Starkad
Starkad (
Starkad appears in numerous accounts, and the stories of his adventures relate to different Scandinavian traditions.[2] He is most fully treated in Gesta Danorum but he also appears in Icelandic sources.[1] He is portrayed as a great warrior who performed many heroic deeds but also many crimes.[2]
A cognate of the Starkad legends can be found in the
Beowulf
In
Hervarar saga
A version of the legend of Starkad can be found in the prologue of the U-version of
In this version a Starkad Ala-Warrior lived in northern Norway at the waterfalls of Alufoss. He descended from the giants known as the þursar (jotuns), and his father's name was Storkvid. Starkad was very much a jotun himself and had eight arms, but he was betrothed to a girl named Ogn Elf-burst. One day, when Starkad had gone north across the Élivágar, another giant named Hergrim kidnapped Ogn. Starkad challenged Hergrim to a holmgang, a duel. Starkad used four swords at the same time and slew Hergrim. Ogn did not wish to be Starkad's wife and committed suicide by stabbing herself with a sword. Starkad contented himself by taking everything Hergrim owned, including his son Grimr.
Álfhildr was the daughter of king
Gautreks saga
Gautreks saga continues the account found in Hervarar saga. It tells among other things the adventures of Starkad, the son of Stórvirkr who was the son of Starkad Ala-warrior, whom Thor had killed.
It tells that young Starkad was raised at the court of Harald, the king of
Starkad took part in Víkar's many battles for the hegemony of the petty kingdoms of southern Norway, one of the battles where
After all these victories, when sailing north from Agdir to Hördaland with a large army, Víkar was becalmed. Divination showed
After Vikar's death, Starkad fled to Sweden and the kings
Skaldic poetry
Starkad is said to have composed poems himself which appear in Gautrek's saga. Thor's hate of Starkad because of his jotun origins is mentioned in Skáldskaparmál, where there is a lausavísa by Vetrliði Sumarliðason praising Thor for having killed giants and giantesses, and for having defeated Starkad:
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However, it could also be a reference to Starkad's grandfather, Starkad Ala-Warrior, whom Thor killed for having kidnapped Álfhildr, the princess of Alfheim.
Ynglinga saga
In the Ynglinga saga, Snorri Sturluson tells what happened a few generations after the deaths of Alrek and Eirík.
The Swedish king
Sögubrot
The
When the Swedish king
When the battle had begun, a formidable champion named Ubbi of Friesland charged against Ragnvald the Good Councilor the foremost champion in the wedge formation of king Sigurd. After a fierce fight, Ragnvald died and Ubbi pushed on killing champion after champion.
When king Sigurd Hring saw this he encouraged his warriors and said that it was not possible that no one could defeat Ubbi. He then asked "where is Starkad?". The old warrior answered "it is difficult to win sire. However, I will do my best and do what I can, but Ubbi is a tough fighter". Starkad engaged with Ubbi and a fight began that was long and the most fierce of the entire battle. Eventually, Starkad gave Ubbi a single wound, but Starkad had received six big ones, and thought that no one had been closer to kill him before. The two champions were separated by the pushing throng of warriors, and Ubbi finally fell riddled with arrows from the archers of Telemark.
The
Biting his beard and ignoring his wounds, Starkad charged the Danish army, killing man after man, until he met the shieldmaiden Ursina who carried the banner of king Harald Wartooth. She told him that he had met his last opponent, but he cut off the hand that held the banner and killed her. Starkad continued killing warrior after warrior, until he finally was so severely wounded that he had a large gash on his neck and a large gash on his chest that made his two lungs hang out. On his right hand, he had lost a finger.
The battle ended with Swedish victory.
Norna-Gests þáttr
In
In the Swedish army, there was a man who was even bigger and stronger than the sons of Gandalf. The giant man killed both men and horses and nothing could defeat him. Sigurd and Gest approached the huge warrior and asked who he was. He answered that he was Starkad the son of Stórvirkr.
When Starkad learnt that Sigurd was the same Sigurd who had killed the dragon
Gesta Danorum
It is in Gesta Danorum that the most comprehensive treatment of Starkad is found. The Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus wrote that Starkad was the son of Stórvirkr (Storwerk/Storuerkus) and saved himself from a shipwreck. He entered the service of the Danish king Frotho and was given a ship so that he could patrol the shores.
No man was Starkad's equal as he was endowed with a superhuman size and a noble disposition. Saxo Grammaticus gives two accounts of Starkad's origin. According to one, he was born in the land of
His first evil deed was the murder of the Norwegian petty king
Starkad joined the Danish Viking Bemon (Bemonus) and they had a tough discipline on their crew, forbidding them alcoholic beverages. During an attack in
Later, Starkad stayed for seven years in Sweden at Uppsala, with the sons of Frey. However the effeminate jingle of bells, the dancing and the mimes at the sacrifices (see the Temple at Uppsala) nauseated Starkad.
He then enlisted with the Danish king
Starkad was then sent with the Slavic prince Win (Winus) to quell a rebellion in the East. He fought against
When the Saxons rebelled against Frotho, and challenged him to a duel against Hama, Starkad unexpectedly returned and took Frotho's place in the duel. Hama contemptuously brought Starkad to his knees with a blow by his fist, but Starkad rose up and cut Hama to death.
After a while Frotho was killed through treachery by a Saxon named
Ingild gave Helga to a Norwegian named Helgi (Helgo), on the condition that he fight nine brothers from
Starkad killed the nine brothers but had received seventeen wounds himself, and was so seriously wounded that his guts hung out. He refused the care of three lowly passers-by, but accepted the treatment of a peasant's son, and could return to Sweden.
