Hróa þáttr heimska
Encyclopedia
Hróa þáttr heimska or the Tale of Roi the Fool is a short story (þáttr) from Iceland
about a Dane called Hrói the Fool who is helped in a legal dispute by the wise old Swede Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker
, and which takes place in the late 10th century. It is preserved in two versions of which one (HróFlat) is found in Flatey Book (GKS 1005 fol 344-348, ca 1387-1395) and the second one (Hró AM 557 4°) in the Arnamagnæan Codex
(AM 557 4° 41r-42v, ca 1420-1450) in Copenhagen
.
In the version of Heimskringla
which is found in the Flatey Book, it is inserted together with Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa
in the description of Olaf Haraldsson's wooing of the Swedish princess Ingegerd Olofsdotter. Their purpose appears to be to present the Swedish court, its traditions and Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker
.
However, the king's good luck prevailed over Hrói's back luck and Hrói became a wealthy man, and one day he shared the wealth with the king and finished their partnership, against the king's wishes who'd rather he stay at the court and marry.
and struck a deal with Helgi a red-haired courtier of king Eric the Victorious. However, after the deal had been made and the goods delivered, Hrói came to fetch the merchandise, and discovered that Helgi had tricked him. Helgi said that he had delivered the goods, but Hrói had not been there to fetch them and so Helgi had taken them back. Helgi also stated that Hrói had broken the king's law by not guarding his goods, so that a thief might steal them.
Then Hrói met Helgi's brother Þorgils who took Hrói's knife claiming that Hrói had taken it from him in Normandy
. Then he met Helgi's second brother, Þorir, a one-eyed man who claimed that Hrói had take one of his eyes from him at Samsø
with magic and that this was why Hrói had different eyes. Þorir then said that Hrói was to be at the thing
and to be sentenced by the king for stealing his eye and for stealing his brother's knife. The two men then parted, but the next day Hrói overheard some men saying that Hrói was about to be before the king and that the king always judged in favour of Helgi and his brothers.
He then met a beautiful girl called Sigrbjörg who had heard of him as Hrói the Fool, and she said that she was the daughter of Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker
and that he was no friend of Helgi and his brothers. She then invited Hrói to hide in her bower and to listen what was said. Hrói hid and heard Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker arrive. Þorgnýr asked his daughter if she know whether Hrói would be at the thing the next day. He also asked her why she sighed so heavily and guessed that she had met Hrói and discovered that he was a good man. Þorgnýr said that he would be at the thing the next day and see to it that justice was done against the three brothers. When Þorgnýr was gone, Sigrbjörg told Hrói to join her father the next day.
and Þorgnýr presided the interrogation. On the accusation from Helgi, Hrói answered that he had bought everything that was in the warehouse, but Helgi had not kept his part of the bargain since he had not delivered the moths and the other bugs in it. Consequently, he had the right to have Helgi as his thrall, and this was seconded by Þorgnýr.
On Þorgil's accusation that Hrói had stealen his knife in Normandy, Hrói retorted that he remembered this man and that he had murdered his brother Sigurd. Þorgnýr stated that such men deserved death.
Concerning Þorir's accusation of the stolen eye, Hrói suggested that the stolen eye be removed from his head, and the last eye from Þorir's head. Then the eyes would be weighed and if they weighed equally it would be proven that they came from the same head, and that Hrói had stolen Þorir's eye. If Þorir would not agree to this, he would be proven a liar in this case and in others.
However, Þorir did not agree on this procedure, and so Þorgnýr stated that those three men were wicked and unmanly and had too long weaved webs of lies around them. They had also too long been trusted by the king, and that there was no longer any other decision by the king to make than to give the three brothers as the property of Hrói. King Eric the Victorious agreed. Hrói then sentenced Þorgils and Þorir to death and banished Helgi from Sweden for life.
with his goods and told Swein Forkbeard about the events and gave him many Swedish goods. Hrói and the king would remain friends for life.
However, when Hrói returned to Sweden he found his father-in-law Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker dead, but his son Þorgnýr had succeeded him as lawspeaker, and this Þorgnýr was the wisest of men. Hrói and his brother-in-law Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker shared the inheritance in concord and Hrói was considered by all to be an excellent man. Many Swedish noble families were descended from him.
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...
about a Dane called Hrói the Fool who is helped in a legal dispute by the wise old Swede Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker
Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker
Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker is the name of one of at least three generations of lawspeakers by the name Þorgnýr, who appear in the Heimskringla by the Icelandic scholar and chieftain Snorri Sturluson, and in the less known Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa and Hróa þáttr heimska...
, and which takes place in the late 10th century. It is preserved in two versions of which one (HróFlat) is found in Flatey Book (GKS 1005 fol 344-348, ca 1387-1395) and the second one (Hró AM 557 4°) in the Arnamagnæan Codex
Arnamagnæan Codex
The Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection derives its name from the Icelandic scholar and antiquarian Árni Magnússon — Arnas Magnæus in Latinised form — who in addition to his duties as secretary of the Royal Archives and professor of Danish Antiquities at the University of Copenhagen, spent much of...
