Hreiðars þáttr
Encyclopedia
Hreiðars þáttr heimska or the Tale of Hreiðarr the Stupid is one of the short tales of Icelanders
. It tells of Hreiðarr, an apparently mentally disabled Icelandic man who travels to Norway in the time of the joint rule of the kings Magnús góði and Haraldr harðráði. Hreiðarr befriends Magnús with his eccentric behaviour but incurs the wrath of Haraldr when he kills one of his courtiers.
The story is preserved as a part of Morkinskinna
and its derivative, Hulda-Hrokkinskinna
, but it may originally have existed as a separate written work. It is believed to be among the oldest stories of its kind, perhaps originally composed around 1200 and certainly no later than the mid-13th century. Although the story is realistic and plausible it is believed to be fictitious.
Short tales of Icelanders
The þættir are short stories written mostly in Iceland during the 13th and 14th centuries....
. It tells of Hreiðarr, an apparently mentally disabled Icelandic man who travels to Norway in the time of the joint rule of the kings Magnús góði and Haraldr harðráði. Hreiðarr befriends Magnús with his eccentric behaviour but incurs the wrath of Haraldr when he kills one of his courtiers.
The story is preserved as a part of Morkinskinna
Morkinskinna
Morkinskinna is an Old Norse kings' saga, relating the history of Norwegian kings from approximately 1025 to 1157. The saga was written in Iceland around 1220, and has been preserved in a manuscript from around 1275....
and its derivative, Hulda-Hrokkinskinna
Hulda-Hrokkinskinna
Hulda-Hrokkinskinna is one of the kings' sagas. Written after 1280 it relates the history of the Norwegian kings from Magnús góði, who acceded to the throne in 1035, to Magnús Erlingsson, who died in 1177....
, but it may originally have existed as a separate written work. It is believed to be among the oldest stories of its kind, perhaps originally composed around 1200 and certainly no later than the mid-13th century. Although the story is realistic and plausible it is believed to be fictitious.
External links
- Hreiðars þáttur An edition of the story in modern Icelandic spelling