Jómsvíkinga saga

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The Old Norse Jómsvíkinga saga reports on the emergence of the Jomswikinger community , often referred to as the men's union, and their supposed influence on Norwegian and Danish history at the time of Harald Blauzahn and Olaf Tryggvason .

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General

The Jómsvíkinga saga "consists of two sections (þættir)", with the first þáttr mainly dealing with the history of the Danish kings from Gormr the Elder to King Haraldr Gormsson and the connections to the Norwegian royal family. The second þáttr deals with the story of the Jomswikings and their "heroic [s] deaths in the battle of Hjörenavágr" (see also Battle of Hjørungavåg ).

Pálna-Tóki

At the time when Haraldr was King of Denmark , a man named Tóki lived in Fyn , who was very popular with everyone in the area. He has three sons, the illegitimate Fjölnir and the two legitimate Áki and Pálnir. When Tóki dies, Fjölnir demands that his half-brothers give him some of their father's inheritance, whereupon Áki and Pálnir offer him a third of the goods but nothing from the land. That is not enough for Fjölnir, because he sees himself as a full heir and goes to King Haraldr's court and becomes his advisor. His brother Áki, who was one of the most popular and respected men in Denmark at the time, even if he was not of high birth, Fjölnir began to make bad in front of the king and convinced Haraldr that he could never be sole ruler of Denmark, so long Áki still live.

As a result, King Haraldr sent ten ships and six hundred men to Fyn that summer to intercept and kill Áki on his return from Gautland. Of course Áki is not prepared for this attack and dies in the attack. When Pálnir receives news of Áki's death, he becomes ill and asks his foster brother Sigurðr for advice on how he should avenge his brother's death on a king. Sigurðr advises him to marry Ingibjörg, the daughter of Jarl Óttar, a good friend of Áki, and so it happens.

Pálnir and Ingibjörg have a son named Pálna-Tóki. When Pálna-Tóki just reached manhood, his father dies and he and his mother take over all important tasks. Pálna-Tóki goes on Viking in the summer and becomes a famous man who resembles his uncle Áki in all his behavior.

During an army voyage in Wales , Pálna-Tóki asked for the hand of Álof, the daughter of Jarl Stefnir, and married her. The following spring he goes back to Denmark with his wife. When King Haraldr makes a trip through Denmark, Pálna-Tóki arranges a festival for him, and during the time that Haraldr spends with Pálna-Tóki, he has Saum-Æsa as his servant and impregnates her. Saum-Æsa gives birth to a son named Sveinn who grows up with Pálna-Tóki. When Sveinn was three years old, King Haraldr was again a guest at a party at Pálna-Tóki's, and Saum-Æsa told him that he was the boy's father, but the king denied this. Pálna-Tóki and King Haraldr fall out over this, the king leaves the festival without presents and the relationship between him and Pálna-Tóki becomes very tense. Shortly after this, Álof gives birth to her and Pálna-Tóki's son Áki.

King Haraldr dies

At the age of fifteen, Pálna-Tóki sent his foster son Sveinn to his father, King Haraldr, so that he could finally recognize his fatherhood. Sveinn does this, but King Haraldr still refuses and Sveinn blackmails some of the ships and crew from Haraldr. During the summer Sveinn spends the whole of his father's empire and spends the winter near Pálna-Tóki. In the following spring Sveinn tries again to get the king to recognize paternity, but it turns out the same as at the first meeting, this time Sveinn receives twice as many ships from Haraldr and rages again all summer in his father's kingdom. He also spends this winter with Pálna-Tóki and in the spring tries to talk to his father, who again refuses to recognize paternity. Sveinn is so angry that he challenges his father to a fight. He plunders and kills worse than ever in Denmark and in autumn he and King Haraldr meet near Bornholm . But since it is already late in the evening and dark, they postpone the battle until the next day. That same evening, however, Pálna-Tóki lands and shoots King Haraldr with an arrow while he is warming himself by the fire. Pálna-Tóki went to Sveinn the next morning to discuss the battle with him, and they attacked the royal army. But in the meantime they learn of the king's death. Pálna-Tóki now gives the king's supporters the choice of accepting Sveinn as their new king or fighting. They accept Sveinn as the new King of Denmark.

