The kings’ sagas are an essential thread in the tapestry of medieval Nordic literature, and Fagrskinna, written around 1220, occupies a prominent position among them. Its name, meaning “Fair Leather” or “Fair Parchment”, comes from the manuscript’s fine binding rather than the content itself. Today, Fagrskinna stands as a key source for understanding both the succession of Norwegian kings from the ninth to the twelfth centuries and the development of historical writing in the North.
Roots in oral tradition and lost works
Fagrskinna does not merely narrate the deeds of rulers from Halfdan the Black in about 850 to the events of 1177. It incorporates a wealth of skaldic poetry, including verses that survive nowhere else, like those from Haraldskvæði and Eiríksmál. This poetry offers unique insights into early medieval Scandinavian court life and politics. The saga itself is an impressive compilation, drawing on both oral storytelling and a range of earlier written sources, many now lost, including works such as Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar, Hlaðajarla saga, and possibly a synoptic history of early Norwegian monarchs. Scholars debate whether an Icelander or Norwegian penned the saga, but it is widely believed to have been written in Norway, possibly Niðarós (modern Trondheim).
Preservation and distinctive features
Fagrskinna’s original manuscripts did not survive the test of time unscathed. Two vellum codices held at the University Library in Copenhagen were lost to fire in 1728, yet the text was saved through copies made before the disaster. The A-manuscript, dating from around 1325–1350, was especially prized for its beautiful condition and binding, earning it the name Fagrskinna. The B-manuscript, from roughly 1250, is partly preserved thanks to surviving leaves discovered in Norway in the nineteenth century. Since the manuscripts were both incomplete, gaps remain in the saga’s account.
What distinguishes Fagrskinna from other sagas, like the better-known Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson, is not simply its subject matter but the way particular events and figures are described. Its emphasis is on significant battles, such as Hjörungavágr, where Earl Hákon repelled a Danish invasion, and Svolder, which saw King Ólafur Tryggvason’s dramatic demise. Details about royal marriages, genealogies, or specific individuals, like recounting the fate of Halfdan the Black’s head or the involvement of the Jómsvíkingar, are handled with a brevity and directness rare among its counterparts.
Fagrskinna had lasting significance for Norwegian rulers and saga writing. When King Hákon Hákonarson lay dying in Orkney in 1263, the saga, alongside other sacred and royal biographies, was recited to him. Over centuries, historians and antiquarians, including Peter Andreas Munch and C. R. Unger, have edited and translated the saga, ensuring modern readers can engage with its singular perspective on medieval Norway.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- Wikipedia (Icelandic) in Icelandic
