- Steinunn Refsdóttir
Steinunn Refsdóttir was an
Iceland ic skaldic poetic active at the end of the 10th century.The daughter of Refr "hinn mikill" ("the Great") and Finna ["
Landnámabók " (S 69).] , "Steinunn was both descended from and married into a powerful family of priest-chieftains ("goðar") ["Íslendingabók". "Kristni Saga". Translated by Siân Grønlie. London: Viking Society for Northern Research, 2006. ISBN 0-903521-71-7. p. 65.] ". She isHofgarða-Refr Gestsson 's mother."
Brennu-Njáls saga " (102) relates that she preached heathenism toÞangbrandr , amissionary sent to Iceland by king ofNorway Óláfr Tryggvason , trying to demonstrateThor 's superiority over Christ ("Have you heard," she said, "that Thor challenged Christ to a duel and that Christ didn't dare to fight with him?" ["Njal's saga". Translated with introduction and notes by Robert Cook. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-140-44-769-5.] ). On this occasion she composed two skaldic stanzas ("lausavísur ") in which she attributes Þangbrandr's shipwreck to Thor. These verses are one of the few testimonies of pre-Christian skaldic poetry composed by a woman that has come down to us. They are also preserved in "Kristni saga " (9) and "Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta " (216).References
External links
* [http://skaldic.arts.usyd.edu.au/db.php?table=poems&id=393 Steinunn's poetry in the original language.]
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