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Bósa saga


Bósa saga ok Herrauds or Saga of Bósi and Herraud is a legendary saga written around 1300, whose earliest copies are preserved in three 15th-century manuscripts, relating the fantastic adventures of the two companions Herraud (Old Norse Herrauðr) and Bósi.

The story begins with King Hring (Hringr) of Östergötland, who is said to be son of King Gauti son of King Odin of Sweden and half-brother to King Gautrekr the Generous, who appears as king of Västergötland in Gautreks saga. But chronology is flattened so that Hring is made a contemporary of Harald Wartooth, King of Denmark and Sweden. Hring's wife was Sylgja daughter of Jarl Sæfara ('Seafarer') of Småland. Sæfara also had two sons named Dagfari ("Dayfarer") and Náttfari ("Nightfarer") who served King Harald.

Herraud, the primary hero of the saga, was the son of Hring and his wife Sylgja. But Hring also had an illegitimate son named Sjód (Sjóðr) who served as Hring's treasurer and tax collector and from whose name, according to the saga, the word sjödr "purse" derives. Hring preferred Sjód to Herraud.

Herraud's best friend was Bósi, the younger son of a former viking named Thvari or Bryn-Thvari by Brynhild, a former shieldmaiden and a daughter of King Agnar of Nóatún. Thvari had formerly partially maimed Brynhild in a duel, whence she was known as Bögu-Brynhild "Stunt-Brynhild", for she never fully recovered. Thvari then married Brynhild who bore him two sons, Smid (Smiðr) and Bósi. Smid learned some magic from their foster mother Busla who was a powerful sorceress. Bósi was sometimes called Bögu-Bósi after his mother.

Bósi was a rough boy who was eventually outlawed for maiming some other folk in a ball-game. Herraud, discontented, gained permission from his father, over Sjód's objections, be allowed to set off on a Viking expedition with five ships. Herraud was eventually joined by the exiled Bósi and they successfully plundered for five years. Meanwhile, back in East Götaland, Herraud's half-brother Sjód forcibly extorted funds from Bósi's father Thvari under the pretence that this was legal compensation for those men whom Bósi had injured. Now it chanced that Bósi's ship was driven to Wendland where Sjód happened to be on a purchasing expedition for King Hring. The two quarreled over the matter and Bósi killed Sjód.


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