Oddi inn litli Glúmsson (Oddi)

12th century; volume 2; ed. Judith Jesch;

Lausavísur (Lv) - 5

Oddi inn litli ‘the Small’ Glúmsson (Oddi) is only known from Orkn. He is said to have been one of two Icelanders (the other is Ármóðr (Árm)) who came to the court of Rǫgnvaldr jarl in Orkney one autumn. While Ármóðr is described as a skáld, of Oddi it is said that he orti enn vel ‘was also good at composing’ (ÍF 34, 200-1). Oddi is then said to have been one of the skáld jarls ‘skalds of the jarl’ who accompanied Rǫgnvaldr on his journey to the Holy Land (ÍF 34, 204). When Oddi is introduced, the main saga ms. (Flat) says that he was hjaltlenzkr ‘from Shetland’ but all eds have preferred the reading of two other mss, which say that he was an Icelander and which add that he was from Breiðafjörður (Orkn 1913-16, 221 and n. 1). His patronymic may suggest he was descended from Glúmr Geirason (Glúmr^I), in whose family there were many poets (ÍF 34, 201 nn. 1-2).