Loftur Þorsteinsson
Loftur Þorsteinsson (born 1702 – fl. 1722) was an Icelander known as Galdra-Loftur for his supposed mastery of Old Norse sorcery (galdr). He was the subject of many folk sagas about his alleged magical performances.
Loftur was born near
According to one legend, Loftur was driven insane by his failure to acquire the Rauðskinna and was placed under the care of a priest in Staðarstaður. He later took to sea in an old rowboat and disappeared, presumably drowned.[3]
Galdra-Loftur
Loftur is the subject of the play Galdra-Loftur (Danish: Ønsket; English: The Wish or Loftur the Magician) by Jóhann Sigurjónsson. The play portrays Loftur as a Faust-like ambitious scholar seeking power and knowledge through sorcery. The play was first performed on December 26, 1914, in Reyjavík and published in Danish and Icelandic in 1915.[4]
References
- ISBN 978-1-72523-646-2. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Seingrímur J. Þorsteinsson (March 18, 1951). "Anna Pjetursdóttir og Galdra-Loftur". Lesbók Morgunblaðsins (in Icelandic). pp. 157–161. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ "Galdra-Loftur". snerpa.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^ Haugen, Einar. "The Wish: A Play in Three Acts (Introduction)". Retrieved February 16, 2021.
Other sources
- Páll Eggert Ólason (1948) Íslenskar æviskrár (Hið íslenska bókmenntafélag)