Medieval Oddi in Iceland as a Place of Power and Learning

Clerics, Chieftains, and Textual Culture

Series: 

Volume Editor:
Helgi Þorláksson
Contributor:
Meghan Korten
Medieval Oddi in Iceland is well known for its famous inhabitants: the priest and chief Sæmundr (d. 1133), later an outstanding magician in Icelandic folk-tales; his grandson the magnificent chieftain Jón Loptsson (d. 1197), of royal descent through his Norwegian mother; and his fosterson, Snorri Sturluson (d. 1241), author of the much acclaimed Prose Edda and Heimskringla. Bishop Þorlákr (d. 1193) also studied at Oddi and, like Sæmundr, later studied abroad. These are illustrious men in the history of Iceland. 12th- and 13th-century Oddi and the Oddi family are an important subject for those who want to study the origins of the outstanding textual culture of medieval Iceland.
Contributors are Miguel Andrade, Auður Magnúsdóttir, Ármann Jakobsson, Árni Freyr Magnússon, Chris Callow, Egill Erlendsson, Guðrún Harðardóttir, Gunnar Harðarson, Halldís Ármannsdóttir, Helgi Þorláksson, Kristborg Þórsdóttir, Richard North, Oddur Pálsson, Sigurlaugur Ingólfsson, Sverrir Jakobsson, Tómas Aron Þórarinsson, and Viðar Pálsson.
Copyright Year:
2026
E-Book (PDF)
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Not Yet Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-76029-5
Publication:
25 Jun 2026
Hardback
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ISBN:
978-90-04-73121-9
Publication:
16 Jul 2026
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Helgi Þorláksson, Dr. phil. (1992), University of Iceland, is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Iceland. His main field is History of Iceland prior to 1700; main research themes are history of commerce and history of feud. His most recent book is Á sögustöðum (Vaka-Helgafell, 2022).
Meghan Korten, Ph.D. (2026), University of Iceland. She has published several chapters on wool textiles and gender in medieval Iceland, including “Textiles, Dress and Politics. A Diachronic Perspective Through the Case Studies of Ancient Rome and Mediaeval Iceland” (Zea Books, 2024).
Contents
Preface
Forms of Names and Their Spelling
List of Maps, Figures and Tables
Notes on Contributors
Introduction: a High-Status Farm at Oddi: an Ecclesiastical Centre of Power and Textual Culture
 Helgi Þorláksson

Part 1 Church-Estates (Staðir) and Chieftains (Goðar, Kirkjugoðar)
 1 Definitions and Usage of Staðr, Goði, and Kirkjugoði  Chris Callow, Helgi Þorláksson and Viðar Pálsson

2 Kirkjugoðar and Staðir: the Control of Private Churches and Benefices in Iceland
 Chris Callow

Part 2 Oddi: Environment and Farming: the Operation of an Estate Farm

3 Plants and People in the Medieval Environment of Oddi
 Egill Erlendsson, Tómas Aron Þórarinsson and Kristborg Þórsdóttir

4 Artificial Caves as Key to the Economy of Early Oddi
 Kristborg Þórsdóttir

5 Economic Foundations of Oddi, 1100–1400
 Árni Freyr Magnússon and Sigurlaugur Ingólfsson

Part 3 Textual Culture and Foreign Impact

6 Lœrðr allra manna bezt: Sæmundr fróði as an Authority and Foundation for Medieval Icelandic Learned Culture
 Miguel Andrade
 7 Sæmundr and the English Kings: Sæmundr fróði Sigfússon and the English Kings in AM 1 e β II fol.
 Richard North

8 Páll Jónsson and His Two Spouses: the Scion of Oddi and His Sacred Biography
 Ármann Jakobsson

Part 4 Literate Education and Power through Learning and Texts
 9 Learning and the Establishment of an Ecclesiastical Staðr at Oddi
 Viðar Pálsson

10 The ‘Southern School of History’ and Church Reform in the Early 13th Century
 Sverrir Jakobsson

11 Chieftain-Clerics at Oddi and Their Learning
 Helgi Þorláksson

Part 5 Two Oddi-Men Mirrored in Written Sources

12 The Different Roles of Jón Loptsson
 Oddur Pálsson

13 Sæmundr Jónsson: a Prince without a Kingdom
 Auður Magnúsdóttir

Part 6 Oddi: Benefice, Church-Buildings, and Learned Priests

14 The Learned Grímr Hólmsteinsson, Priest at Oddi
 Halldís Ármannsdóttir

15 Clerical Culture at Oddi in the 14th Century
 Gunnar Harðarson

16 Glimpses of the Medieval Church at Oddi
 Guðrún Harðardóttir

17 Epilogue: Textual Culture in Context
 Helgi Þorláksson

Index
Outside Iceland for those who are educated in/interested for in medieval Icelandic literature, language, history.
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