Pálna-Tóki founds Jómsborg

Sveinn wants to organize a memorial service for his father and also invites Pálna-Tóki to attend, but he keeps canceling and thus ensures that the memorial service has to be postponed again and again. In the third summer after King Haraldr's death, Pálna-Tóki finally declares that he is ready to appear for the funeral service, but he only shows up at the ceremony, when everyone is already sitting together to eat and drink. During the celebration, Fjölnir whispers something to King Sveinn, whereupon he is upset and has the arrow fetched with which his father was killed. Pálna-Tóki admits that he shot King Haraldr and Sveinn wants to have him killed, but Pálna-Tóki breaks Fjölnir in two and escapes. Pálna-Tóki and his agent Björn pack everything together and travel to Wales, where Álof dies the following summer. Björn is used by Pálna-Tóki as administrator, while the latter goes back to the army. In the fourth summer after Álof's death, he armies in Vindland, which worries the local king Búrisleifr very much. Thereupon he invites Pálna-Tóki to his home and offers him his friendship, which Pálna-Tóki also accepts and Búrisleifr gives him a part of his land, which is called Jóm. Pálna-Tóki founds Jómsborg Fortress on the Baltic coast and lives there with his entourage in a community that is subject to strict rules. So it is said

"[...] at þangat skyldi engi maðr ráðask sá er ellri væri en fimtugr, ok engi yngri en átján vetra; þar á meðal skyldu allir vera. Hvárki skyldi ví ráða frændsemi, þó at þeir menn vildi þangat ráðask er eigi væri í þeim l [ö] gum. Engi maðr skyldi þar renna fyrir jafnvígligum ok jafnbúnum. [...] "

“That no man older than fifty or younger than eighteen should be admitted; everyone should be in between. Nor should the consanguinity have a say if these men wanted to be accepted who do not comply with the law. No man should flee from a man who is equally strong and equally armed. "

Veseti and Strút-Haraldr

In Sjóland Jarl strut Haraldr there, want to ride his sons Sigvaldi and Þorkell after Jomsborg. On the way there they devastate part of Veseti's property on Bornholm, where Pálna-Tóki's grandson Vagn Ákason grows up at times.

When Sigvaldi and Þorkell come to Jómsborg, they want to join the Jomsvikings with the capable men of their team. Pálna-Tóki consults with his men about it, because they know what origins Sigvaldi and Þorkell are, but ultimately agrees to join. Meanwhile Veseti goes to King Sveinn to tell him about the devastation caused by Jarl Strút-Haraldr's sons and wants to have the damage replaced. Sveinn tells Veseti to keep quiet and gives him his word that he wants to see if Haraldr is willing to pay for the damage his sons caused. Veseti then drives back to Bornholm. King Sveinn sends a message to Strút-Haraldr, who seeks the king. When he hears about Veseti's lawsuit, he is not prepared to pay for the damage. Sveinn advises him to take responsibility for the damage.

When Veseti and his sons Búi and Sigurðr learn that Haraldr is not ready to pay the damage, they drive to Sjóland and devastate part of Haraldr's property. Haraldr then demands that King Sveinn make a comparison after all. But since Haraldr had not listened to Sveinn's advice, Sveinn does not see any action. Thereupon Strút-Haraldr in turn equips ships and devastates part of Veseti's property.

Veseti then goes back to King Sveinn and suggests to him that he should mediate between him and Haraldr, otherwise there would only be strife between his people and those of Haraldr. Sveinn says he'll settle between the two of them on the next Þing . During the Þing, Búi and Sigurðr Strút-Haraldr steal his dress of honor, his hat richly decorated with gold and two boxes of gold. When King Sveinn tries to compare the families, he admits to Búi that he can keep the boxes of gold. Veseti's family is supposed to replace the farms that Strút-Haraldr have destroyed, but Haraldr is supposed to marry off his daughter Tófa to Sirgurðr. After the wedding, Búi wants to go to Jómsborg and join the Jomswikings, and Sigurðr decides to join his brother, even though he is married. Once in Jómsborg, Sigvaldi recognizes the two brothers and wants to know how the story between their fathers ended. Búi tells him the story is too long for the moment and that he and Sigurðr want to join the Yom Vikings under Pálna-Tóki's leadership. After Pálna-Tóki has consulted with his men, the two are admitted.

