Grœnlendinga þáttr (II)

Grœnlendinga þáttr ('The Tale of the Greenlanders') or Einars þáttr Sokkasonar ('The Tale of Einarr Sokkason') is a short medieval Icelandic tale (þáttr).[1] It is preserved in the manuscript Flateyjarbók, towards the end of the second half of the manuscript which was written by Magnús Þórhallsson.[1] The author of the tale itself is unknown.[1] The tale takes place in Greenland, but unlike Grœnlendinga þáttr (I), it makes no mention of Vinland.

In the tale, Einarr Sokkason brings a priest, Arnaldr, to Greenland from Norway to be Bishop of Greenland. Around this time, a Norwegian merchant named Arnbjörn sets off for Greenland, but is wrecked and his ship later found in a firth. Arnbjörn’s kinsmen sail to Greenland and request his recovered property. The bishop refuses this, leading to feud between the two groups. A battle occurs in which men from both sides are killed, including Einarr Sokkason.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Halldórsson, Ólafur (1993). "Einars þáttr Sokkasonar". In Pulsiano, Phillip; Wolf, Kirsten (eds.). Medieval Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland. p. 160. ISBN 0824047877.

Further reading

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  • Jones, Gwyn, trans. (1986) The Norse Atlantic Saga: Being the Norse Voyages of Discovery and Settlement to Iceland, Greenland, and North America, revised edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 236-241
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