Snorri Sturluson

1
Snorri Sturluson

• Snorri was born in Iceland in 1179 and died at
  22 September 1241.
• He was a descendent of the poet and warrior Egil
  Skallagrimsson, and probably composed the famous
  Egilssaga about his ancestor.
• Snorri grew up in Oddi at the home of Jan
  Loptsson, at the time the most wealthy and
  influential chieftain in Iceland. He received the
  best possible education Jans grandfather was
  Saemund the Learned, who had studied in Paris.

2
Snorri Sturluson

• Unlike the vast majority of medieval writers,
  Snorri was a political, rather than a religious
  figure.
• Snorri belonged to a famous and powerful family,
  the Stulungars, who gave their name to the
  chaotic period in Icelandic history in which
  Snorri lived.
• Snorri began his career with a marriage to a
  wealthy woman, though he was soon separated from
  her and had many affairs during his life.

3
Snorri Sturluson

• Snorri held important offices during his life,
  including twice being elected Lawspeaker of
  Iceland (1215-18 and 1222-1231) and serving on
  the highest court in the country.
• Snorris greed, ambition and cunning led him to
  make alliances with the King of Norway, and later
  to plot a rebellion against the king.
• Snorri was assassinated by his former son-in-law
  on orders by the King, in the cellar of his home
  in Reykholt in 1241.

4
Icelandic History

• Iceland is discovered by Norwegian sailors around
  870 island inhabited only by a few Irish monks.
• Settlement by Norwegians and others begins
  shortly afterward the country is officially
  settled in 930, when the Althing is instituted.
• 1000 A.D. Iceland converts to Christianity.
• 1241 A.D. Death of Snorri.
• 1262 Voluntary Subjugation of Iceland to
  Norway prosperity of the island decreases
  greatly.
• 1944 Icelandic Independence from Denmark.

5
Snorri Sturluson

• Snorri is one of the few known authors of
  medieval works in Iceland most of the saga
  authors remain anonymous.
• Snorri established a reputation as a poet and
  writer, in addition to his legal and political
  career.
• Heimskringla, a history of medieval Scandinavia.
• Olafssaga and Egilssaga, probably (?)
• Snorra Edda (1220), consisting of Gylfafinning,
  Skaldskaparmal and Hattatal, books dealing with
  the art of medieval Scandinavian court poetry.

6
Snorri Sturluson

• Snorri probably wrote his Edda because the art of
  the poet (Skald) was falling out of fashion or
  becoming increasingly archaic and difficult.
• In contrast to the mythological poetry of the
  Elder Edda (e.g. Voluspa or Havamal), court
  poetry was complicated and intricate, depending
  on a shared body of lore for mutual
  understanding.
• Skaldskaparmal (or Language of Poetry) is a
  discourse between Ægir (god of the sea) and Bragi
  (god of poetry) about the origin and language of
  poetry in Scandinavia.

7
Skáldskaparmál

• Snorris treatise on poetry deals in dialogue
  form with the mythic origins of poetry as well as
  with the various verse forms and the common
  phrases used.
• He quotes verses from many authors who are
  otherwise unknown.
• His explanations of kennings (from kenna eitt vio
  to express a thing in terms of another) provide
  us with much mythological information that is
  available from no other existing source.

8
Skáldskaparmál

• Ægir comes from his island home (he is a the god
  of the sea) to visit the gods and goddesses in
  their hall while their were drinking.
• He sits beside Bragi (whose name is related to
  the verb to brag, and who may have originally
  been a real person, the legendary poet Bragi
  Boddason, from the 9th century A.D.).
• Bragi becomes a little drunk and starts telling
  stories, first the myth of the Theft of Idunn
  (59f.)
• Giant Thiassi steals Idunn, but is tricked and
  killed.

9
Skáldskaparmál

• Bragi then relates the myth of Skadi and her
  search for compensation for the death of Thiassi,
  her father (p. 61).
• Bragi explains the division of the inheritance of
  Olvaldi, that each son in turn took a mouthful of
  gold and now we have this expression among us,
  to call gold the mouth-tale of these giants, and
  we conceal it in secret language or in poetry by
  calling it speech or words or talk of these
  giants.
• Ægir is impressed by this information and asks
  Bragi to explain the origin of poetry.

