Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson, Arnljot Gelline

Kathy Rees (Independent Scholar - Europe)

Ed. by Susan Brantly, University of Wisconsin
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.3.5: Norwegian Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Kjerstin Moody (Gustavus Adolphus College), Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London), Anja Tröger (University of Edinburgh)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1870

Places

Norway (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Epic
Poem

Resources

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Like the protagonist of the play

Sigurd Slembe

(1862), the hero of this epic poem, Arnljot Gelline, is based on saga-literature, mainly the stories of Olaf the Holy, and the missionary king Olav Trygvason in the

Heimskringla

of the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson. Arnljot Gelline was a minor historical figure in the latter saga, but Bjørnson here affords him a central role. The murder of his father when he was only eight provides the motive for Gelline’s violent revenge; he converts to Christianity, and dies in support of King Olaf at The Battle of Sticklestad (which took place on August 31, 1030).

The poem occupied Bjørnson, on and off, for over ten years. He dedicated the poem to the Folk-High-Schools of the North, as a tribute to Bishop Grundtvig. It was written in the literary

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1785 words

Citation: Rees, Kathy. "Arnljot Gelline". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 September 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35809, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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