Vagn is accepted by the Jomswikings

At the age of twelve, Vagn received ships and a crew from his father Áki and his grandfather Veseti to go on an army voyage. Vagn armies all along the Danish coast and then drives to Jómsborg to be accepted by the Joms Vikings. Pálna-Tóki and his men are critical of Vagn's wish, as he is only twelve years old. His relatives would rather send him to Bjorn in Wales than see him on their team. Vagn now speaks directly to Sigvaldi and asks him what he has to say about the whole thing. Sigvaldi says he will never take Vagn in. Despite Pálna-Tóki's offer to give Vagn half of the land in Wales, Vagn continues to insist that he be accepted by the Jomsvikings. He challenges Sigvaldi and his men to battle to prove that they will do well if they take him in. During the battle, which shifted from the ships to the land as it progressed, thirty of Sigvaldi's men were killed, but hardly any from Vagn's side. Pálna-Tóki ends the battle and takes Vagn and his men into Jómsborg. When Vagn was fifteen years old, Pálna-Tóki fell ill and sent for King Búrisleifr. During an interview, the king advised him that Pálna-Tóki should choose one of his men to succeed him. His choice is made by Sigvaldi, who accepts this task with pleasure.

Sigvaldi's betrayal

Sigvaldi goes to King Búrisleifr to give him the choice of marrying Sigvaldi's eldest daughter, Ástriðr, or Sigvaldi to leave Jómsborg. Búrisleifr is not pleased with either of the two options and talks to his daughter. Ástriðr is against a marriage to Sigvaldi and sets the condition that he should avenge the damage that King Sveinn has done to the country and see that King Sveinn is brought to King Búrisleifr so that he can have Sveinn in hand. Sigvaldi agrees and sets off with his men for Sjóland. King Sveinn is having a feast in Sjóland. Sigvaldi lures him onto his ship under a pretext and takes him to Jómsborg. Sigvaldi tells King Sveinn that he had asked for the hand of Gunnhildr, King Búrisleifr's daughter, on his behalf, and that Sveinn should waive Búrisleifr's interest. King Sveinn agrees to the project, and Sveinn and Sigvaldi celebrate a double wedding. On the second day of the wedding feast, however, King Sveinn suspected that Sigvaldi had cheated on him when the brides appeared unveiled for the festival, as Sigvaldi had assured the king that the king's bride was the most beautiful of the three daughters. After Sveinn has figured out Sigvaldi's and Búrisleifr's plan, he lets the party break off and drives home with his wife, the presents and his husbands.

The vow of the Jomsvikings

When Jarl Strút-Haraldr dies, King Sveinn sends a message to Sigvaldi and Þorkell that they should host the hereditary meal in honor of their father. Sigvaldi replies that Sveinn should make all the preparations at their own expense, and that they would come before the onset of winter to pay their respects to their father.

During the feast, King Sveinn has the Yomsvikings serve the strongest drinks to get them drunk. When the Jomsvikings are drunk, he induces them to take vows to show that they do not fear death in battle. All Jomsvikings take a vow and then go to bed.

When Sigvaldi wakes up the next day, he can no longer remember the vow that he would have Jarl Hákon freed Norway from Jarl Hákon before three years were up when his wife Ástriðr told him about it. He consults with her and then goes to King Sveinn. Sigvaldi asked him to send sixty ships and crew to set off for Norway.

Once in Norway, Sigvaldi and the Jomswikings immediately start to arm. Ögmundr, the white man, managed to escape the Jomswikings and flees to Skugi Farm, where Jarl Hákon is giving a feast. He reports to Hákon that the Jomswikings have landed in Norway.

