Kormáks saga


Kormáks saga is one of the Icelanders' sagas. The saga was probably written during the first part of the 13th century.
Though the saga is believed to have been among the earliest sagas composed it is well preserved. The unknown author clearly relies on oral tradition and seems unwilling to add much of his own or even to fully integrate the different accounts he knew of Kormákr. Often he does little more than briefly set the scenes for Kormákr's stanzas. The only complete version of the saga is found in the Icelandic manuscript
Möðruvallabók .
The saga tells of the tenth-century Icelandic poet Kormak Ogmundsson and of the love of his life, Steingerd Torkelsdatter to whom he is betrothed. Due to a curse, he arrives too late for the wedding with Steingerðr, who in turn marries another. He then follows King Harald Greycloak to Ireland. On a later trip to Scotland, he loses his life in the battle with a wizard. The saga reserves a significant amount of poetry attributed to Kormak, much of it dealing with his love for Steingerd.

Kormákr love poetry

The following stanzas represent some of Kormak love poetry. He tells us of the first time he met Steingerd.