Þorvaldr blǫnduskáld (Þblǫnd)

12th century; volume 3; ed. Vivian Busch;

1. Sigurðardrápa (Sigdr) - 2

2. Fragment (Frag) - 1

According to Skáldatal (SnE 1848-87, III, 254, 263, 276), Þorvaldr blǫnduskáld (Þblǫnd) was one of the poets of the Norwegian king Sigurðr jórsalafari ‘Jerusalem-farer’ Magnússon (r. 1103-30, see ‘Royal Biographies’ in Introduction to SkP II). Only fragments of his poetry are extant: two helmingar from an assumed Sigurðardrápa about Sigurðr jórsalafari (Þblǫnd Sigdr) and another fragment (Þblǫnd Frag) that cannot be assigned to a specific poem. Two stanzas of Þórarinn stuttfeldr’s ‘Short-cloak’ Stuttfeldardrápa (Þstf Stuttdr 2^II, 3^II) are erroneously attributed to Þorvaldr in Morkinskinna. The nickname blǫnduskáld cannot be explained with certainty. Finnur Jónsson (LH I, 72) thinks it possible that Þorvaldr composed about a man with the nickname blanda (ON blanda is a liquid mixture, usually of whey and water; cf. Finnur Jónsson 1907, 289). That nickname is attested in Sverris saga (Sv ch. 48, ÍF 30, 74), which mentions a Norwegian called Brynjólfr blanda Eindriðason. According to Finnur Jónsson (Skj), Þorvaldr was an Icelander, but his ethnicity cannot be ascertained.