Austrfararvísur
Encyclopedia
Austrfararvísur "East Journey Verses" is a skaldic poem composed by the Iceland
ic skald
Sigvatr Þórðarson
in the 1020s. Sigvatr was visiting the Norwegian king Olaf and was sent on a delegation to the Swedish king Olaf.
The poem relates that somewhere in Sweden
, probably Värmland
, they arrived at a place called Hof
. The door was shut, and the people were hostile. They said that the farm was holy and that they were not welcome. Sigvatr cursed them by saying "may the Troll
s take you". The mistress of the household asked him not to insist because she feared Odin
's wrath, and that they were pagans
. She also told him that they were having the Álfablót
and that the Christians were not welcome.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic skald
Skald
The skald was a member of a group of poets, whose courtly poetry is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking Age, who composed and performed renditions of aspects of what we now characterise as Old Norse poetry .The most prevalent metre of skaldic poetry is...
Sigvatr Þórðarson
Sigvatr Þórðarson
Sigvatr Þórðarson or Sigvat the Skald was an Icelandic skald. He was a court poet to King Olaf II of Norway, as well as Canute the Great, Magnus the Good and Anund Jacob, by whose reigns his floruit can be dated to the earlier eleventh century.Sigvatr was the best known of the court skalds of...
in the 1020s. Sigvatr was visiting the Norwegian king Olaf and was sent on a delegation to the Swedish king Olaf.
The poem relates that somewhere in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, probably Värmland
Värmland
' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are Vermelandia and Wermelandia. Although the province's land originally was Götaland, the...
, they arrived at a place called Hof
Heathen hofs
Heathen hofs or Germanic pagan temples were the temple buildings of Germanic paganism; there are also a few built for use in modern Germanic neopaganism...
. The door was shut, and the people were hostile. They said that the farm was holy and that they were not welcome. Sigvatr cursed them by saying "may the Troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
s take you". The mistress of the household asked him not to insist because she feared Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
's wrath, and that they were pagans
Norse paganism
Norse paganism is the religious traditions of the Norsemen, a Germanic people living in the Nordic countries. Norse paganism is therefore a subset of Germanic paganism, which was practiced in the lands inhabited by the Germanic tribes across most of Northern and Central Europe in the Viking Age...
. She also told him that they were having the Álfablót
Álfablót
The Álfablót or the Elven sacrifice was a pagan Scandinavian sacrifice to the elves towards the end of autumn, when the crops had been harvested and the animals were most fat. Unlike the great blóts at Uppsala and Mære, the álfablót was a local celebration at the homesteads and they were mainly...
and that the Christians were not welcome.