''Hálfdanar saga Brönufóstra'' c. 1300 is a
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 ...
about Halfdan the son of the legendary king Hringr of
Denmark
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, song_type = National and royal anthem
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
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.
In the saga, Halfdan flees his father's kingdom after an attack by the Viking
berserker Soti, and goes to live in exile in
Bjarmaland
Bjarmaland (also spelt ''Bjarmland'' and ''Bjarmia''; Latin: ''Biarmia''; Old English: ''Beormaland,'' Komi: Биармия ''Biarmia,'' Old Permic: 𐍑𐍙𐍐𐍒𐍜𐍙𐍐) was a territory mentioned in Norse sagas since the Vikin ...
. During a sea-voyage he is dragged off course by the witchcraft of a troll named Járnnefr (Iron-Nose) and shipwrecked on the shore of
Helluland
Helluland () is the name given to one of the three lands, the others being Vinland and Markland, seen by Bjarni Herjólfsson, encountered by Leif Erikson and further explored by Thorfinn Karlsefni Thórdarson around AD 1000 on the North Atlantic ...
. Here he rescues the three children of a Scottish earl from the
troll
A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human be ...
and his wife. Halfdan encounters a troll-woman named Brana who is really the daughter of the king of
Valland
In Norse legend, Valland is the name of the part of Europe which is inhabited by Celtic and Romance peoples. The element ''Val-'' is derived from *''Walhaz'', a Proto-Germanic word whose descendants were used in various Germanic languages to refe ...
, who was abducted by the troll Jarnhauss (Iron-Skull) and transformed into her current shape. She asks Halfdan and his friends to avenge her by killing Jarnhauss and his fellow trolls. In return, she provides them with shelter, and gives Halfdan a magic ring, a coat that makes him invulnerable to edged weapons, and a
dragon-ship. She sends Halfdan to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
where he wins the love of Marsibil, daughter of the English king Óláfr, and defeats the schemes of the king's landwarden, Aki, with Brana's magical aid. He marries Marsibil and succeeds Óláfr when he dies. He returns to his father's kingdom and defeats and kills Soti and his Vikings.
Although numerous sagas contain analogs to the iconic cave battle with Grendel and his mother in ''Beowulf,'' none is closer to the Old English epic than is Hálfdan’s cave battle with Járnnefr and his wife. The saga is found in three, 15th-century vellum manuscripts, but its post-medieval popularity is evidenced by its preservation in over four dozen paper manuscripts. In the 18th century it served as the source for the first known saga forgery.
[Peter A. Jorgensen, ,''"Hafgeirs saga Flateyings:'' An Eighteenth-Century Forgery," ''Journal of English and Germanic Philology,'' vol. 76 (1977), pp. 155-164.]
''Hálfdanar saga Brönufóstra'' has a sequel in ''
Sörla saga sterka'', where it becomes clear that Halfdan is the father of
Hogni of the ''
Hjaðningavíg
Hjaðningavíg (the 'battle of the Heodenings'), the ''legend of Heðinn and Hǫgni'' or the ''Saga of Hild'' is a Germanic heroic legend about a never-ending battle which is documented in ''Sörla þáttr'', '' Ragnarsdrápa'', ''Gesta Danorum'', ...
''.
Translations
* (Saga of Halfdan, Brana's Fosterling, pp. 87-110)
References
Sources and external links
The saga in Old Norse at Snerpa.The saga in Old Norse at «Norrøne Tekster og Kvad».The saga in Old Norse at Northvegr.
Legendary sagas
{{saga-stub