THE SAGA OF GUNNLAUG THE WORM-TONGUE AND RAVEN THE SKALD - A Norse/Viking Saga E-Book

Anon E. Mouse

• Herausgeber: Abela Publishing
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

The saga of Gunnlaug the Worm-Tongue and Raven the Skald, composed in the 13th century, relates the story of two Icelandic poets Gunnlaugr Ormstunga and Hrafn Önundarson, and their competition for the love of Helga the Fair, daughter of Þorsteinn Egilsson and granddaughter of Egill Skallagrímsson.

The story opens with a prophetic dream of two eagles fighting over a swan, prefiguring the love triangle in the story. The rivalry is initially fought using verse, but later with weapons, when Gunnlaug challenges Hrafn to a holmgang -- a duel, the recognised Norse way of settling disputes. The narrative follows Gunnlaugr and is sympathetic towards him as it describes his ambitious career as a court poet across Scandinavia and the British Isles.

The saga has similarities to earlier sagas of poets, such as Kormáks saga and Bjarnar saga, but it is more refined and elegant with strong characterization and emotional impact. Long considered a masterpiece, the saga is often read by new students of Old Norse literature.
William Morris is normally thought of as a fantasy precursor of Tolkien, having written The Wood Beyond the World among other works. But he was also a translator, along with Eiríkr Magnússon, of more than just a few Norse Sagas. Originally written in the old Icelandic language, considered to be the closest tongue to that spoken by the Vikings, Gunnlaug the Worm-Tongue and Raven the Skald is but one of those efforts.

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TAGS: Viking Saga, Norse, Norway, Gunnlaug, Worm-Tongue, Raven The Skald, Iceland, Greenland, Thorstein Egilson, Kin, Dream, Birth, Fostering, Helga The Fair, Raven, Vow, Faring, Abroad, East, West, Ireland, Quarrel, Swedish King, Wife, Abide Away, Landing, Wedding, Skaney, Kings Cloak, Two Foes, Fight, Dingness, News, Death Of Helga

Leseprobe

Translated from the Icelandic

by

Eirikr Magnusson & William Morris

Originally Published

1875

Resurrected by

Abela Publishing, London

[2018]

The Saga of Gunnlaug the Worm-Tongue

and Raven the Skald

Typographical arrangement of this edition

© Abela Publishing 2018

This book may not be reproduced in its current format in any manner in any media, or transmitted by any means whatsoever, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, or mechanical ( including photocopy, file or video recording, internet web sites, blogs, wikis, or any other information storage and retrieval system) except as permitted by law without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Abela Publishing

London

United Kingdom

2018

ISBN-13: 978-x-xxxxxx-xx-x

email

[email protected]

Webpage

www.AbelaPublishing.com

Transcriber's Note:

[Thought to be written in the 13th Century]

Even as Ari Thorgilson the learned, the priest, hath told it, who was the man of all Iceland most learned in tales of the land's inhabiting and in lore of time agone.

The Last Parting of Helga and Gunnlaug

(Charles Fairfax Murray)

Acknowledgements

Abela Publishing acknowledges the work that

Eirikr Magnusson & William Morris

did in translating and publishing

The Story of Gunnlaug the Worm-Tongue

and Raven the Skald

in a time well before any electronic media was in use.

* * * * * * *

10% of the net profit from the sale of this book

will be donated to charity

* * * * * * *

Abela Publishing,

republishing

YESTERDAY’S BOOKS for TODAY’S CHARITIES

Contents

Title Page

Transcriber’s Note

Acknowledgements

Contents

CHAPTER I. Of Thorstein Egilson and his Kin

CHAPTER II. Of Thorsteins Dream

CHAPTER III. Of the Birth and Fostering of Helga the Fair

CHAPTER IV. Of Gunnlaug Worm-tongue and his Kin

CHAPTER V. Of Raven and his Kin

CHAPTER VI. How Helga was vowed to Gunnlaug, and of

Gunnlaug's faring abroad

CHAPTER VII. Of Gunnlaug in the East and the West

CHAPTER VIII. Of Gunnlaug in Ireland

CHAPTER IX. Of the Quarrel between Gunnlaug and Raven

before the Swedish King

CHAPTER X. How Raven came home to Iceland, and asked

for Helga to Wife

CHAPTER XI. Of how Gunnlaug must needs abide away from

Iceland

CHAPTER XII. Of Gunnlaug's landing, and how he found

Helga wedded to Raven

CHAPTER XIII. Of the Winter-Wedding at Skaney, and how

Gunnlaug gave the Kings Cloak to Helga

CHAPTER XIV. Of the Holmgang at the Althing

CHAPTER XVI. How the two Foes met and fought at

Dingness

CHAPTER XVII. The News of the Fight brought to Iceland

CHAPTER XVIII. The Death of Helga the Fair

CHAPTER I. Of Thorstein Egilson and his Kin

There was a man called Thorstein, the son of Egil, the son of Skallagrim, the son of Kveldulf the Hersir of Norway. Asgerd was the mother of Thorstein; she was the daughter of Biorn Hold. Thorstein dwelt at Burg in Burg-firth; he was rich of fee, and a great chief, a wise man, meek and of measure in all wise. He was nought of such wondrous growth and strength as his father Egil had been; yet was he a right mighty man, and much beloved of all folk.

Thorstein was goodly to look on, flaxen-haired, and the best-eyed of men; and so say men of lore that many of the kin of the Mere-men, who are come of Egil, have been the goodliest folk; yet, for all that, this kindred have differed much herein, for it is said that some of them have been accounted the most ill-favoured of men: but in that kin have been also many men of great prowess in many wise, such as Kiartan, the son of Olaf Peacock, and Slaying-Bardi, and Skuli, the son of Thorstein. Some have been great bards, too, in that kin, as Biorn, the champion of Hit-dale, priest Einar Skulison, Snorri Sturluson, and many others.

Now, Thorstein had to wife Jofrid, the daughter of Gunnar, the son of Hlifar. This Gunnar was the best skilled in weapons, and the lithest of limb of all bonderfolk who have been in Iceland; the second was Gunnar of Lithend; but Steinthor of Ere was the third. Jofrid was eighteen winters old when Thorstein wedded her; she was a widow, for Thorodd, son of Odd of Tongue, had had her to wife aforetime. Their daughter was Hungerd, who was brought up at Thorstein's at Burg. Jofrid was a very stirring woman; she and Thorstein had many children betwixt them, but few of them come into this tale. Skuli was the eldest of their sons, Kollsvein the second, Egil the third.