Sæmundur fróði (folklore)

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Eric Bryan (Missouri University of Science and Technology)

Ed. by Ármann Jakobsson, University of Iceland
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.3.4: Icelandic Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Ármann Jakobsson (University of Iceland), Kjerstin Moody (Gustavus Adolphus College), Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London)

Dates

Date of occurrence c.1300

Places

Iceland (Location; Involved)

Genres and Modes

Prose Fiction Narrative

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

While an important figure in Icelandic history and literature, Sæmundur

fróði

[the learned] Sigfússon (1056-1133) also became the subject of a robust folklore tradition in Iceland by the start of the eighteenth century. Sæmundur

fróði

had become by then the prototypical Icelandic

galdramaður

, or magician, who attained wisdom and magical prowess by studying at the Black School and then defeating the devil in a test of wits. Thus equipped with wisdom, magical prowess, and power over the devil himself, the Sæmundur of these folk tales goes about solving problems, overcoming evil creatures, thwarting the devil’s plans, and occasionally taking on pupils. The earliest of these stories were compiled by the renowned Icelandic scholar and manuscript collector Árni Magnússon…

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

1996 words

Citation: Bryan, Eric. "Sæmundur fróði (folklore)". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 October 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19673, accessed 24 April 2024.]

Save this article