10
Skáldskaparmál

• Bragi relates that the Æsir and Vanir spit into a
  kettle to seal the truce after their war. They
  kept the spittle as a symbol of peace, but later
  used the magic liquid to fashion a man, who was
  named Kvasir, exceedingly wise and eloquent (p.
  61f.)
• Kvasir traveled through the world, sharing his
  wisdom, but was treacherously killed by two
  drarfs, Fialar and Galar.
• The dwarfs mixed his blood with honey and brewed
  mead, which they put in vats named Odrerir and
  Son and Bodn (p. 62).

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Skáldskaparmál

• The mead made from Kvasirs blood had the special
  property that whoever drank from it would speak
  poetry.
• Fialar and Galar had a nasty Giant guest named
  Gilling, whom they drowned and whose wife they
  killed (dropping a whetstone on her head).
  Gillings son Suttung came for vengeance and they
  paid for their lives with their precious mead.
• Suttung hid the mead in the mountain cave
  Hnitbiorg, putting his daughter Gunnlod in charge
  of guarding the vats.

12
Skáldskaparmál

• The mead of poetry is thus called
• Kvasirs blood
• Dwarfs drink
• Liquid of Odrerir or Bodn or Son
• Dwarfs transportation
• Suttungs mead
• Liquid of Hnitbiorg
• Fialars treasure or Galars ransome, etc. etc.
• Ægir then asks, how the Æsir got hold of the mead
  of poetry?

13
Skáldskaparmál

• Odin set out on a quest to seize the mead of
  poetry from Suttung.
• He came to a field where nine slaves were mowing
  hay he sharpens their scythes and then asks if
  they would like his whetstone. Since they all
  wanted it, he threw it into the air and they
  all slit each others throats fighting for it.
  (God of the Dead)
• Odin, calling himself Bolverk (worker of evil)
  then goes to Baugi, Suttungs brother, and offers
  to work in place of his dead slaves, in return
  for one draught of the mead.

14
Skáldskaparmál

• Baugi makes no promises, but agrees to talk with
  his brother about the requested payment.
• Odin/Bolverk does the work of nine men during the
  summer and then asks for his payment.
• He and Baugi go to Suttung, but he refuses even a
  single drop of the precious mead.
• Bolverk takes out an auger named Rati and asked
  the Giant Baugi if he could bore a hole with it.
  Baugi drills two times, before Bolverk is
  satisfied that he has truly drilled through the
  mountain.

15
Skáldskaparmál

• Bolverk transforms himself into a snake, slithers
  through the hole into the mountain Baugi tries
  to kill him with the auger, but is too slow.
• In the mountain cave, Odin reassumes his shape
  and seduces the Giantess Gunnlod. He sleeps with
  her for three nights and then she lets him take
  three drinks of the mead Odin drains each vat.
• Odin/Bolverk turned himself into an eagle and
  flew as fast as he could for Asgard. Suttung took
  his own eagle shape and pursued him. When he
  neared Asgard, Odin spat out the mead into vats
  (p. 63f.).

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Skáldskaparmál

• A little of the mead spilled out, and that is
  called the rhymsters share for bad poets.
• Odin bestows the mead on his favored mortals
  poetry is thus a form of divine inspiration or
  intoxication associated with the wisest and
  craftiest of all the gods.
• Odins booty or Odins find
• Odins gift
• Æsirs drink

17
Idunn and her golden apples
18
Idunn being carried off by the Giant Thiassi
19
Idunn and her apples, Idunn with Loki
20
Odin with the Giantess Gunnlod, Drinking the
Mead of Poetry
21
Skáldskaparmál

• The narration now assumes a question and answer
  format very common in medieval pedagogical or
  philosophical texts.
• The language of poetry (p. 64) has three
  categories
• To call everything by its name
• To use substitution
• To use a description or periphrastic term, called
  a kenning.
• Odin thus called Victory-Tyr, Hanged-Tyr or
  Cargo-Tyr

22
Skáldskaparmál

• Snorri justifies his explanation of these
  kennings which should be obvious because
  young poets need to learn the rich language of
  their ancestors.
• Snorri is careful to remind his audience that
  Christian people must not believe in heathen
  gods, nor in the truth of this account (p.64f.)
• Snorri presents a Euhemeristic account of the
  settlement of the North by heroes of ancient
  Troy.
• Snorri offers a novel interpretation of the Myth
  of Hymir (p. 65f.), mixing Trojan and Norse
  heroes!

