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SUMMARY
Þóruljóð and the game of Háa-Þóra
Keywords: Alliterative verse, dating of oral traditional poetry, metrical analysis,
medieval fairy tales, stemmatics, dramatic verse, masks, games.
Þóruljóð is an Icelandic poem in the Eddic fornyrðislag metre preserved in a
collection of ballads from 1665. Archaic metrical and linguistic features suggest that
the poem is considerably older than the manuscript, perhaps as early as the first
half of the 14th century. The poem tells of a tall vagrant woman or ogress named
Þóra who arrives unexpectedly at a midwinter celebration in pagan Denmark.
Þóra is feared and hated by everyone except Þorkell, the host, who treats her as
an honoured guest, serves her personally and gives her his own cloak as well as a
precious headdress. The article argues that Þóruljóð was connected with some form
of midwinter drama and that the descendant of this drama is Háu-Þóruleikur, a
form of entertainment known from 17th and 18th century sources. The Háa-Þóra
of the game shares several characteristics with the Þóra of Þóruljóð, in particular
the name, extreme tallness, a prominent headdress and a sudden frightening
appearance at midwinter festivals.
Haukur Þorgeirsson
Ofanleiti 17
103 Reykjavík
haukurth@hi.is
ÞÓRULJÓÐ OG HÁU-ÞÓRULEIKUR