, and German. David Tibet released a CD of Sveinbjörn performing his own rímur and reciting the traditional
Poetic Edda The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems in alliterative verse. It is distinct from the closely related ''Prose Edda'', although both works are seminal to the study of Old Norse ...
under the title ''Current 93 presents Sveinbjörn '
Edda "Edda" (; Old Norse ''Edda'', plural ''Eddur'') is an Old Norse term that has been applied by modern scholars to the collective of two Medieval Icelandic literary works: what is now known as the ''Prose Edda'' and an older collection of poems ( ...
in two editions through the
World Serpent Distribution World Serpent Distribution was a England, British record label and music distribution house formed in the 1990s by David Gibson, Alan Trench and Alison Webster. Douglas Pearce of Death In June coined the company name in 1991, ''World Serpent'' b ...
. His biography ''Allsherjargoðinn'' was written by Berglind Gunnarsdóttir and published in 1992. A memorial stone for Sveinbjörn was inaugurated in Reykjavík on 22 April 2010. It is located next to the site of the planned '' hof Ásatrúarfélagsins'' on the hill Öskjuhlíð. His sister, Halldóra B. Björnsson, translated ''
Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ) is an Old English poetry, Old English poem, an Epic poetry, epic in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 Alliterative verse, alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and List of translat ...
'' into Icelandic as ''Bjólfskviða'', "The Lay of Bjólfur" in 1968; a version was published in 1983.


Publications


Writings

* Gömlu lögin, 1945. * Bragfræði og háttatal, 1953. * Stuðlagaldur, 1954. * Vandkvæði, 1957. * Reiðljóð, 1957. * Heiðin, 1984. * Gátur I-III, 1985–91. * Bragskógar, 1989.


As editor

* Rímnavaka, 1959. * Rímnasafn, 1966. * Fúsakver, 1976. * Rimnasafn Sigurðar Breiðfjörð 1–6, 1961–73. * Borgfirðingaljóð: ljóð eftir 120 höfunda, 1991.


Discography

* Snælda tengd Bragfræði og háttatali, 1981. * Eddukvæði, 1982. * 93 Current 93 Present Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson: Edda, 1990.


References


External links


Discogs



Háttatal
In Icelandic, but probably the best modern introduction to the metrics of
Rímur In Icelandic literature, a ''ríma'' (, literally "a rhyme", pl. ''rímur'', ) is an epic poetry, epic poem written in any of the so-called ''rímnahættir'' (, "rímur meters"). They are rhymed, they alliterative verse, alliterate and consist of ...
. * * In Search of... "Lost Vikings" (TV Series) episode 61 Season 3 #13 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beinteinsson, Sveinbjorn 1924 births 1993 deaths Sveinbjorn Beinteinsson Sveinbjorn Beinteinsson Adherents of Germanic neopaganism Founders of modern pagan movements Sveinbjorn Beinteinsson Sveinbjorn Beinteinsson Modern pagan poets Performers of modern pagan music