right|300px|thumb|The Death of Nornagest

Nornagests þáttr or the Story of Norna-Gest is a legendary saga about the Norse hero Nornagestr, sometimes called Gestr, and here anglicized as Norna-Gest. Nornagests þáttr is as an episode of the Longest Saga of Óláfr Tryggvason found in the medieval Icelandic manuscript Flateyjarbók as well as some other mss. The work is generally dated to the early 14th century, but the oldest manuscripts containing it date to the late 14th century.

Summary

left|160px|thumb|Die Nornen

The work uses the formula of a frame story about a figure who has enjoyed tremendous longevity (here Norna-gestr) who is able to recount numerous embedded tales in the form of his memories. He is presently a guest of the Norwegian king Óláfr Tryggvasson, having arrived in the third year of the Óláfr's reign. Norna-gestr introduces himself as the son of a Danish man named (Thord Thingbiter "the contentious"), who once dwelt on the estate of Grøning in Denmark.

The frame story returns later (after recounting the many tales of his past, cf. ) to Norna-gestr (meaning "guest of the Norns" This could refer to Erik Refilsson, Erik Björnsson, Erik Anundsson or Eric the Victorious. Erik Gustaf Geijer (1850) appears to favor "Eirikr Uppsali" of Hervarar saga, so that the correction appears silently as "King Onund [of Upsala] had a son called Eric, and he succeeded to the throne at Upsala... In his days Harold the Fair-haired made himself King of Norway" in Kershaw's translation of Hervarar saga. with King Harald Fairhair and he was prime-signed by King Hlöðver of Germany (Louis the Pious of the Frankish Empire

Bibliography

;(primary sources)

;(primary—ballad)

  • (ver. D)
  • (ver. B)
  • (ver. A)

;(secondary sources)

  • (google)
  • (snippet)
  • (PDF, )
  • Norna-Gests þáttr in Old Norse
  • Nora Kershaw's 1921 Translation
  • Norna-Gest's Thattr in English Translation with Facing Old Norse Text
  • Entry in the Stories for All Time database, with a full list of manuscripts, editions, translations, and secondary literature.

Further reading

  • McDonald, Sheryl, "Pagan Past and Christian Future in Norna-Gests þáttr and Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss", Bulletin of International Medieval Research, 15-16 (2011), 164-78.
  • Uspenskij, Fjodor, "The Talk of the Tits: Some Notes on the Death of Sigurðr Fáfnisbani in Norna Gests þáttr", The Retrospective Methods Network (RMN) Newsletter, 5 (2012), 10–14.