Garðar Svavarsson
Garðarr Svavarsson (modern Icelandic: Garðar Svavarsson, modern Swedish: Gardar Svavarsson) is considered by many to be the first Scandinavian to live in Iceland, although he is said to have stayed only for one winter. He and his family appear in the Icelandic Sagas with the principal source from Haukr Erlendsson's edition of Landnámabók. [1]
Garðarr Svavarsson was a Swedish Viking and owned land in Zealand (Denmark). He was married to a woman from the Hebrides. During the 860s, he needed to claim his inheritance from his father-in-law. During a voyage to these isles, he sailed into a storm at Pentland Firth. This storm pushed his ship far to the north until he reached the eastern coast of Iceland. He circumnavigated the island, becoming the first known person to do so and thus establishing that the landmass was an island. He went ashore at Skjálfandi where he built himself a house and stayed for the winter. Since then, the place has been called Húsavík (located in North Eastern Iceland).[2]
Having returned, he praised the new land and called it after his own name Garðarshólmi (see names of Iceland). Nothing is known of his fate thereafter, but his son, Uni danski (Uni the Dane), later emigrated to Iceland. He made a feeble attempt to win it for the Norwegian king with himself as earl. He had discussed this with the king but when the local farmers knew his intent they would help him in no way and soon he was killed. He had a son, Hróar Tungugoði, who was referenced to as priest in the Sagas of Icelanders. Hroar quarreled with other men and was twice challenged to a hill battle and won both times. He killed his opponents but was eventually murdered but then avenged by his son. Hroar's wife was Arngunnur, sister of Gunnar Hámundarson, who is one of the main characters Njáls saga, the longest and generally considered the greatest of the Icelandic Sagas. [3] [4]
See also
References
- ^ M C Ross The Cambridge introduction to the old Norse-Icelandic saga 2010 "Atlantic island settlements. There was a Norwegian named Naddoddr and a Swede called Garðarr Svavarsson, the former blown off his course for the Faroe Islands, the latter attempting to get to the Hebrides. Another Norwegian ... "
- ^ Kristin Axelsdottir. "The Discovery of Iceland". Viking Network. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ "Garðarshólmi – 'The Isle of Garðar'". North Sailing.is. December 13, 2005. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ "Hróar Tungugoði Eftir Sigurð Sigurmundsson itun Íslendingasagna hefur verið". Menningarblað/Lesbók. August 13, 1994. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
Note
This article contains content from the Owl Edition of Nordisk familjebok, a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1904 and 1926, now in the public domain.
