Njarðvík (farm)
Njardvik (Icelandic: Njarðvík) is an ancient farm in northeast Iceland. The descendants of its settlers are featured in several of the Sagas of Icelanders.
Njarðvík | |
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Farm | |
Njarðvík Location in Iceland | |
Coordinates: 65°34′52″N 13°53′16″W | |
Country |
History
Viking Age
The history of Njardvik can be traced back to the settlement of Iceland, when Thorkel the Wise claimed all the land around the bay of Njardvik.[1] His great-grandson Ketil Thrym lived at Njardvik[1] and became a chieftain after his father, Thidrandi the Old.[2] Several other notable 10th- and 11th-century Icelanders were related to this family, who are known as the "House of Njardvik" (Old Norse Njarðvíkingar). The Saga of the People of Laxardal cites a lost "Saga of the House of Njardvik," which may refer to a medieval text that no longer exists or else was renamed, or to an oral tradition.[3]
Sagas
Njardvik is referenced in the following medieval Icelandic texts:
- The Book of Settlements
- The Short Saga of Gunnar, Thidrandi's Killer
- The Saga of Droplaug's Sons
- The Saga of the People of Fljotsdal
- The Saga of the People of Laxardal
References
- The Book of Settlements, Sturubók edition, ch. 78
- The Saga of Droplaug's Sons, ch. 2; The Saga of the People of Fljotsdal, ch. 5
- Gísli Sigurðsson, The Medieval Icelandic Saga and Oral Tradition: A Discourse on Method, trans. Nicholas Jones, Publications of the Milman Parry Collection of Oral Lieterature, 2. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2004