As Ingild continued his sinful life and did not do his duty to avenge his father, Starkad appeared during a banquet that Ingild had with the sons of Swerting, his father's slayer. Starkad strongly admonished Ingild and humiliated his queen who tried to calm Starkad with kindness and her costly ribbon. Starkad succeeded in exciting Ingild to kill Swerting's sons and to divorce his Saxon bride.
During the
Starkad was accepted with honour in the warband of the Norwegian hero
When Starkad was so old that he wished to die and his eyesight was bad, he hung his gold around his neck and went out to wander. He killed a man who wanted one of his swords and some riders who were contracted to kill Starkad by Hather (Hatherus), Lennius' son.
In front of Hather, Starkad sung about his accomplishments, and as Hather's response showed Starkad that Hather was of noble birth, Starkad asked him to be his slayer. Starkad promised Hather all his gold and imperviousness, should Hather cut off his head and run between the head and the body as he fell. Hather cut off Starkad's head but avoided running, as he feared being crushed by Starkad's huge body. When the head had hit the ground, it bit a tussock of grass which showed how ferocious Starkad was.
Hather did not want the old warrior to lie unburied, but showed him respect by making a barrow for him on the heath of Roljung, at the same spot where Starkad's heavy body long ago had made an imprint on a stone.
Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus
Olaus Magnus' cites the story of Starkad from Gesta Danorum. He disputes Saxo about origin of the hero and informs that Starkad was from the nation of Tavastians, 'Starchaterum Thauestum'.[13]
Later traditions
Later medieval traditions locate Starkad's death and the heath of Roljung to
Modern references
The plot of the Science Fiction novel "Ensign Flandry" by the Danish American writer Poul Anderson takes place on a planet named "Starkad". Anderson also included a short story about the meeting of Nornagest and Starkad in his book The Boat of a Million Years, in which both Nornagest and Starkad are part of a small group of humans who were born with an exceedingly rare genetic condition that makes them immortal.
The
In The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy by the Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay, the fortress of Starkadh is the stronghold of the evil god Rakoth Maugrim.
In The Settlers (novel) by Vilhelm Moberg, the main protagonists names the first ox he buys after emigrating to North America Starkodder.
Starkad (or "Starkadder") is the central figure in a trilogy of fantasy novels by the author Bernard King, which draw heavily from traditional Starkad stories and from other aspects of Norse myth and legend. The trilogy comprises the novels "Starkadder" (1985), "Vargr-Moon" (1986), and "Death-Blinder" (1988).
Starkad, as Starkaðr the Mighty, is mentioned in the 2018 videogame
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g The article Starkad in Nordisk familjebok (1909).
- ^ a b c The article Starkad in Nationalencyklopedin.
- ^ a b c Andersson, Ingvar. (1947). Skånes historia: till Saxo och Skånelagen. Norstedts, Stockholm. p. 210.
- ^ Lines 2042-2067.
- ^ Nicoletta Francovic Onesti, 'Interaction of Germanic Personal Names with Latin Onomastics in the Late-Roman West', in: Michael Borgolte et al. (eds.), Europa im Geflecht der Welt: Mittelalterliche Migrationen in globalen Bezügen, p. 55-73, 63.
- ^ See Tunstall's comments on his translation of the Hervarar saga at Northvegr. Archived 2006-08-31 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ The beauty of her people is explained in Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar as due to the fact that her people were related to the elves.
- Fridthjófs saga ins frækna.
- ^ Skáldskaparmál in Old Norse at «Norrøne Tekster og Kvad», Norway.
- ^ Brodeur's translation Archived 2008-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Faulke's translation
- ^ Justyna Prusinowska, "Anafielas i Walhalla przeglądają się w Niemnie. Wędrówka w zaświaty litewskie i skandynawskie", Science Journals . Folk Architecture Museum and Ethnographic Park in Olwsztynek, vol. 1, no. 1, 2010, pp. 47-63
- ^ Magni Gothus, Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus. Epitome libri V. gap. 3
- ^ a b c d Andersson, Ingvar. (1947). Skånes historia: till Saxo och Skånelagen. Norstedts, Stockholm. p. 213.
Sources and external links
- The article Starkad in Nordisk familjebok (1909)
- The article Starkad in Nationalencyklopedin.
- Northvegr website: Ynglinga saga Archived 2004-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
- The Story of Norna-Gest in English translation by George L. Hardman Archived 2006-12-12 at the Wayback Machine
- On-Line Medieval and Classical History: The Danish History books I-IX, translated by Oliver Elton (Norroena Society, New York, 1905).
- Hervarar saga in translation by Tunstall, at Northvegr. Archived 2006-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
- Gautrek's saga:
- Ancestry: Gautrek's saga
- "King Gautrek" in Seven Viking Romances. Trans. Pálsson, Hermann and Edwards, Paul (1985). Harmondsworth, England: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-044474-2.
- "King Gautrek" in Gautrek's Saga and other medieval tales. Trans. Pálsson, Hermann and Edwards, Paul (1968). London: University of London Press. ISBN 0-340-09396-X.
- Gautrek's Saga. Trans. Fox, Denton and Pálsson, Hermann (1974). Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-1925-0.
- Gautreks saga in Old Norse from heimskringla.no
- Snerpa: Netúgáfan: Fornrit: Gautreks saga
- University of Oregon: Norse: Fornaldarsögur norðurlanda: Gautreks saga
- Sagnanet: Gautreks saga
- Beowulf:
- Old English edition edited by James Albert Harrison and Robert Sharp
- Translations of Beowulf: