Bolli Bollason (also Bolli Bollison) was a key historical character in the Medieval Icelandic Laxdæla saga, born around 1000. He grew up in Orlygsstadir, at Helgafell on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in Iceland. He divided his time between Helgafell and Tunga, the home of Snorri the Goði.[Note 1] He was held in the highest regard among the contemporary Scandinavian rulers, and also in the Byzantine Empire.[Note 2] It is believed that he had reached the rank of manglabites in the Byzantine army, and on his return to Iceland, his finery and recognition earned him the name "Bolli the Elegant".
His importance in the literary context of the saga is his prominence as the son of Bolli Þorleiksson and Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir, the two central characters of the work. He is mentioned at the end of the Sneglu-Hall þáttur (The Tale of Sarcastic Halli), and is also the subject of his own tale, the Bollaþáttur, which was later appended to the end of the manuscripts in the early 14th century.
The Laxdæla saga or Saga of the People of Laxardal is an Icelandic family saga written sometime between 1250 and 1270, possibly by a woman author. "Vast in conception", the grand sweep of the saga's action spans well over a century from AD 890 to 1030. Alongside Njál's saga and Egil's saga, the Laxdæla saga makes the strongest claim of any Icelandic saga for literary greatness. Shaped by continental literary traditions and several types of saga, the characterisation "highlights nobility, splendour and physical appearance", although: