Geirmund Hjørson, called Heljarskinn, was a leading Icelander of the late ninth century. He was the son of a Norwegian merchant and a Samoyed woman. [1] His nickname, an apparent reference to his complexion, means " Hel skin", which indicates either dark or "black" skin [1] or perhaps skin "pale as death". [2]
The sources for Geirmund's life are the Landnámabók and the Geirmundar þáttr heljarskinns , the first saga in the Sturlunga saga collection. According to these, he was the son of a Norwegian petty king and made a fortune as a Viking. On Iceland, he held four large estates and travelled with a bodyguard of eighty men. His lifestyle was supported by the wealth from his raids and could not be sustained off of his estates alone. [2]
Geirmund Hjørson, called Heljarskinn, was a leading Icelander of the late ninth century. He was the son of a Norwegian merchant and a Samoyed woman. [1] His nickname, an apparent reference to his complexion, means " Hel skin", which indicates either dark or "black" skin [1] or perhaps skin "pale as death". [2]
The sources for Geirmund's life are the Landnámabók and the Geirmundar þáttr heljarskinns , the first saga in the Sturlunga saga collection. According to these, he was the son of a Norwegian petty king and made a fortune as a Viking. On Iceland, he held four large estates and travelled with a bodyguard of eighty men. His lifestyle was supported by the wealth from his raids and could not be sustained off of his estates alone. [2]