23
Skáldskaparmál

• An example of Norse verse (see p. 66)
• Now for sea-steeds trunks there is
• Eagles flight over land in store
• I guess they are getting Hang-gods
• Hospitality and rings.
• ships men (Viking warriors)
• eagles are massing over a battlefield
• Odins
• as his (slain) guests in Valhall plunder

24
Skáldskaparmál

• Some common kennings for poetry (p. 70ff.)
• Kvasirs blood, Dvalins drink, dwarfs
  yeast-surf
• Dwarfs ship, dwarfs mead, giants mead
• Suttungs mead, liquid of Odrerir, Bodn and Son
• Liquid of Hnitbiorg, Bodns wave or surf
• Odins booty, Odins find, Odins cargo, gift
• Mountain-kept liquid, pot-liquid of gallows-cargo
• Hars (Odins) ale, stream of Mims friend (Odin)

25
Skáldskaparmál

• Some kennings for Thor (p. 72-74)
• Son of odin and Iord
• Father of Magni and Modi and Thrud
• Husband of Sif
• Ruler and owner of Miollnir
• Defender of Asgard and Midgard
• Slayer of giants and troll-wives
• Killer of Hrungnir, Geirrod, Thrivaldi
• Lord of Thialfi and Roskva
• Enemy of the Midgard serpent

26
Skáldskaparmál

• Some kennings follow for lesser gods
• Baldr (p. 74f.)
• Niord (p. 75)
• Freyr (p. 75)
• Heimdall (p. 75f.)
• Tyr (p. 76)
• Bragi, Vidar, Vali, Hod, Ull (all p. 76)
• Loki (p. 76f.) father of monsters, thief of
  giants, mother of Sleipnir, enemy of gods, maker
  of mischief, Sifs hair-harmer, the bound one

27
Skáldskaparmál

• Snorri relates more myths to explain the kennings
  he has just listed for various gods.
• Myth of Hrungnirs visit to Asgard and his duel
  with Thor and excerpts from the poem Haustlong
  (p. 77-81).
• Myth of Thors visit to Geirrod and excerpts from
  the poem Thorsdrapa (p. 81-86).

28
Skáldskaparmál

• Snorri lists a number of kennings for goddesses
• Frigg (p. 86)
• Freyia (p. 86)
• Sif (p. 86)
• Idunn and here he cites extensively from the
  poem Haustlong see Thor and Hrungnir (p.
  86-88).

29
Skáldskaparmál

• Snorri then begins to list kennings for
  geographical and cosmological features
• The SkyYmirs skull, toil of the dwarfs
  (p.88ff.)
• The EarthYmirs flesh, bride of Odin (p. 90f.)
• The SeaYmirs blood, sea-kings way (p. 91ff.)
• The Sundaughter of Mundilfæri, sister of moon
• The Wind, Fire, Winter, Summer (p. 93f.)

30
Skáldskaparmál

• Some kennings for Man (p. 94)
• Woman (p. 94)
• Gold (p. 94f.)
• Why is gold called Ægirs fire? Snorri relates
  this myth of Lokasenna, relating how gold was
  used to illuminate Ægirs hall (p. 95).
• Snorri also relates that Ægir has a daughter
  called Ran who catches men in the sea.
• Snorri relates that poets went even further,
  using terms associatively or allegorically (p.
  95).

31
Some Images of Ran
32
Some Images of Ran
33
Skáldskaparmál

• Why is gold called Sifs hair? Snorri relates
  the myth of how Loki cut off Sifs hair and was
  forced to find a replacement (p. 96f.).
• This myth also explain how the gods acquired some
  of their greatest treasures Skidbladnir,
  Miollnir, Gungnir, Draupnir, Freyrs golden boar.
• The myth ends with Loki escaping decapitation,
  but he does have his lips sewn together with an
  awl and thread.

34
Skáldskaparmál

• What is the reason for gold being called Otters
  payment / Otters ransom? Snorri relates this
  myth, which is known from a number of other
  literary sources (p. 99-100).
• This is the famous myth that is used to explain
  the background to the Saga of the Volsungs (or in
  Germany, the Nibelungenlied).
• The motif of the Cursed Ring (or cursed gold) is
  used in a number of later retellings, from
  Wagners Ring-cycle to Tolkiens Lord of the
  Rings.

35
Skáldskaparmál

• What more is there to tell about the gold?
• Snorri goes on to summarize the Saga of the
  Volsungs (p. 100-105). Many poems from the
  Poetic Edda also deal with aspects of this myth.
• Part of the story is clearly myth, most of the
  story is fanciful romance or legend, and part of
  the story is at least based on historical
  information King Atli and King Iormunrekk are
  figures from the Age of Migrations, having lived
  nearly 1000 years before Snorri recorded this
  tale in writing.

