Brandkrossa þáttr
Brandkrossa þáttr (The Tale of Brandkrossi) is a short Old Norse tale ("þáttr") which serves as a prologue to "Droplaugarsona saga". Whereas "Droplaugarsona saga" details the descendants of Helgi Droplaugarson, "Brandkrossa þáttr" focuses on the forebears of his enemy Helgi Asbjarnarson, including his father Asbjorn, son of Hrafnkel, the subject of "Hrafnkels saga". Although beginning with Hrafnkel, the author of "Brandkrossa þáttr" does not appear to have known "Hrafnkels saga" and used a version of "Landnámabók" as a source instead. The "þáttr" takes its name from Brandkrossi, an ox owned by Grímr, ancestor of the sons of Droplaug.

The "þáttr" falls into two part, the second of which is more fantastic. One day Grímr's ox Brandkrossi flies into a rage and swims out to sea. Grímr travels to Norway where he meets Geitir, whose father was a troll. Grímr marries Geitir's daughter Droplaug, and it is revealed that it was Geitir who caused Brandkrossi to disappear. Geitir sends Grímr away with many gifts including the hide of Brandkrossi stuffed with grain. A version of this episode is told in "Fljótsdæla saga" and has parallels with the giant episodes in "Kjalnesinga saga" and "Hálfdanar þáttr svarta".

The "þáttr" survives in paper manuscripts, the earliest from the 17th century, all of which stem from a now lost manuscript. Finlay suggests that as "Brandkrossa þáttr" is likely to have been associated with "Droplaugarsona saga" in manuscripts, the source for these paper copies is probably AM 162c fol, a single leaf which contains a fragment of "Droplaugarsona saga."
Q35505
Old Norse
Concept
Q2336402
þáttr
Concept
Q1260313
Droplaugarsona saga
UNK
Q1479058
Hrafnkels saga
UNK
Q217835
Landnámabók
PER
Q20
Norway
LOC
Q1429026
Fljótsdæla saga
UNK
Q2356648
Kjalnesinga saga
Concept
None
Hálfdanar þáttr svarta
UNK
Q11962083
Brandkrossa þáttr
Concept
Q11962083
Brandkrossa þáttr
Concept
Q11962083
Brandkrossa þáttr
Concept
Q11962083
Brandkrossa þáttr
Concept
+17^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
17
NUMBER
language of work or name
instance of