In Part 3 of Kormak’s Saga, we complete the story of Holmgang Bersi and introduce a new rival for Steingerd’s affections. There’s also a magical sea beast, more slanderous poetry, and we discuss Norse names.

Today’s Text:

  • The Life and Death of Cormac the Skald. Translated by W.G. Collingwood and J. Stefansson. Viking Club Translation Series, no. 1., Wm Holmes, Ltd., 1902. Google Books.
  • Kormáks saga. Icelandic Saga Database, edited by Sveinbjörn Þórðarson, 2007. https://www.sagadb.org/kormaks_saga.is.

References:

  • Byock, Jesse. Viking Age Iceland. Penguin, 2001.
  • Finlay, Alison. “Níð, Adultery, and Feud in Bjarnar saga Hítdœlakappa.” Saga-Book, vol. 23, 1990-1993, pp. 158-178. JSTOR.
  • Jochens, Jenny. “The Illicit Love Visit: An Archaeology of Old Norse Sexuality.” Journal of the History of Sexuality, vol. 1, no. 3, Jan. 1991, pp. 357-392. JSTOR.
  • The Laxdale Saga. Translated by Muriel A. C. Press, 1880. The Icelandic Saga Database, edited by Sveinbjörn Þórðarson, https://sagadb.org/laxdaela_saga.en.
  • Meylan, Nicholas. “The Magical Power of Poetry.” Saga-Book, vol. 37, 2013, pp. 43-60. JSTOR.
  • Peterson, Paul R. Old Norse Nicknames. Dissertation. University of Minnesota, April 2015, https://conservancy.umn.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/d0c3e6b4-6cb1-4f32-9b9b-b72b07e87cab/content.
  • Raffield, Ben, Neil Price, and Mark Collard. “Polygyny, Concubinage, and the Social Lives of Women in Viking-Age Scandinavia.” Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, vol. 13, 2017, pp. 165-210. JSTOR.
  • Roesdahl, Else. The Vikings. Revised ed., translated by Susan M. Margeson and Kirsten Williams, Penguin, 1998.

Audio Credits:

  • “Cincinnati Kid.” The Kids in the Hall, Season 2, Ep. 16, 2 April 1991. YouTube.
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Directed by Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema, 2002.
  • The Big Lebowski. Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Gramercy Pictures, 1998.
  • “Kormak’s Theme” and “Harpish Improvisations” composed and performed by Patrick Lane.

Image Credits: Detail from Abraham Ortelius, Map of Iceland (1591). Via Wikimedia Commons.