Ragnars Saga Loðbrókar
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The Tale of Ragnarr Loðbrók () is an Icelandic
legendary saga A legendary saga or ''fornaldarsaga'' (literally, "story/history of the ancient era") is a Norse saga that, unlike the Icelanders' sagas, takes place before the settlement of Iceland.The article ''Fornaldarsagor'' in ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (1991 ...
of the
13th century The 13th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1201 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCI) through December 31, 1300 (MCCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, which stretched ...
about the Viking ruler
Ragnarr loðbrók Ragnar Lodbrok (Old Norse: ''Ragnarr loðbrók'', ), according to legends, was a Viking hero and a Swedish and Danish king.Vǫlsunga saga'', which it immediately follows. The tale covers the origin of
Áslaug Aslaug ( ), also called Aslög, Kráka (O.N.: ) or Kraba, is a figure in Norse mythology who appears in Snorri's Edda, the Völsunga saga and in the saga of Ragnar Lodbrok as one of his wives. Aslaug in legend According to the 13th-century ' ...
, Ragnarr's quest for the hand of Þóra borgarhjǫrtr, his later marriage to
Áslaug Aslaug ( ), also called Aslög, Kráka (O.N.: ) or Kraba, is a figure in Norse mythology who appears in Snorri's Edda, the Völsunga saga and in the saga of Ragnar Lodbrok as one of his wives. Aslaug in legend According to the 13th-century ' ...
, the deeds of their sons (and Áslaug) in battle, and Ragnarr's death at the hands of king
Ælla of Northumbria Ælla (or Ælle or Aelle, fl. 866; died 21 March 867) was King of Northumbria, a kingdom in early medieval England, during the middle of the 9th century. Sources on Northumbrian history in this period are limited, and so Ælla's ancestry is not kn ...
.


Summary

Ragnarr Loðbrók is a great warrior, son of the Danish king Sigurðr hringr Randvérsson. Ragnarr's first achievement is bravely killing the serpent guarding the beautiful Þóra borgarhjǫrtr. In order to win this battle, Ragnarr wears wolfskin trousers which he has boiled in pitch, hence his name: ("hairy trousers"). He then marries Þóra, who, however, dies shortly afterwards. Later, Ragnar sails to Norway, and ends up at the farm called á Spangareiði. There he meets the beautiful Áslaug, known as Kráka, and her foster-mother Gríma. Áslaug is the daughter of Sigurðr Fáfnisbani and Brynhildr, but is in hiding and does not reveal her identity. She accompanies Ragnarr, becomes his concubine, and bears him four sons: Ivarr beinlauss, Bjǫrn járnsíði, Hvítserkr, and Sigurðr Ormr í auga. During a visit to Uppsala with King Eysteinn, Ragnarr is offered marriage to Eysteinn's daughter Ingibjǫrg. The two are betrothed, but when Ragnarr returns home, Áslaug already knows about the betrothal. She now reveals her name and that she was the daughter of Sigurðr Fáfnisbani and Brynhildr. Ragnarr marries her. The breach of promise to Ingibjǫrg leads to war between Ragnarr and King Eysteinn. In this battle, Ragnarr's sons Eiríkr and Agnarr die first, and then King Eysteinn. On a war march in Northumbria, Ragnarr is captured by King Ælla and dies in Ælla's snake pit. Before dying, he sings of his deeds in the poem ''Krákumál'', in which he invokes his sons, who later avenge their father.


Literary context

The saga's sources include
Adam of Bremen Adam of Bremen (; ; before 1050 – 12 October 1081/1085) was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. Adam is most famous for his chronicle '' Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum'' ('' ...
and
Saxo Grammaticus Saxo Grammaticus (), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author ...
, with whose ''
Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essentia ...
'' (book IX) it overlaps in the description of Ragnar's pursuit of Thora, his marriage to Aslaug, and the deeds of his sons. ''Ragnars saga'' is a sequel of sorts to the '' Vǫlsunga saga'', providing a link between the legendary figures of
Sigurðr Sigurd ( ) or Siegfried (Middle High German: ''Sîvrit'') is a legendary hero of Germanic heroic legend, who killed a dragon — known in Nordic tradition as Fafnir () — and who was later murdered. In the Nordic countries, he is referred t ...
and
Brynhildr Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild ( , , or ), is a female character from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess and queen Brunhilda of Austrasia. In the Norse tradition, Brunhild is a shiel ...
and the historical events of the 9th to 11th centuries, as well as prestige to the Norwegian royal house by portraying Sigurðr as its ancestor.


Editions and translations


Editions

* ''Altnordische Sagen und Lieder, welche zum Fabelkreise des Heldenbuchs und der Nibelungen gehören'', ed. by Friedrich H. von der Hagen (Breslau, 1814) * ''Fornaldarsögur Norðurlanda'', ed. by Bjarni Vilhjálmsson and Guðni Jónsson (Reykjavík, 1943-44), digitised a
Heimskringla.no
* ''Sýnisbók íslenzkra bókmennta til miðrar átjándu aldar'', ed. by Sigurður Nordal, Guðrún P. Helgadóttir, and Jón Jóhannesson (Reykjavík: Bókaverzlun Sigfúsar Eymundssonar, 1953) * ''Fornaldar sögur Norðurlanda'', ed. by Guðni Jónsson (Reykjavík: Íslendingasagnaútgáfan, 1954-59) * ''Ragnars saga loðbrókar'', ed. by Uwe Ebel, Texte des Skandinavischen Mittelalters, 4 (Metelen: DEV, 2003) * ''Völsunga saga og Ragnars saga loðbrókar'', ed. by Örnólfur Thórsson (Reykjavík: Mál og menning, 1985)

*
Anonymous, Krákumál
, ed. and trans. by Rory McTurk, in ''Poetry in fornaldarsögur'', ed. by Margaret Clunies Ross, Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages, 8 (Turnhout: Brepols, 2017), pp. 706–


Translations

* * * ''The Saga of the Volsungs: With The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok'', trans. by Jackson Crawford (Indianapolis, IN: Hackett, 2017)


See also

*
Ragnar Lodbrok Ragnar Lodbrok (Old Norse: ''Ragnarr loðbrók'', ), according to legends, was a Viking hero and a Legendary Kings of Sweden, Swedish and Legendary kings of Denmark, Danish king.''Stories for All Time'' bibliography
Legendary sagas Cultural depictions of Ragnar Lodbrok Völsung cycle Icelandic literature Works based on Gesta Danorum {{Norse-myth-stub