Skofnung () is in

medieval Icelandic literature Icelandic literature refers to literature written in Iceland or by Icelandic people. It is best known for the sagas written in medieval times, starting in the 13th century. As Icelandic language, Icelandic and Old Norse are almost the same, and b ...

the sword of legendary Danish king Hrólf Kraki. According to ''

Hrólfs saga kraka Hrólfs saga kraka, the ''Saga of King Rolf Kraki'', is a late legendary saga on the adventures Hrólfr Kraki, a semi-legendary king in what is now Denmark, and his clan, the Skjöldungs. The events can be dated to the late 5th century and the 6th ...

'' "The best of all swords that have been carried in northern lands", it was renowned for supernatural sharpness and hardness, as well as for being imbued with the spirits of the king's 12 faithful

berserker In the Old Norse written corpus, berserkers () were Scandinavian warriors who were said to have fought in a trance-like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the modern English adjective ''wikt:berserk#Adjective, berserk'' . Berserkers ...

bodyguards.

Portrayal

Skofnungr appears in a saga unrelated to Hrólfr: it is said that an Icelander, Skeggi of Midfirth (or Miðfjarðar-Skeggi), who was chosen by lot to break into a gravemound and plunder it, recovered the sword while doing so. Other similar incidents are found in Norse literature, such as Grettir the Strong's recovery of a sword from a burial mound. Events concerning the recovery of Skofnung are related in chapters 9 and 10 of ''

Kormáks saga ''Kormáks saga'' ( Old Norse pronunciation: , ) is one of the Icelanders' sagas. The saga was probably written during the first part of the 13th century. Though the saga is believed to have been among the earliest sagas composed, it is well pr ...

''. Skofnungr also appears in '' Laxdœla saga'', where it has come into the possession of Eiðr of Áss. Eiðr is the son of Skeggi, who had originally taken Skofnungr from Hrólf Kraki's grave. The sword is handed down from Eiðr to his kinsman Þorkell Eyjólfsson. Eiðr lends the sword to Þorkell to kill the outlaw Grímr, who has killed Eiðr's son. Þorkell fights Grímr, but the two became friends, and Þorkell never returns the sword to Eiðr. Skofnungr is briefly lost when Þorkell's ship capsizes while sailing around

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

and all of those on it drown. The sword sticks fast in some of the ship's timbers and washes ashore. It is thus recovered at some point by Þorkell's son Gellir, as he is mentioned carrying it with him later in the saga. Gellir dies in Denmark returning from a pilgrimage to Rome and is buried at

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

, and it seems Skofnungr is buried with him (near where the sword was recovered from the burial mound in the first place), as the saga says that Gellir had the sword with him "and it was not recovered afterward". According to Eiðr of Áss in chapter 57 of ''Laxdœla saga'', the sword is not to be drawn unless a battle is imminent, and the sun must never shine on the sword's hilt. This is in accordance with many other ancient superstitions, such as the

Eggjum stone The Eggja stone (also known as the Eggum or Eggjum stone), listed as N KJ101 in the Rundata catalog, is a grave stone with a runic inscription that was ploughed up in 1917 on the farm Eggja in Sogndal, Nordre Bergenhus amt (now in Vestland county), ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. Eiðr also says that any wound made by Skofnungr will not heal unless rubbed with the Skofnungr Stone, which Eiðr gives to Þorkell Eyjólfsson along with the sword. According to ''Laxdœla saga'', the sword cannot be drawn in the presence of a woman;''Laxdœla saga'', Chapter 57
One of the translations by Muriel A. C. Press (1880)

References

Medieval European swords Mythological swords Mythological Norse weapons Viking swords {{Norse-myth-stub