Talk:Starkad

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An entry from Starkad appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know? column on 18 December 2006.

[edit] Vetrliði Sumarliðason's lausavísa

"Praising Thor for having killed giants and giantesses, and for having humiliated Starkad."

I disagree with the last part of the sentence. I think the verb steypa in this stanza simply means "to kill". Sigo 22:59, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

This etymology says that it means "cause to stoop". That Thor killed him is a possible interpretation, but I don't think that it is the only one. It basically only says that Thor defeated him.--Berig 15:20, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

That’s why I asked the question. It’s OK with me now. Even if, apart from Starkaðr (the grandson), it's not very common that Thor defeats a giant without killing him. Sigo 00:03, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, there was a limit to what Thor dared do to Starkad, as he was Odin's protegee ;).--Berig 09:06, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

I should mention that Poul Anderson, the well-known Science-Fiction author wrote a book called "Ensign Flandry", in which there is a planet called "Starkad", obviously named after this mythological figure. Strontium dog

[edit] Where did Starkard come from?

I do not fully agree about some part of the “Hervarar saga”.

“In this version a Starkad Ala-Warrior lived in northern Norway at the waterfalls of Alufoss.”

When I read the saga it says “Hann var farinn norðr um Álufossa, ok var hón þá brott tekin; en er hann kom heim, þá drap hann Hergrím á hólmgöngu. (Þeir börðusk við inn efsta foss at Eyði.)”

This mean “ He was on a journey north of Alufoss; and then she was taken away; but when he returned home, he killed Hergrim in a holmgang. (They dueled at the upper waterfall Eyd)”

This is a more local history around Alfheim Bohuslän. Home for Starkad seems more likely be the northern part of “Göta-älv”. There are two waterfalls here; the little Edet end the big Edet. As I see it; the big Edet “Eyði” are to day at the town Trollhättan there this fight was taken part.

Eban65 19:41, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

Eið which means "portage" is a bit too common for such conclusions to be made. There are other places by that name.--Berig 06:35, 28 July 2007 (UTC)

Yes you are right. It was not right of me to say it is around this waterfall in Trollhättan for sure. But I’m not alone of this theory so it should be told. Due to the folklore Starkad is buried at Starrkärr west of Risveden at Göta-älv. But this is folklore and saga. But back to the text, I cannot find anything that point out northern Norway as Starkads home!?

Eban65 20:04, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

Oops, I shouldn't say anything about Old Norse without consulting a dictionary. Haukurth would prolly have had a good laugh if he had read my previous post. The Swedish location Ed is derived from eið "portage" which was probably a neuter noun, like modern Swedish Ed. The place mentioned in Hervarar saga was called at Eyði and according to this dictionary it means "at the Wasteland". Consequently, there is just as little connection between the place name Edet and Eyði as there is between Edet and ödeland. As for Starkad's original home, does it really matter? The Danish source Gesta Danorum says that he came from Russia or a place even further east.--Berig 20:21, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

Starkad might have been from Northen Norway or from Novgorod or maybe from the east goth areas in Ukraine? Where he was born has no importance. But this saga has been told for centuries in the southern part of Scandinavia especially in Västergötland, Bohuslän and Østfold. In these part of Scandinavia the traditions says it all took part at the edge of the upper waterfall near by the Eidar as it was called in Middle Ages. Eidar was the place there the ships was dragged beside the waterfall in and out of the lake Vänern. But you are right “Eyði” means deserted, öde in modern Swedish.

Eban65 08:20, 31 July 2007 (UTC)