Njarðvík (farm)
Njarðvík | |
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Farm | |
Coordinates: 65°34′52″N 13°53′16″W / 65.58111°N 13.88778°W | |
Country | Iceland |
Njarðvík (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈnjarðˌviːk]) is an ancient farm in northeast Iceland. The descendants of its settlers are featured in several of the Sagas of Icelanders.
History
[edit]Viking Age
[edit]The history of Njarðvík can be traced back to the settlement of Iceland, when Thorkel the Wise claimed all the land around the bay of Njarðvík.[1] His great-grandson Ketil Thrym lived at Njarðvík[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 Njarðvík" (Old Norse Njarðvíkingar). The Saga of the People of Laxardal cites a lost "Saga of the House of Njarðvík," which may refer to a medieval text that no longer exists or else was renamed, or to an oral tradition.[3]
Sagas
[edit]Njarðvík 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
[edit]- ^ a b 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