Fóstbrœðra saga or The Saga of the Sworn Brothers is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It relates the deeds of the sworn brothers Þorgeirr and Þormóðr in early 11th century Iceland and abroad. Þorgeirr is a capable and insanely brave warrior. He kills people for trifles and for sport. Þormóðr is a more complicated character; warrior, trouble-maker, womanizer and poet. The saga contains poetry attributed to him, including parts of a lay on his blood brother. The saga is preserved in several different versions and a long-standing controversy centered on which manuscripts represented the most original version. In particular the debate focused on several unusual "clauses" in the saga which do not fit in with the conventional saga style.
References
Björn K. Þórólfsson and Guðni Jónsson (Eds.) (1943). Íslenzk fornrit VI - Vestfirðinga sögur. Reykjavík: Hið íslenzka fornritafélag. No ISBN. Jónas Kristjánsson (1972). Um Fóstbræðrasögu. Reykjavík: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar. No ISBN.
External links
- Full text of the saga in Old Icelandic (with modernised spelling)
- Information on the manuscripts of the saga
- Proverbs in Fóstbrœðra saga
- Full text at the Icelandic Saga Database