36
Skáldskaparmál

• Why is gold called Frodis Mead? (p. 106ff.)
• Frodi, King in Denmark, bought two slave girls
  from Sweden Fenia and Menia.
• He set them to work with two magic millstones and
  told them to grind out gold and prosperity, but
  they ground out an army instead.
• Frodi was defeated and killed the sea-king
  Mysing set the girls to work grinding out salt
  they ground too much and the boat sank.
• Song of Grotti in Poetic Edda tells this myth.

37
Skáldskaparmál

• Why is gold called Krakis seed? (p. 110ff.)
• Snorri here discusses Hrolfs saga kraka (and
  poems based on the saga), which we read in class.
• Snorri tells the incident of Hrolfs
  christening somewhat differently Vogg indeed
  first called him Kraki, but as a young man, not
  in Sweden.
• The adventure in Sweden is also different in
  Snorris version, Adils owes Kraki payment for
  sending his champions to assist him in a battle
  against the King of Norway.

38
Skáldskaparmál

• More kennings for silver and gold (p. 113f.)
• Gold-Kennings for man (p. 114f.)
• Gold-kennings for woman (p. 115f.)
• How shall battle be referred to? (p. 117f.)
• Weather of weapons or shields, or of Odin
• Clash or noise of weapons or shields
• Hail or rain of arrows or stones or darts
• How shall weapons and armor be referred to?
• Many picturesque terms for weapons (p. 118)

39
Skáldskaparmál

• Battle is also called Hiadnings storm, because
  of a battle between Hogni and Hedin, who had
  abducted King Hognis daughter Hild. (p. 122f.)
• Hild cannot stand to see either her husband Hedin
  or her father Hogni killed (?), so she uses her
  magic to return the dead men to life whereupon
  they continue the battle.
• In time, the dead men and their weapons become
  stones during the day, assuming their mortal and
  violent natures at night, in the Orkney islands.

40
Skáldskaparmál

• How shall a ship be referred to? (p. 124ff.)
• Horse, animal or ski of sea-kings or of the sea
• Waves steed, bear of currents, ocean-otter
• How shall Christ be referred to? (p. 126f.)
• Interesting that Christ and Christian subjects
  are assumed into Norse poetry sometimes in
  associations with pagan imagery.
• Snorri then describes kennings for various ranks
  of nobility emperors kings earls lords
  hersar, Grafen, barons Holdar heroes
  hirdmen and housecarls (p. 128ff.)

41
Skáldskaparmál

• Snorris discussion of poetry then turns to other
  aspects of poetry (non-periphrastic terms)
• Rhyme and praise, rhapsody, encomium, eulogy
• Other, less poetic terms are given for gods (p.
  133), heavens and heavenly bodies (133f.), for
  the earth itself (p. 134f.), wolves, bears and
  other animals (p. 135f.).
• Snorri also lists common names of horses (p.
  136f.) and of serpents (p. 137), livestock (p.
  137), birds (p. 137f.)ravens and eagles always
  referred to in terms of blood or corpses.

42
Skáldskaparmál

• What terms for sea are there? (p. 139ff.)
• Snorri lists quite a few verses describing the
  sea, including Ægir and his wife Ran and their
  nine daughters (waves).
• What terms for fire are there? (p. 143ff.)
• Snorri then discusses other non-periphrastic
  terms for Times, Men and Kings, especially the
  legendary dynasties of Scandinavia, the Ynglings,
  Volsungs, Niflungs, Budlungs, Skioldungs and
  others.

43
Skáldskaparmál

• What terms are there for poets? (p. 150f.)
• At this point, Snorris book assumes the
  character of a poetic thesaraus (p. 150-155),
  with terms for men and women and for parts of the
  body.
• Snorri then provides us with a lengthy catalogue
  of names of all sorts of mythological and
  legendary beings and things
• Kings, giants, troll-wives, Æsir, Æsyniur
  (goddesses), men, battle, swords, battle-axes,
  arrows, bows, armor (byrnie), sea, rivers, fish,
  ships, earth, livestock, and finally the heavens.

44
Skáldskaparmál

• What does Snorris book tell us about Norse
  poetry in general?
• What does his book tell us about the culture in
  which he lived?
• What were the priorities of the culture?
• What sort of imagery dominates his book?
• What did he think of his ancestry and history?
• What is the role of the poet in this society?
• What do you think the effect of his book was?
• What did you learn from this book?