Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘(Biography of) Sturla Þórðarson’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 392.
The life of
Sturla Þórðarson (Sturl) is chronicled in
Sturlunga saga (
Stu). He was born on 29 July 1214 as the second son of Þórðr Sturluson and his concubine Þóra, and he was the younger brother of
Óláfr hvítaskáld Þórðarson (Ólhv). In his early years he spent much time with his uncle, the poet, historian and lawspeaker
Snorri Sturluson (SnSt, d. 1241), and later he took an active part in the events that played out before and after the collapse of the Icel. Commonwealth. Sturla was lawspeaker in Iceland 1251-2 and lawman, appointed by the Norw. king, 1272-82. In 1263 he went to Norway where he met King Magnús lagabœtir ‘Law-mender’ Hákonarson (d. 1280). After an initially very cool reception, the king commissioned him to write the saga of Magnús’s father Hákon Hákonarson (d. 1264) and also that of Magnús himself. Sturla later became the retainer (
hirðmaðr,
skutilsveinn) of Magnús and brought the law code
Járnsíða ‘Ironside’ from Norway to Iceland in 1271. The story of Sturla’s journey to Norway in 1263 and his dealings with Magnús is recounted in
Sturlu þáttr (
StÞ), preserved in a version of
Stu. In addition to the sagas of Hákon Hákonarson (
Hák) and the no longer extant saga of his son Magnús lagabœtir (only two leaves are preserved in
AM 325 X 4°), Sturla is the author of
Íslendinga saga (
Ísls) and of a redaction of
Landnámabók (
Ldn, in
AM 107 folˣ =
Stˣ). Some scholars believe that he may have been responsible for the extant redaction of
Kristni saga (
Kristni) (see
LH 1894-1901, II, 98-105, 717-43), and he is also mentioned as an informant by the author of
Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar (
Gr; see
ÍF 7, 157, 226, 289). Like his uncle, Snorri, and his brother, Óláfr, Sturla was a prolific poet. According to
Skáldatal (
SnE 1848-87,
III, 256, 260, 272, 279, 384-96), he composed poems in honour of the Norw. kings Hákon Hákonarson and Magnús lagabœtir Hákonarson, and also about the Swed. jarl Birgir Magnússon (d. 1266). Nothing is preserved of Sturla’s panegyrics to the latter, but two sts from his poetry to Magnús are recorded in
Hák (see
Magnússdrápa (
Sturl Magndr) below). The bulk of Sturla’s poetic
oeuvre about Hákon Hákonarson is interspersed with the prose in
Hák:
Hrynhenda (
Sturl Hryn),
Hákonarkviða (
Sturl Hákkv),
Hrafnsmál (
Sturl Hrafn) and
Hákonarflokkr (
Sturl Hákfl). In addition to these encomia, Sturla composed poetry about events and dignitaries in Iceland: namely
Þverárvísur (
Sturl ÞvervIV) and
Þorgilsdrápa (
Sturl ÞorgdrIV), both of which have been edited in
SkP IV. That is also the case with his
lvv. (
Sturl Lv 1-4
IV). One fragment which earlier eds assigned to
Hryn (earlier st. 22) has been edited in
SkP III as
Sturl FragIII. Sturla died on 30 July 1284 and was buried in the Church of S. Peter at Staðarhóll.
References
- Bibliography
- SnE 1848-87 = Snorri Sturluson. 1848-87. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar: Edda Snorronis Sturlaei. Ed. Jón Sigurðsson et al. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Legatum Arnamagnaeanum. Rpt. Osnabrück: Zeller, 1966.
- ÍF 7 = Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar. Ed. Guðni Jónsson. 1936.
- LH 1894-1901 = Finnur Jónsson. 1894-1901. Den oldnorske og oldislandske litteraturs historie. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Gad.
- SkP III = Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Ed. Kari Ellen Gade in collaboration with Edith Marold. 2017.
- SkP IV = Poetry on Icelandic History. Ed. Guðrún Nordal. Forthcoming.
- Internal references
- (forthcoming), ‘ Anonymous, Landnámabók’ in Guðrún Nordal (ed.), Poetry on Icelandic History. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 4. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=25> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Kristni saga’ in Guðrún Nordal (ed.), Poetry on Icelandic History. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 4. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=29> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=33> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- 2022, ‘ Anonymous, Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar’ in Margaret Clunies Ross, Kari Ellen Gade and Tarrin Wills (eds), Poetry in Sagas of Icelanders. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 5. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 640-806. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=70> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Sturlunga saga’ in Guðrún Nordal (ed.), Poetry on Icelandic History. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 4. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=88> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- (forthcoming), ‘ Anonymous, Sturlu þáttr’ in Guðrún Nordal (ed.), Poetry on Icelandic History. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 4. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=105> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- Lauren Goetting 2017, ‘(Biography of) Óláfr hvítaskáld Þórðarson’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 301.
- Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Sturla Þórðarson, Hákonarkviða’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 699-727. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1395> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Sturla Þórðarson, Hákonarflokkr’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 745-55. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1396> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Sturla Þórðarson, Hrafnsmál’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 727-45. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1397> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- Valgerður Erna Þorvaldsdóttir 2009, ‘ Sturla Þórðarson, Hrynhenda’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 676-98. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1398> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Sturla Þórðarson, Drápa about Magnús lagabœtir’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 756-7. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1399> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- Guðrún Nordal (forthcoming), ‘ Sturla Þórðarson, Þorgilsdrápa’ in Guðrún Nordal (ed.), Poetry on Icelandic History. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 4. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1400> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- Guðrún Nordal (forthcoming), ‘ Sturla Þórðarson, Þverárvísur’ in Guðrún Nordal (ed.), Poetry on Icelandic History. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 4. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1401> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- Kari Ellen Gade and Valgerður Erna Þorvaldsdóttir 2017, ‘ Sturla Þórðarson, Fragments’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 392. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=3221> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- Not published: do not cite (Sturl Lv 1IV)
- Not published: do not cite ()
- Not published: do not cite ()
- (forthcoming), ‘ Anonymous, Íslendinga saga’ in Guðrún Nordal (ed.), Poetry on Icelandic History. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 4. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=10929> (accessed 19 April 2024)
- Not published: do not cite ()