Floksmen
Encyclopedia
Floksmen is one of the most important folktales from the Faroe Islands
.
The story centers on the easternmost village of Hattarvík
on Fugloy
during the Middle Ages
. The tale of the Floksmen is of a flok or group of rebels. The most notorious of the rebels, (referred by the Danish governmental and officials in Thorshavn) were Høgni Nev, Rógvi Skel, Hálvdan Úlvsson from the Bygd, Hattarvík
and Sjúrður við Kellingará from Kirkja
. These men controlled and savaged the northern parts of the Faroe Islands for a long time. This is one of the most important separatist tales of the Faroe Islands.
The more intelligent Sjúrður við Kellingará was forced to go the more militant way of rebellion by Høgni Nev and Hálvdan Ulvsson, who were more criminally-minded than Sjúrður við kellingará. All four men were later caught and sentenced to death, but Sjúrður við kellingará was shown mercy and granted amnesty. The story is that he could not live with the crimes that he and the others had committed under their "little" rebellion and asked to be executed with the other floksmen.
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
.
The story centers on the easternmost village of Hattarvík
Hattarvík
Hattarvík is a small village on Fugloy, Faroe Islands and the most eastern place in the country.*Population: 17 *Postal code : FO 767*Location: *Municipality: Fugloyar kommuna...
on Fugloy
Fugloy
Fugloy is the eastern-most island in the Faroe Islands. The name means bird island, and refers to the large number of birds that nest on the island's cliffs.- Geography :...
during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. The tale of the Floksmen is of a flok or group of rebels. The most notorious of the rebels, (referred by the Danish governmental and officials in Thorshavn) were Høgni Nev, Rógvi Skel, Hálvdan Úlvsson from the Bygd, Hattarvík
Hattarvík
Hattarvík is a small village on Fugloy, Faroe Islands and the most eastern place in the country.*Population: 17 *Postal code : FO 767*Location: *Municipality: Fugloyar kommuna...
and Sjúrður við Kellingará from Kirkja
Kirkja
Kirkja is a village on the island of Fugloy, Faroe Islands. Its Postal code is FO 766.Kirkja is one of two villages on the island of Fugloy that are connected both by the road built in the 1980s and by the ferry that connects both Kirkja and Hattarvík to Hvannasund on the larger island of Viðoy,...
. These men controlled and savaged the northern parts of the Faroe Islands for a long time. This is one of the most important separatist tales of the Faroe Islands.
The more intelligent Sjúrður við Kellingará was forced to go the more militant way of rebellion by Høgni Nev and Hálvdan Ulvsson, who were more criminally-minded than Sjúrður við kellingará. All four men were later caught and sentenced to death, but Sjúrður við kellingará was shown mercy and granted amnesty. The story is that he could not live with the crimes that he and the others had committed under their "little" rebellion and asked to be executed with the other floksmen.
Other sources
- Hammershaimb Venceslaus UlricusVenceslaus Ulricus HammershaimbVenceslaus Ulricus Hammershaimb was a Faroese Lutheran minister who established the modern orthography of Faroese, the language of the Faroe Islands, based on the Icelandic language, which like Faroese derives from Old Norse.-Background:Hammershaimb was born in Sandavágur on the island of Vágar in...
and Jakobsen, Jakob (1886) Færøsk Anthologi (København, S.L. Møllers bogtrykkeri) ISBN 978-1142156107