Tale of Hreithar the Fool

Hreiðars þáttr

Author

Unknown

Language

Old Norse / early Icelandic

Year

c. 1200-1250

Country

Iceland

Genre

Novel

norsethaettir

0

📷1 photo

Hreiðars þáttr heimska or the Tale of Hreiðarr the Fool is one of the short tales of Icelanders. It tells of Hreiðarr, an apparently mentally disabled Icelandic man who travels to Norway in the time of the joint rule of the kings Magnús góði and Haraldr harðráði. Hreiðarr befriends Magnús with his eccentric behaviour but incurs the wrath of Haraldr when he kills one of his courtiers.