Sögubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum
Icelandic text
Sögubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum í Dana- ok Svíaveldi ("Fragment of a Saga about Certain Ancient Kings in the Commonwealth of the Danes and Swedes", often abbreviated to Sögubrot or Sögubrot af fornkonungum) is a fragmentary Old Icelandic text dealing with some legendary Swedish and Danish kings. It is thought to be a part of a younger redaction of the lost Skjöldunga saga. While the older Skjöldunga saga is believed to have been written at the end of the twelfth century, the younger redaction preserved partly in Sögubrot is believed to have been written around 1250 by Óláfr Þórðarson (a.k.a. Olaf Whiteskald). The older Skjöldunga saga is believed to have been concise and objective, and is therefore considered part of the genre of Kings' sagas, whereas the younger redaction from Sögubrot was lengthier and more entertaining, and is therefore considered a legendary saga.
Manuscript
Sögubrot survives in a single manuscript, called AM 1 e β I fol., which dates from around 1300. The manuscript consists of six trimmed and damaged leaves from a larger codex, which originally would have included the rest of the younger redaction as well as the Knýtlinga saga (manuscript AM 20 b I fol., which features a fragment of the Knýtlinga saga, was from the same codex). Two leaves from the middle of the fragment are missing, leading to a lacuna in the story during the reign of Harald Wartooth. The headings are rubricated.
Content
The fragment begins in the middle of the story of Ívarr víðfaðmi, a king of Sweden who wins the realm of Zealand through trickery by playing the co-rulers of Zealand, Helgi and Hrærekr, against each other.
The public source identifies “Sögubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum” as icelandic text. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Sögubrot, nokkrum and fornkonungum.
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