Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss
The family tree of Bárðr Snæfellsáss, showing major characters from the saga.
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| Country | Iceland |
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| Language | Old Icelandic |
| Genre | Saga |
Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈpau̯rðar saɣa ˈsnai̯fɛtlsau̯s]
listen ) or Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss ok Gests is a late saga of the Icelanders with legendary elements. It falls into two sections, one about Bárðr and the other about his son, Gestr; the first part takes place in Snæfellsnes in Iceland.
Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss is a relatively late Íslendingasaga, probably dating to the early 14th century. It is preserved in 16th- and 17th-century paper and vellum manuscripts and one fragment of about 1400. The saga falls into two sections that were distinguished in the early 18th century and are probably by different authors.
In chapters 1–10, Bárðar saga, the main character is Bárðr Snæfellsáss. The saga draws on legendary material and Heimskringla and contains excerpts from Landnámabók.
Bárðr's mother was human, but his father was half risi (giant) and half troll, and he was fostered by Dofri, the "mountain-dweller" of Dovrefjell. By his first wife, Dofri's daughter Flaumgerðr (who also had a human mother), Bárðr had three tall, beautiful daughters: Helga, Þordís and Guðrún. By his second wife, Herþrúðr, who was human, he had six more daughters.
Bárðr, his wife and his daughters emigrated to Iceland and came ashore at a lagoon on the south shore of Snæfellsnes which they named Djúpalón; he built himself a farm which he called Laugarbrekka. Þorkell, Bárðr's half-brother from his mother's second marriage to a jötunn, lived at Arnarstapi and had two sons, Rauðfeldr (Red-cloak) and Sölvi. The sons of Þorkell and the daughters of Bárðr used to play together. One day, when there was pack ice along the shore, Rauðfeldr pushed Helga out to sea on an iceberg. She drifted unharmed to Greenland and there found a lover, but Bárðr was infuriated. He pushed Rauðfeldr into the Rauðfeldsgjá ravine and threw Sölvi off Sölvahamar, a high cliff on the coast east of Arnarstapi. Bárðr and Þorkell fought and Þorkell's leg was broken; he moved out of the district.
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