Kormáks saga

Kormáks saga (modern Icelandic pronunciation ) is one of the Icelanders' sagas. The saga was probably written during the first part of the 13th century. [1]

Though the saga is believed to have been among the earliest sagas composed it is well preserved. The unknown author clearly relies on oral tradition and seems unwilling to add much of his own or even to fully integrate the different accounts he knew of Kormákr. Often he does little more than briefly set the scenes for Kormákr's stanzas. The only complete version of the saga is found in the Icelandic manuscript Möðruvallabók AM 132 fol.[2]

The saga tells of the tenth-century Icelandic poet Kormak Ogmundsson (Kormákr Ögmundarson) and of the love of his life, Steingerd Torkelsdatter (Steingerðr Þórkelsdóttir) to whom he is betrothed. Due to a curse, he arrives too late for the wedding with Steingerðr, who in turn marries another. He then follows King Harald Greycloak to Ireland. On a later trip to Scotland, he loses his life in the battle with a wizard. The saga reserves a significant amount of poetry attributed to Kormak, much of it dealing with his love for Steingerd.

Kormákr love poetry

The following stanzas represent some of Kormak love poetry. He tells us of the first time he met Steingerd. Read aloud.

Brunnu beggja kinna The bright lights of both Brightly beamed the lights-of-
bjǫrt ljós á mik drósar,   her cheeks burned onto me both-her-cheeks upon me—
oss hlœgir þat eigi, from the fire-hall's felled wood; e'er will I recall it—
eldhúss of við felldan; no cause of mirth for me in that. o'er the heaped-up wood-pile;
enn til ǫkkla svanna By the threshold I gained a glance and the instep saw I
ítrvaxins gatk líta, at the ankles of this girl of the shapely woman—
þrǫ́ muna oss of ævi of glorious shape; yet while I live no laughing matter, lo! my
eldask, hjá þreskeldi. that longing will never leave me. longing—by the threshold.
     
Brámáni skein brúna The moon of her eyelash—that valkyrie Brightly shone the beaming
brims und ljósum himni adorned with linen, server of herb-surf—   brow-moons of the goodly
Hristar hǫrvi glæstrar shone hawk-sharp upon me lady linen-dight, how
haukfránn á mik lauka; beneath her brows' bright sky; like a hawk's, upon me;
en sá geisli sýslir but that beam from the eyelid-moon but that beam from forehead's-
síðan gullmens Fríðar of the goddess of the golden torque bright-hued-orbs, I fear me,
hvarmatungls ok hringa will later bring trouble to me of the Eir-of-gold doth
Hlínar óþurft mína. and to the ring goddess herself. ill spell for us later.
— Einar Ól. Sveinsson's edition   — Rory McTurk's translation — Lee M. Hollander's adaptation
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References
  1. "Vatnsdæla saga. Hallfreðar saga. Kormáks saga". National and University Library of Iceland. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  2. Kormáks saga Store norske leksikon

Other sources
  • Einar Ól. Sveinsson (Ed.) (1939). Íslenzk fornrit VIII - Vatnsdœla saga. Reykjavík: Hið íslenzka fornritafélag.
  • Hollander, Lee M. (Ed.) (1949). The Sagas of Kormák and The Sworn Brothers. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
  • Viðar Hreinsson (Ed.) (1997). The Complete Sagas of Icelanders - Volume I. Reykjavík: Leifur Eiríksson Publishing. ISBN 9979-9293-1-6.
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