Jarl Hákon immediately sends people out to round up all available men for battle. In Hjörenavágr he gathers his men and they begin to work out a plan of action. At the same time, the Jomswikings are fighting from the south towards Hjörenavágr. When Vagn goes to the island of Höð in a Skeið, he meets a shepherd who tells him about Jarl Hákon's preparations for the fight in Hjörenavágr. Vagn takes the man with him so that he can show the Yom Vikings the way to Hjörenavágr.

The battle in Hjörenavágr

When the Jomsvikings arrive in Hjörenavágr , they see that the whole bay is covered with ships and immediately take up battle formation. During the battle, both teams inflict a lot of damage on their opponents, but neither side will win. During a break in the fight, Jarl Hákon goes ashore and prays to Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr, but is not answered. Hákon offers her all possible sacrifices, but none seems to appeal to his patron goddess. Only when he offers her his seven-year-old son as a sacrifice does his patron goddess show herself to be helpful. Thereupon Jarl Hákon goes back to his ship and starts a new attack against the Jomsvikings. In the course of the fight the weather gets worse and worse, up to a snowstorm and some of the Jomswikings notice Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr in Hákon's army. When the snowstorm subsided a little, Hákon Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr called once more to help him, saying that he had finally made some sacrifices. Then Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and her sister Irpa stand by his side again. Little by little the Jomswikings are losing their luck, some give up and return to Denmark with their ships, because they believe that they have fulfilled their oath. However, Vagn continues to resist with some men. At night they even manage to escape to the archipelago. The next morning Jarl Eiríkr discovers the people on the archipelago and has them arrested. The Jomsvikings are now to be beheaded one by one, but each of them is given the opportunity to display his contempt for death before he is beheaded. Only Pálna-Tóki's grandson Vagn Ákason manages to kill his executioner and so he and the rest of the Jómswikings are pardoned by Jarl Eiríkr.

Lore

text

The original version of the Jómswikinger saga has not survived. There are several different versions of the saga, five of which are attributed to source value. Four of them are on parchment, one on paper:

  • “Am 291 4to”: It is considered the oldest. It is located in the Arnamagnaean Institute in Copenhagen. It was given to Árni Magnússon from Svein Torfason from Bæ in Iceland. Your age is uncertain. Mostly the time between 1220 and 1230 is assumed. In its catalog of 1889 p. 538, the Arnamagnæan Institute names the beginning of the 14th century. The 291 consists of two parts. The first part with seven chapters offers the Danish royal series to Harald Blåtann, Jarl Håkon's journey to Denmark, Jarl's apostasy from the king and the failed first punitive expedition of the king to Norway. The second part contains in 39 chapters the history of the Jómswikings from the foundation of the Jómsburg to the war expedition of the Jómswikings to Norway. The manuscript was first published in 1828. The first true-to-text edition by Carl Petersen appeared in 1882. In 1827 a German translation by Ludwig Giesebrecht appeared .
  • The second version is in the Flateyjarbók as an episode within the "Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar". The scope and chapters essentially correspond to “Am 291”. Some changes result from the inclusion in a collective work. But there is also an insert about Búi's fate in the battle of Hjørungavåg . Because of the similarity, this edition was used to reconstruct illegible passages in “Am 291”. There are a number of paper copies of this edition from around 1700.
  • The third manuscript is the “Codex Holmianus 7”, which is also called “Stockholm perg 7 4: to” (Sth.7). This text has been shortened compared to the previous ones. It is in the Royal Library in Stockholm. It is not known where it originated. It probably originated at the beginning of the 14th century. There are many paper copies from the 16th century. The text was first published in 1824, and in 1924 it was translated as No. 19 of the Thule edition by Walter Baetke under the title "The Tales of the Orcades, Denmark and the Jomsburg".
  • The fourth version is "Am 510 4: to". This manuscript contains only the second part of the saga as classified by “Am 291”. In this manuscript, too, the story is bound together with other sagas. Árni Magnússon received this work from Magister Jón Þorkelsson. It is considered a very recent copy, probably from the end of the 15th century. It was first published incompletely in 1815 and published to the letter in 1879. There are also many copies on paper of this text. 1892 a free translation of Ferdinand Khull appeared under the title: The story Palnatokis and Jomsburger some as combinations of versions "AM 291" which, Graz 1891, 1892. See the traditions in the manuscript "AM 510" Fagrskinna and the Heimskringla in .
  • The fifth manuscript was the shortest edition of both parts of the saga in Latin by Arngrímur Jónsson, which was made from an unknown Norrone copy by Arild Huitfeld from the second half of the 16th century. The original translation of this translation has been lost, but has been preserved in two paper manuscripts from the 18th century. The original manuscript was probably lost in the Copenhagen library fire of 1728. It was published true to the text in 1877. and published again in 1957. Some also see them as combinations of the versions AM 291, the Fagrskinna and the Heimskringla .

