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Þorleikr fagri (Þfagr)

11th century; volume 2; ed. Kari Ellen Gade;

Flokkr about Sveinn Úlfsson (Sveinn) - 10

III. Fragments (Frag) - 3

Þorleikr’s background is unknown. In 1051 he travelled from Iceland via Norway to Denmark to present a poem to Sveinn Úlfsson (ÍF 28, 113; ÍF 29, 253; Mork 1928-32, 161; Flat 1860-8, III, 338; Fms 6, 256). Both his name and his nickname fagri ‘the Fair’ indicate that he may have come from the family of the Laxdœlir (see Genealogy IIIa in ÍF 5; SnE 1848-87, III, 737-9; LH 1894-1901, I, 641-2). Þorleikr was a rather common name among the Laxdœlir (e.g. Þorleikr Hǫskuldsson and Þorleikr Bollason), and members of that family, such as Hǫskuldr Dala-Kollsson, Óláfr pá ‘Peacock’ Hǫskuldsson and Hallgerðr Hǫskuldsdóttir, were admired for their beauty (see ÍF 5, 14, 27; ÍF 12, 6-7). Þorleikr is listed in Skáldatal as one of the poets who eulogised Sveinn Úlfsson, and it is not said that he composed about any other dignitary or ruler (see SnE 1848-87, III, 258, 267, 283).

Fragments — Þfagr FragIII

Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘(Introduction to) Þorleikr fagri, 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. 484.

stanzas:  1   2   3 

Skj: Þórleikr fagri: En flokk om Sven Ulfssön 11-13 (AI, 399, BI, 368)

in texts: LaufE, Skm, SnE

SkP info: III, 484

old edition introduction edition manuscripts transcriptions concordance references search files

 

The three fragments edited here (Þfagr Frag 1-3) are traditionally assigned to Þorleikr fagri’s flokkr (Þfagr SveinnII) about King Sveinn Úlfsson of Denmark (r. 1047-1074/76) (so SnE 1848-87, III, 737-9, Skj A and  Skald). All of the fragments are clearly parts of an encomium (or encomia) honouring a ruler, and Þorleikr fagri ‘the Fair’ is not known to have composed about other rulers than Sveinn. There is no direct evidence, however, that these fragments belonged to the extant Sveinn (see Note to st. 2/3, but see Fidjestøl 1982, 144-5).

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Runic data from Samnordisk runtextdatabas, Uppsala universitet, unless otherwise stated