Description: This illustration by Erik
Werenskiold is from Kongesagaer, Gustav Storm's Norwegian translation
of Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla. The scene
is described in Chapter 186 of Olav den heillges Saga. The
illustration depicts King Óláfr Haraldsson
accepting the surrender of Erling Skjalgsson
(December 21, 1028). Neither the King nor Erling are aware that
Áslákr
Fitjaskalli has his axe raised to kill Erling.
The skald, Sigvat, made these verses upon the occasion:
Thus Erling fell -- and such a gain
To buy with such a loss was vain;
For better man than he ne'er died,
And the king's gain was small beside.
In truth no man I ever knew
Was, in all ways, so firm and true;
Free from servility and pride,
Honoured by all, yet thus he died.
Sigvat also says that Aslak had very unthinkingly
committed this murder of his own kinsman:
Medium: pen and ink drawing printed by means of
zincography
Date: 1899
Dimensions (mm): 90 x 90
Provenance:
This copy of Kongesagaer contains the signature of
Halldor C.
Espe and the date 1900 on the second page along with the note
"Ac 134" in the upper left hand corner. This is not a deluxe
edition,it has a plain black cover with gilt lettering on the spine
and a red and black title page but does not have any decorative page
borders. Page #21 is misnumbered as #22. The pages of this copy
appear to be of a more durable quality paper than those of the copy
in the Urbana-Champaign Library (Q. 839.6 SN5HDAS1899) which are now
very fragile.
P.A. Baer purchased this copy of Kongesagaer in
Oslo in 2008.
Rights:
Illustrations from the 1899 edition of Kongesagaer are in the Public Domain.
Research notes, early print reviews, etc.:
Werenskiold based his illustration of Erling on the Norwegian explorer,
scientist, and Nobel
Prize winner, Fridtjof Nansen (1861 -
1930).
Bibliography:
Primary Sources
Sturluson,
Snorri.
Kongesagaer.
Translated by
Gustav
Storm,
Kristiania: J. M.
Stenersen, 1899.
Secondary Sources
Cleasby, Richard
and
Vigfússon
Guðbrandur
. An Icelandic-English Dictionary.
Oxford: Clarendon Press,
1957.
Sturluson,
Snorri. Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway.
Translated by
Lee M.
Hollander,
Austin: University of Texas
Press, 1964.
Historical Persons, i.e. from Heimskringla, Saxo, sagas etc.
Erling
Skjalgsson (non.)
Erling Skjalgsson ruled the kingdom of Rogaland and opposed the
unification of Norway by Olafr Haraldsson. Olafr captured Erling and was
about to accept his surrender but Erling was summarily beheaded by
Áslák Fitjaskalli.
Áslákr
Fitjaskalli (non.)
Aslak Farmer of Fitjar (en.)
Aslak Fitjaskalli killed Erling Skjalgsson when he was surrendering
to Olafr Haraldsson.
Óláfr
Haraldsson (non.)
Olaf
Haraldsson (en.)
The Norwegian king whose saga makes up one third of Heimskringla. He became a saint one
year after he died in 1030. According to Heimskringla, he died at the Battle of Stiklestad.
Source Materials:
Heimskringla (is.)
History of the Kings of Norway (en.)
This account of the history of the kings of Norway and is generally
believed to have been written by Snorri Sturluson in Iceland in 1230. It
begins with the legendary Swedish dynasty of the Ynglings, who were the
subject matter of the skaldic poem Ynglingtal, and ends with the reign
of the Norwegian king, Magnus Erlingson (died 1184).
Kongesagaer (1899 ed.) (no.)
The first edition of Gustaf Storm's Norwegian translation of Heimskringla. Of the two hundred and
twenty illustrations for the 1899 edition Werenskiold drew fifty-seven,
Krohg forty- seven, Wetlesen forty-three, Egedius thirty-seven, Munthe
twenty-seven, and Peterssen eight.
Óláfs saga helga (is.)
Olav den heillges Saga (no.)
Saint Óláfs Saga (en.)
This is the eighth saga in Heimskringla.
Source Persons
Laing,
Samuel (en.)
b. 1780
d. 1868
Occupation: writer and translator
Laing translated Heimskringla into English in
1844.
Snorri
Sturluson (is.)
b. 1179
d. 1241
Nationality: Icelandic
Snorri was an Icelandic statesman, scholar, and author who is credited
with writing Heimskringla, The
Prose Edda, and possibly Egil's
Saga.
Werenskiold,
Erik (no.)
b. 1855
d. 1938
Nationality: Norwegian
Werenskiold was a painter and illustrator who was in charge of the
illustrations and the team of artists for Gustav Storm's editions of
Kongesagaer in 1899 and 1900.