These are the outputs that are compared with each other in the source review. However, Gustav Storm among others thinks that there may be a sixth version, namely the translation by Laurentz Hanssøn “Am 93 fol”. In 1549 he was commissioned to translate the Norwegian royal sagas into Danish. In any case, he had the Codex Frisianus and the Heimskringla available for this. But Storm noted discrepancies, which he traced back to another, now lost source of the Jómswiking saga.

author

The author himself is not known, but he was apparently a staunch Christian. This is concluded from the following circumstances: Already at the funeral beer, at which the Jomswikings swear to move to Norway, the toast is made to Christ and St. Michael. In the battle, the escape of the Jomswikings is attributed to a storm that prevents the honor of their leader Sigvald Jarl from being diminished by the escape. This also avoids a contradiction to the heroism of the (Christian) Jómswikings during the later execution on the beach. At the same time, Håkon Jarl does not stand out very much in battle, but uses the magic of two goddesses by sacrificing his son, which does not make him appear in a positive light. His victory is not honorable. The author was evidently not in favor of the Trønder Jarl Håkon taking over the government in Norway instead of a member of the Harald Hårfagres family .

Generic question

The Jómsvikinga saga cannot be classified with one hundred percent certainty in one of the saga genres. The first þáttr of the saga could still be counted among the royal sagas ( isl. Konungasögur), as it mainly reflects the history of the Danish royal family and its connection to the Norwegian royal family, as well as the Norwegian Jarlen. The second þáttr, on the other hand, contains some features (the warrior union, the supernatural events in the battle of Hjörenavágr and the vow of the Vikings with the consequent heroic death of some of them), which would ascribe this part of the Jómsvíkinga saga to the prehistoric sagas (isl. Fornaldarsögur).

Nowadays there is a tendency to classify the Jómsvíkinga saga with the Orkneyinga saga and the Færeyinga saga in a separate subgroup of sagas with political content. These three sagas have "mainly in common content, including an interest in the political conflicts that result from the clash of local chief power and large-scale royal rule."

Historicity of the Jómsvíkinga saga

The Jómsvíkinga saga itself, like almost every saga, cannot serve as a historical source for the events of that time. It has been proven that some characters appearing in the Jómsvikinga saga are historically documented, e . B. Haraldr blátönn and Ólafr Tryggvason. It is also historically correct that there was the battle of the Hjörenavágr and that, as far as is known, the Jomsvikings took part in this battle. The Jómsborg Fortress probably also existed, as the remains of a settlement were found on the Baltic coast during excavations in Wollin , which are said to correspond to the location of Jómsborg. However, the founder of Jómsborg, Pálna-Tóki, is a fictional character.

The nið motif in the Jómsvíkinga saga

See article Neidingswerk .

As nið one generally denotes the insult or abuse of a man in the Norse sagas and also skaldic poems . This abuse or insult always relates to the role behavior of the man, if, in the opinion of society, he did not behave masculine enough (cowardice, betrayal, fraud or "acts of violence that were viewed as more shameful than others for various reasons") or behaved At that time perverse standards (homosexuality) one made him the niðingr. The nið motif can clearly be seen in the Jómsvíkinga saga in the death of King Haraldr Gormsson when Pálna-Tóki shot him. King Haraldr is warming himself by the fire the evening before the battle against Pálna-Tóki and his entourage, he has stripped his clothes and is on all fours by the fire, his backside in the air. Pálna-Tóki shoots Haraldr out of the forest. The description of the king's posture is supposed to portray him as unmanly and thus make him a niðingr. Strictly speaking, the argument that will eventually lead to Haraldr's death begins with Fjölnir, the illegitimate brother of Pálnir (Pálna-Tóki's father) and Ákis (Pálna-Tóki's uncle), in revenge for the unserved inheritance, brings King Haraldr to it by slandering To kill Áki. And Pálna-Tóki is later provoked by King Haraldr or Haraldr commits "an indirect form of nið" in the way he treats Saum-Æsa and behaves towards her and Pálna-Tóki.

