Gunnlaugr ormstunga
Encyclopedia
Gunnlaugr Ormstunga was an Iceland
ic poet
, born ca. 983. His life is described in Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu, where several of his poems are preserved.
From an early age he proved himself impetuous, audacious, brave, and tough. He was also a skilled author of mostly derogatory poems, which earned him the cognomen ormstunga, "snake's tongue". After a quarrel with his father, Illugi, Gunnlaugr left his home at age twelve to stay for some time at Borg with Þorsteinn Egilsson, the son of Egill Skallagrímsson
. There, he became acquainted with Þorsteinn's daughter, Helga the fair, reputedly the most beautiful woman in Iceland. Her hair was so ample that she could hide herself in it.
When Gunnlaugr was eighteen, he went abroad. At that time, Helga became his fiancée, on the condition that she would wait no more than three years for Gunnlaugr. He visited Norway
, England
, Ireland
, Orkney and Sweden
. In Sweden, he stayed with King Olof Skötkonung, and met his rival the Icelandic champion and skald Hrafn Önundarson
It would take four years (1005) for Gunnlaugr to return to Iceland and Helga. Since Gunnlaugr had been gone longer than his allotted three years, Helga was forced into an unhappy marriage to Gunnlaugr's enemy Hrafn. Gunnlaugr and Hrafn met at the althing
of 1006 and Gunnlaugr challenged Hrafn to a holmgang
. The duel ended in a draw, and was the last one allowed in Iceland. That day, holmganga were forbidden by law.
In order to settle their dispute in blood, the two champions met in Norway
, in the spring of 1008. There, Gunnlaugr defeated Hrafn, but was fatally wounded. After a short time, he died at age 25. Helga later remarried, but never recovered from Gunnlaugr's death. Her greatest pleasure was to rest her eyes on a sumptuous coat that Gunnlaugr had given her. One evening, she rested her head on her husband's shoulder, spread the coat in front of her, and watched it for a while. Thereafter, she fell back into her husband's embrace and was dead.
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 poet
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...
, born ca. 983. His life is described in Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu, where several of his poems are preserved.
From an early age he proved himself impetuous, audacious, brave, and tough. He was also a skilled author of mostly derogatory poems, which earned him the cognomen ormstunga, "snake's tongue". After a quarrel with his father, Illugi, Gunnlaugr left his home at age twelve to stay for some time at Borg with Þorsteinn Egilsson, the son of Egill Skallagrímsson
Egill Skallagrímsson
Egill Skallagrímsson was a Viking Age warrior and skald. Egill is one of the great anti-heroes of the Icelandic sagas.-Life:...
. There, he became acquainted with Þorsteinn's daughter, Helga the fair, reputedly the most beautiful woman in Iceland. Her hair was so ample that she could hide herself in it.
When Gunnlaugr was eighteen, he went abroad. At that time, Helga became his fiancée, on the condition that she would wait no more than three years for Gunnlaugr. He visited Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Orkney and 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....
. In Sweden, he stayed with King Olof Skötkonung, and met his rival the Icelandic champion and skald Hrafn Önundarson
It would take four years (1005) for Gunnlaugr to return to Iceland and Helga. Since Gunnlaugr had been gone longer than his allotted three years, Helga was forced into an unhappy marriage to Gunnlaugr's enemy Hrafn. Gunnlaugr and Hrafn met at the althing
Althing
The Alþingi, anglicised variously as Althing or Althingi, is the national parliament of Iceland. The Althingi is the oldest parliamentary institution in the world still extant...
of 1006 and Gunnlaugr challenged Hrafn to a holmgang
Holmgang
Holmgang was a duel practiced by early medieval Scandinavians. It was a recognized way to settle disputes....
. The duel ended in a draw, and was the last one allowed in Iceland. That day, holmganga were forbidden by law.
In order to settle their dispute in blood, the two champions met in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, in the spring of 1008. There, Gunnlaugr defeated Hrafn, but was fatally wounded. After a short time, he died at age 25. Helga later remarried, but never recovered from Gunnlaugr's death. Her greatest pleasure was to rest her eyes on a sumptuous coat that Gunnlaugr had given her. One evening, she rested her head on her husband's shoulder, spread the coat in front of her, and watched it for a while. Thereafter, she fell back into her husband's embrace and was dead.
External links
- "The Story of Gunnlaugur the Worm-Tongue and Raven the Skald" Translated by Eiríkr MagnússonEiríkr MagnússonEiríkr or Eiríkur Magnússon was an Icelandic scholar who was Librarian at the University of Cambridge, taught Old Norse to William Morris, translated numerous Icelandic sagas into English in collaboration with him, and played an important role in the movement to study the history and literature of...
and William MorrisWilliam MorrisWilliam Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement... - Article from Nordisk Familjebok (in Swedish) on Projekt Runeberg.