(AM 557 4° 41r-42v, ca 1420-1450) in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
.
In the version of Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
which is found in the Flatey Book, it is inserted together with Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa
Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa
Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa is a short story, a þáttr on the Swedish claimant and Jomsviking Styrbjörn the Strong preserved in the Flatey Book ....
in the description of Olaf Haraldsson's wooing of the Swedish princess Ingegerd Olofsdotter. Their purpose appears to be to present the Swedish court, its traditions and Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker
Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker
Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker is the name of one of at least three generations of lawspeakers by the name Þorgnýr, who appear in the Heimskringla by the Icelandic scholar and chieftain Snorri Sturluson, and in the less known Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa and Hróa þáttr heimska...
.
Building a fortune
He had one blue eye and one black eye, and he was a skilled smith and trader. However, each time his trade had made him wealthy, he went to sea and lost it all. The third time, he went to king Sweyn and asked him to be his business partner. The king consented although his court advised him not to deal with such an unlucky man as Hrói.However, the king's good luck prevailed over Hrói's back luck and Hrói became a wealthy man, and one day he shared the wealth with the king and finished their partnership, against the king's wishes who'd rather he stay at the court and marry.
The framing
Then he went to SwedenSweden
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....
and struck a deal with Helgi a red-haired courtier of king Eric the Victorious. However, after the deal had been made and the goods delivered, Hrói came to fetch the merchandise, and discovered that Helgi had tricked him. Helgi said that he had delivered the goods, but Hrói had not been there to fetch them and so Helgi had taken them back. Helgi also stated that Hrói had broken the king's law by not guarding his goods, so that a thief might steal them.
Then Hrói met Helgi's brother Þorgils who took Hrói's knife claiming that Hrói had taken it from him in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. Then he met Helgi's second brother, Þorir, a one-eyed man who claimed that Hrói had take one of his eyes from him at Samsø
Samsø
Samsø is a Danish island in the Kattegat off the Jutland Peninsula. Samsø is located in Samsø municipality. The community has 4,300 inhabitants called Samsingers and is 114 km² in area. Due to its central location, the island was used during the Viking Age as a meeting place...
with magic and that this was why Hrói had different eyes. Þorir then said that Hrói was to be at the thing
Thing (assembly)
A thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...
and to be sentenced by the king for stealing his eye and for stealing his brother's knife. The two men then parted, but the next day Hrói overheard some men saying that Hrói was about to be before the king and that the king always judged in favour of Helgi and his brothers.
He then met a beautiful girl called Sigrbjörg who had heard of him as Hrói the Fool, and she said that she was the daughter of Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker
Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker
Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker is the name of one of at least three generations of lawspeakers by the name Þorgnýr, who appear in the Heimskringla by the Icelandic scholar and chieftain Snorri Sturluson, and in the less known Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa and Hróa þáttr heimska...
and that he was no friend of Helgi and his brothers. She then invited Hrói to hide in her bower and to listen what was said. Hrói hid and heard Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker arrive. Þorgnýr asked his daughter if she know whether Hrói would be at the thing the next day. He also asked her why she sighed so heavily and guessed that she had met Hrói and discovered that he was a good man. Þorgnýr said that he would be at the thing the next day and see to it that justice was done against the three brothers. When Þorgnýr was gone, Sigrbjörg told Hrói to join her father the next day.
Before the court of the Swedish king
The next day Hrói accompanied Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker to the court at UppsalaUppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
and Þorgnýr presided the interrogation. On the accusation from Helgi, Hrói answered that he had bought everything that was in the warehouse, but Helgi had not kept his part of the bargain since he had not delivered the moths and the other bugs in it. Consequently, he had the right to have Helgi as his thrall, and this was seconded by Þorgnýr.
On Þorgil's accusation that Hrói had stealen his knife in Normandy, Hrói retorted that he remembered this man and that he had murdered his brother Sigurd. Þorgnýr stated that such men deserved death.
Concerning Þorir's accusation of the stolen eye, Hrói suggested that the stolen eye be removed from his head, and the last eye from Þorir's head. Then the eyes would be weighed and if they weighed equally it would be proven that they came from the same head, and that Hrói had stolen Þorir's eye. If Þorir would not agree to this, he would be proven a liar in this case and in others.
However, Þorir did not agree on this procedure, and so Þorgnýr stated that those three men were wicked and unmanly and had too long weaved webs of lies around them. They had also too long been trusted by the king, and that there was no longer any other decision by the king to make than to give the three brothers as the property of Hrói. King Eric the Victorious agreed. Hrói then sentenced Þorgils and Þorir to death and banished Helgi from Sweden for life.
What happened afterwards
Hrói asked Þorgnýr for his daughter's hand and married her. He returned to DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
with his goods and told Swein Forkbeard about the events and gave him many Swedish goods. Hrói and the king would remain friends for life.
However, when Hrói returned to Sweden he found his father-in-law Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker dead, but his son Þorgnýr had succeeded him as lawspeaker, and this Þorgnýr was the wisest of men. Hrói and his brother-in-law Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker shared the inheritance in concord and Hrói was considered by all to be an excellent man. Many Swedish noble families were descended from him.