The goddesses Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and Irpa

Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and Irpa probably come from Hálogaland and were most likely worshiped there. So far there is no agreement as to which goddesses they belong to, but their predominant task was probably to show their help by causing storms, conjuring up or shooting arrows from all fingers.

Both sisters are “the protective goddesses of the Haleygian Jarle”, since they are related to the “mythical ancestor (Hölgi) [...] of the Haleygjerjarle”.

Various sources say that orgerðr was Hölgi's daughter or bride and Irpa her sister. Why Þorgerðr should have been Hölgi's daughter does not explain the nickname Hölgabrúðr (= Hölgi's bride). Little is known about Irpa, only that she is the sister of Þorgerðr and that the two goddesses always appear together.

In the Jómsvíkinga saga , Jarl Hákon, the most famous descendant of the Haleygian Jarle tribe, calls on the goddesses Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and Irpa for help and even sacrifices his seven-year-old son to them to win the battle at Hjörenavágr. And the two then appear in the manner typical for them, by letting storms arise and shooting at the Jomswikings with arrows from every finger.

See also

Battle of Hjørungavåg

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Zernack, Julia: "Jómsvíkinga saga". In: Beck, Heinrich, and others (eds.): Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde. 2nd Edition. De Gruyter, Berlin & New York 2000. Vol. 16, p. 69.
  2. ↑ "Jómsvíkinga saga". In: NF Blake (transl.): The Saga of the Jomsvikings . Nelson, London a. a. 1962. p. 17.
  3. ↑ Neue Pommersche Provinzialblätter 1. 1827 pp. 90-139 (PDF; 2.9 MB).
  4. ↑ Larsen p. 22.
  5. ↑ Schier, Kurt: " Sagaliteratur ". Stuttgart, 1970. p. 9.
  6. ^ A b Zernack, Julia: "Jómsvíkinga saga". In: Beck, Heinrich, and others (eds.): Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde. 2nd Edition. De Gruyter, Berlin & New York 2000. Vol. 16, p. 70.
  7. ↑ Blake, NF: " The Saga of the Jomsvikings ". Nelson, London a. a. 1962. S. vii.
  8. ↑ Almqvist, B .: "Nið". In: Beck, Heinrich, and others (eds.): Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde. 2nd edition . De Gruyter, Berlin & New York 2002. Vol. 22, p. 139.
  9. ↑ a b Almqvist, B .: "Nið". In: Beck, Heinrich, and others (eds.): Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde. 2nd edition . De Gruyter, Berlin & New York 2002. Vol. 22, p. 141.
  10. ↑ Almqvist, B .: "Nið". In: Beck, Heinrich, and others (eds.): Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde. 2nd edition . De Gruyter, Berlin & New York 2002. Vol. 22, p. 142.
  11. ↑ LaFarge, Beatrice: Review of: Meulengracht-Sørensen, Preben: "Norrønt nið". In: “ Scandinavian Studies . Bd. 13 ", Ed .: Oberholzer, Otto. Glückstadt 1983. p. 63.
  12. ↑ "Thorgerd Hölgabrud". In: Golther, Prof. Wolfgang: “ Handbook of Germanic Mythology . Unchanged new press d. rev. Edition from 1908 ”. Magnus-Verlag, Essen 1983. p. 483.
  13. ↑ "Thorgerd Hölgabrud". In: Wolfgang Golther: Handbook of Germanic Mythology . Unchanged new press d. rev. Edition 1908. Magnus-Verlag, Essen 1983. p. 482.