The Complete

Fornaldarsögur Norðurlanda

Legendary Sagas of the Northland

in English Translation
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Hversu Noregr Byggðist

How Norway was Settled
from Flateyjarbók 1894
Translated by George W. Dasent
 (From Fl. Book, 1.21, 22).
1. Frá niðjum Fornjóts 1.
 Nú skal segja dæmi til, hversu Noregr byggðist í fyrstu eða hversu konunga ættir hófust þar eða í öðrum löndum eða hví þeir heita Skjöldungar, Buðlungar, Bragningar, Öðlingar, Völsungar eða Niflungar, sem konunga ættirnar eru af komnar. Fornjótr hét maðr. Hann átti þrjá sonu; var einn Hlér, annarr Logi, þriði Kári. Hann réð fyrir vindum, en Logi fyrir eldi, Hlér fyrir sjó. Kári var faðir Jökuls, föður Snæs konungs, en börn Snæs konungs váru þau Þorri, Fönn, Drífa ok Mjöll. Þorri var konungr ágætr. Hann réð fyrir Gotlandi, Kænlandi ok Finnlandi. Hann blótuðu Kænir til þess, at snjóva gerði ok væri skíðfæri gott. Þat er ár þeira. Þat blót skyldi vera at miðjum vetri, ok var þaðan af kallaðr Þorra mánaðr.

