Höfundur Morkinskinnu og Fagurskinnu

Abstract

It is generally accepted that Snorri Sturluson is the author of Snorra-Edda, Heimskringla and perhaps also Egils saga. In this paper the author argues that Snorri is also the author of Morkinskinna and Fagurskinna, i.e. that all three compendia, Morkinskinna, Fagurskinna and Heimskringla, are by the same writer, but that they represent three variants created for different readers or patrons. Three main arguments are offered in support of this proposition. Firstly, in the section entitled “Knowledge of Skaldic Poetry” it is noted that a common feature of all three works is the authors’ exceptional knowledge of skaldic poetry. It seems unlikely that many writers c.1220 were so well informed or had access to such a collection of poetry. This alone may suggest that Snorri could have been the author of all three works. Secondly, in the “An Echo from Snorra-Edda”section it is argued that the author of Morkinskinna sometimes explains skaldic stanzas in a way that recalls their treatment in Snorra-Edda. This same feature can be found in the third part of Fagurskinna, which used Morkinskinna as a source.

This same feature can also be found in the first and second part of Fagurskinna; and in all three parts of Heimskringla. One possible explanation is that Snorri was still working on his Edda c.1220 when Morkinskinna and Fagurskinna were written, and that he unconsciously adopted the same explicatory method for some of its stanzas. Thirdly, the “Attitudes and Sources of three Authors” section shows that Morkinskinna, Fagurskinna and Heimskringla use almost the same wording when discussing their sources and content. The most natural explanation for these similarities is that in each instance the same author is explaining his working methods. Those points are a special feature of Morkinskinna, Fagurskinna and Heimskringla. The following sections present further arguments in support of the main conclusion. “The ‘þættir’ of Morkinskinna” shows that most of the þættir in Morkinskinna can be connected to Snorri Sturluson through genealogy or events in his life. Section 7 identifies some Norwegian sources for Morkinskinna — for example, from the royal archives, which Snorri could have seen during his first trip to Norway 1218–1220. The author argues that Snorri also derived information from Norwegian friends such as Earl Skúli (about the battle at Stamford Bridge; Earl Tostig was his ancestor). Sections 8-10 focus on Fagurskinna, which is supposed to have been written in Trondheim c.1220. Snorri Sturluson was there over the winter of 1219–1220. It is argued that king Hákon’s counsellors asked Snorri to write Fagurskinna, to help strengthen the king’s claim to the Norwegian crown. The Genealogies and Arnmæðlingatal in the B-Manuscript of Fagurskinna can be connected with lawman Bjarni Marðarson. It is quite likely that the B-manuscript of Fagurskinna derives from a manuscript created for Bjarni, whose wife, Ragna Erlingsdóttir, was related to Snorri Sturluson. Bjarni and Ragna could have been Snorri’s informants concerning figures such as Víðkunnr Jónsson, Ragna’s grandfather. Sections 11–13 deal with Heimskringla and Snorri Sturluson. In the Prologue to Ólafs saga helga we may note that Snorri was fully aware that his Norwegian readers was impatient with the Icelandic orientation of some of his works. Fagurskinna and Heimskringla are more Norwegian than Morkinskinna, and and this change of emphasis could be viewed as Snorri’s response to these responses. Such an interpretation accords well with Snorri’s life if we assume that he wrote the first part of Morkinskinna before his visit to the Norwegian court in 1218, then produced Fagurskinna in Trondheim during the winter of 1219–1220, and then wrote Heimskringla later in his life. This helps to explain the difference between these works. Snorri wrote Morkinskinna for an Icelandic audience, Fagurskinna at the instigation of King Hákon or his counsellors, and Heimskringla for Duke Skúli. The improvements in Heimskringla reveal Snorri’s later development as an author.