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LITERAKY INFLUENCE 59
attested by Stitrlunga Saga. Here we are told that when
Sturla visited King Magnus’ court at Bergen in 1263 the
king received him coldly, but afterwards allowed him to
accompany the royal party on a voyage to the south of
Norway. In the evening one of the sailors asked if there
was anyone among them who could tell stories, but he
received no answer. He turned to Sturla,
"
Sturla, the
Icelander, will you entertain us ?
" "
Willingly," said
Sturla. Then he related the story of Huld 1
better and
with much more detail than any of those present had ever
heard it told before. Then many men made their way to
the deck so as to hear as clearly as possible, and there was
a great crowd there. The queen asked :
"
What is that
crowd on the deck ?
"
A man answered,
"
Men who are
listening to the tale the Icelander is telling."
"
What
story is that ?
"
she asked.
"
It is about a great giantess ;
it is a good story and well told." On the following day the
queen sent for Sturla and asked him to come and bring
with him the saga of the giantess.
2
So Sturla went aft to
the quarterdeck and told the story over again. When he
had finished, the queen and many of the listeners thanked
him and took him to be a learned and wise man. 3
A much earlier reference to the recitation, and indeed
the composition of sagas is found in Thorgils Saga ok
Haflitha, in which there is an account of a wedding-feast
at Reykholar in 1119 :
"
There was fun and merriment and great festivity, and
1
This was probably something in the nature of a fairy-tale like the
Huldre-eventyr of modern Norway. We may refer to the story of the
witch Huldr given in Ynglinga Saga (ch. 16), and to the supernatural
being Hold a or Holle in German folk-lore.
"
hafa meth ser trottkonu-soguna," From these words Fiunur
Jonsson (op. cit., II., p. 792) concludes that Sturla possessed a written
copy of the saga.
z
Stitrlunga Saga, II., pp. 270-271.
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