  Now shall be told the proofs how Norway was first inhabited; or how kingly stocks began, there or in other lands; or why they are called Skjoldungs, Budlungs, Bragnings, Odlings, Volsungs, or Niflungs, from which the royal races have come :— There was a man called Fornjot. He had three sons; one was Hler, another Logi, the third Kari; he ruled over winds, but Logi over fire, Hler over the seas. Kari was the father of Jökull, the father of king Snow. But the children of king Snow were these: Thorri, Fönn, Drifa, and Mjol. Thorri was a noble king; he ruled over Gothland, Kvenland, and Finland. To him the Kvens sacrificed that it might be snowy, and that there might be good going on snow-shoon. That was their harvest. That sacrifice was to be at mid-winter; and the month Thorri was called after it.
Þorri konungr átti þrjú börn. Synir hans hétu Nórr ok Górr, en Gói dóttir. Gói hvarf á brott, ok gerði Þorri blót mánuði síðar en hann var vanr at blóta, ok kölluðu þeir síðan þann mánað, er þá hófst, Gói. Þeir Nórr ok Górr leituðu systur sinnar. Nórr átti bardaga stóra fyrir vestan Kjölu, ok fellu fyrir honum þeir konungar, er svá heita: Véi ok Vei, Hundingr ok Hemingr, ok lagði Nórr þat land undir sik allt til sjóvar. Þeir bræðr fundust í þeim firði, er nú er kallaðr Nórafjörðr. Nórr fór þaðan upp á Kjölu ok kom þar, sem heita Úlfamóar, þaðan fór hann um Eystri-Dali ok síðan í Vermaland ok með vatni því, er Vænir heitir, ok svá til sjóvar. Þetta land allt lagði Nórr undir sik, allt fyrir vestan þessi takmörk. Þetta land er nú kallaðr Noregr. At miðjum vetri kómu þeir í Heiðmörk. Þar var sá konungr fyrir, er Hrólfr í Bergi hét. Hann var sonr Svaða jötuns norðan af Dofrum ok Áshildar, dóttur Eysteins konungs, er lengi hafði ráðit fyrir Heiðmörk. Hrólfr í Bergi hafði tekit Gói ok gengit at eiga hana. En er hún spurði til Nórs, bróður síns, þá fór hun í mót honum ok þau Hrólfr, ok gaf hann sik upp í vald Nórs ok gerðist hans maðr. Eptir þat fór Nórr til veizlu til mágs síns, ok fekk Nórr Höddu, dóttur Svaða jötuns, systur Hrólfs. King Thorri had three children; his sons were named Norr and Gorr, but the daughter Goi. Goi was lost and gone; and Thorri made a sacrifice a month later than he was wont to sacrifice; and they afterwards called that month in which this began Goi. Those two, Norr and Gorr, searched for their sister. Norr had great battles west of the Keel, and those kings fell before him who are so called: Vee and Vei, Hunding and Heming; and Norr laid under him that land all to the sea. Those brothers met in that firth which is now called Norafirth. Norr fared thence up on the Keel and came to a place called Wolves-moor. Thence lie fared round Eystridale and afterwards into Vermland, and along the lake called Væner, and so to the sea. And all that land Norr laid under him west of those bounds. That land is now called Nor-way. At mid-winter they came into Heidmark (Hedemark). There that king met them who was called Rolf of the Hill; he was the son of Svadi the giant from north of Dofra and of Ashilda daughter of king Eystein who had long ruled over Heidmark. Rolf of the Hill had seized Goi, and gone on to marry her. But when she heard of her brother Norr, then she fared to meet him, and Rolf with her; and he gave himself up into Norr's power, and was made his man. After that Norr went to a feast at his brother-in-law's, and Norr got to wife Hodda, a daughter of Svadi the giant, Rolfs sister.
 Eptir þat fór Nórr konungr vestr aptr til sjóvar, ok þá hitti hann Gór, bróður sinn. Hann var þá kominn norðan ór Dumbshafi ok hafði eignazt eyjar allar á þeiri leið, bæði byggðar ok óbyggðar. Þá skiptu þeir bræðr ríkinu með sér, svá at Nórr skyldi hafa meginland allt norðan frá Jötunheimum ok suðr til Álfheima, þat heitir nú Noregr, en Górr skyldi hafa eyjar allar, þær er lágu á bakborða elliða hans, er hann færði norðan með landi. Þeir váru synir Górs sækonungs: Beiti ok Heiti, Meitir ok Geitir. Beitir sækonungr fór með elliða inn í Þrándheim ok inn í Beitsjó. Hann lét gera skipsleða undir elliðann, en snjór var mikill ok sleðfæri gott. Þá settist Beitir í lypting ok lagði stýri í lag ok lét draga upp segl ok lét menn sína draga elliðann norðr um Elliðaeið til Naumudals ok eignaði sér land allt þat, er lá á bakborða. After that king Norr fared back west to the sea, and then he finds his brother Gorr. He was then come from the north out of the Frozen-sea, and had seized as his own all the isles on that way, both inhabited and uninhabited. Then these brother's shared the realm between them, so that Norr should have all the mainland from the north from the isles of Jotunheim and south to Alfheim. That is now called Norway between Norway; but Gorr should have all those isles which lay on the larboard of his war-ship as he fared north along the land. These were the sons of Gorr the sea-king: Heiti and Beiti, Meitir and Geitir. Beiti the sea-king fared with his war-ship into Drontheim and on into Beit-sea; he made them make a ship-sledge under the galley; but there was deep snow and good sledging. Then Beitir sat him on the poop, and put the rudder into gear, and made them hoist the sails; and let his men drag the galley north across Galley-neck to Naumdale, and claimed as his own all that land that lay on the larboard.
Beiti sækonungr var faðir Heita sækonungs, föður Svaða, en Geitir var faðir Glamma ok Gylfa. Meiti sækonungr var faðir Mæfils ok Myndils. Myndill var faðir Ekkils ok Skekkils. Nórr var faðir þessara manna, en Hödd, dóttir Svaða, móðir Þrándar ok Garðs, er kallaðr var agði. Beiti the sea-king was the father of Heiti the sea-king, the father of Svadi; but Geitir was the father of Glammi and Gylfi. Meiti the sea-king was father of Maevil and Myndill. Myndill was the father of Ekkill and Skekkill. Norr was the father of these men, but Hodda, the daughter of Svadi, their mother.
   (Here follow the royal lineages descended from Norr, the ancestor of all future kings of the Norwegian Mainland.)  
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SCHOLARSHIP & COMMENTARY
Medieval Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia, 1993: “Hversu Noregr Byggðist is closely paralleled by the opening of the Orkneyinga saga, sometimes called Fundinn Noregr, 'Foundation of Norway' which provides details on the descendants of Gór only.”