Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings

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The Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings is an Icelandic saga from the first half of the 14th century, which was probably written around 1330. The saga is about the revenge of the protagonist Hávarðar on the despotic chief and murderer of his son Þorbjörn. The time and location of the action is the 10th century in western Iceland at Ísafjǫrdr .

The Hávarðar saga is based on an older version that has been lost today. This template comes from Sturla Þórðarson in whose version the Landnámabók titled Sturla as Þorbjarna saga ok Hávarðar hins halta . In literary studies she belongs to the group of Vestfirðingasögur . In the well-composed saga, fourteen Lausavísur Hávarðars are inserted in the prose text , two of which are reminiscent of the sonatorrek by Egill Skallagrímsson . Some of the verses of the Vísur have survived so poorly that their age is dated to the 11th century. The text of the saga is handed down in two relatively young manuscripts from the 17th century (AM 160 fol; AM 502 4to).

action

Hávarðar is an old free farmer of noble origin and a former Viking from the Blámýri farm, who was so badly injured in an argument with a sword in his younger years that he limped on one leg because of a slack foot. With his wife Bjargey, who is also of noble origin, Hávarðar has a promising son Olafr as heir.

The immoderate Þorbjörn, who attacks the belongings of others, becomes suspicious of Olafr, especially since his intimate partner Vakr, his sister's son and a scheming character who - small in stature and slightly stigmatized by freckles - is despised by everyone in the region, his network of foul suspicions. In particular, that Sigrid, who stole Þorbjörn and hired as a housekeeper, reacts to Olaf as a woman and Olaf reacts to Sigrid and both of them start a romance, incites him and his jealous nephew. With growing resentment, he accepts how Olafr over the years has earned the reputation and respect of everyone at Ísafjǫrdr.

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