Hálfdanar þáttr svarta ok Haralds hárfagra

The Hálfdanar þáttr svarta ok Haralds hárfagra ( Þáttr about Halvdan the Black and Harald Fairhair ) is a section from the Flateyjarbók and describes in short form episodes from the life of the Norwegian kings Halvdan Svarte and his son Harald Fairhair .

In terms of content, on the one hand, a story is described in a legendary description of how the giant Dofri steals the Jul dishes from Halvdan's festival hall. The giant Dofri is caught in the act and captured. However, five-year-old Harald frees Dofri. Because of this act, Harald von Halvdan is banished and finds asylum with the grateful Dofri. He takes care of his father instead of him, brings up Harald and prepares him for the future takeover of the government of Halvdan. On the other hand, it tells about Harald's later marriage or various marriage matters.

The Þáttr is probably based on a lost saga from the early 13th century, which Snorri Sturluson also used as a source for the Hálfdanar saga svarta he wrote and for the Haralds saga hárfagra from the Heimskringla . In the main manuscript GKS 1005 both þáttr can be found in direct succession. Quotations from Haraldskvæði are significant in terms of literary history .

literature

• Rudolf Simek , Hermann Pálsson : Lexicon of Old Norse Literature (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 490). Kröner, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-520-49001-3 , p. 152.
• Jan de Vries : Old Norse literary history. (= Outline of Germanic Philology ) 15/16. de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1941, 3rd unchanged edition in one volume with a foreword by Stefanie Würth 1999, ISBN 3-11-016330-6 .

Web links

• GKS 1005 fol. (Flat) - Flateyjarbók at the Skaldic Poetry Project