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Hjalti Þórðarson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hjalti Þórðarson
EraIcelandic settlement
Known forSettling Hjaltadalur valley
ChildrenÞorvaldur and Þórður

Hjalti Þórðarson was a viking chief and one of the first of Iceland's settlers in the ninth century.

History

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His story is intertwined with that of Kolbeinn Sigmundarson and the Skagafjörður region in Iceland. He established his residence in Hóf in Hjaltadalur valley,[1] which is named for him and was previously acquired by Kolbeinn and Sleitu-Björn Hróarsson in his time.[2]

According to the Landnámbók, his two sons, Þorvaldur and Þórður, became prominent figures in the Icelandic Commonwealth. Upon their father's death, they organized the most ostentatious funeral in his honor with 1,440 guests, an event that was not equaled until decades later by the funeral rites for Hoskuld Dala-Kollsson.[3] On one occasion, the brothers led the Þorskafjörður Thing and organized a magnificent reception that impressed the guests so much that they said that the Æsir must be walking among them.[4]

Hjalti's grandson, Þorbjörn öngull Þórðarson (Þorbjörn "the [fish]hook" Þórðarson), was executed by the outlaw Grettir Ásmundarson.[5]

References

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  1. ^ O'Connor, Ralph, ed. (2002). Icelandic histories and romances. Stroud: Tempus. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-7524-1952-7.
  2. ^ "63, 64". LANDNÁMABÓK [Book of Settlements] (in Icelandic).
  3. ^ Magnússon, Magnús; Hermann Pálsson, eds. (1969). Laxdaela Saga. The Penguin classics. Harmondsworth: Penguin. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-14-044218-2.
  4. ^ "Stanzas | The Íslendingasögur as Prosimetrum". gefin.ku.dk. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  5. ^ Waßenhoven, Dominik (2009-01-01), "Skandinavier unterwegs in Europa (1000-1250): Untersuchungen zu Mobilität und Kulturtransfer auf prosopographischer Grundlage", Skandinavier unterwegs in Europa (1000-1250) (in German), Akademie Verlag, doi:10.1524/9783050048536/html, ISBN 978-3-05-004853-6, retrieved 2024-10-29

Bilbiography

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  • Ólafur Lárusson (1940), Landnám í Skagafirði, Sögufélag Skagfirðinga (in Icelandic)