Markús Skeggjason

Ármann Jakobsson (University of Iceland)
Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

The Icelandic poet Markús Skeggjason was born around 1035 and died on 15 October 1107. He was a direct descendant in the male line of Ingólfur Arnarson the first settler of Iceland, and also related to the lawspeaker Skapti Þóroddsson of Hjalli. Markús is also an ancestor of Snorri Sturluson (d. 1241) and his brothers. Possibly the poet Þórarinn Skeggjason (only known from one half-stanza about King Haraldr harðráði) was his brother.

Markús was the lawspeaker of Iceland from 1084 until his death in 1107, the second longest serving after Skapti Þóroddsson and in Kristni saga these two are mentioned as the two wisest lawspeakers in Icelandic history. Apparently a lost *Life of Icelandic lawspeakers that he compiled was one of the most important sources of Ari Þorgilsson’s

693 words

Citation: Jakobsson, Ármann. "Markús Skeggjason". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 January 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14961, accessed 14 December 2024.]

14961 Markús Skeggjason 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.