Studia Islandica - 01.06.1961, Page 181

Summary
Kolbeinslag (Kolbein’s Metre) by Stephan G. Stephansson first
appeared in the Canadian-Icelandic publication, Heimskringla, on
April 9th and 16th, 1914, and was reprinted later the same year.
Stephansson’s letters show that he completed the poem in December,
1913, but we do not know when he commenced the work. It seems
probable, however, that he wrote most of it during the last two
months of 1913.
The title of the poem is the name of an Icelandic “rímur” metre,
which in turn is derived from a historical personage, Kolbeinn
Grimsson, the Glacier Poet, who lived on the Snæfellsnes in the
West of Iceland in the 17th century. Kolbeinn Grímsson wrote
several poems, “rimur”, and hymns, most of which are still only
found in manuscripts. One small book of hymns and one set of
“rimur” by him have been published, however. Kolbeinn is said to
have been “kraftaskáld” (i.e. writer of incanations or charms), and,
according to legend, he beat the devil himself in a contest of capping
verses. The subject of Kolbeinslag is this match of theirs.
Although Stephansson makes use of this tale, he also draws on
another legend, Kölski kvongast (“The Black One Gets Married”)
and an episode by Gísli Konráðsson which appeared in the Canadian-
Icelandic periodical Lögberg in 1913. But he treats this material
very freely, developing it to such an extent that the legends can
be looked upon as only the basic theme of the poem. The same can
be said of several other narrative and legendary poems by Stephans-
son. Narrative poetry is, indeed, Stephansson’s major field, Kolbeins-
lag being among the longest and most important of them, partly
because of the similcirity of its chief character, Kolbeinn, the
farmer-poet, to Stephansson himself. The principal characters of
the poem are Kölski, the chief of this world, and Kolbeinn, an un-
schooled farmer-poet. In the legend Kölski is the devil himself,
who schemes to gain possession of Kolbein’s soul by beating him
in a contest of capping verses. This version is rejected by Stephans-
son as he did not believe much in the existence of God, let alone
the devil. In this poem he makes Kölski a representative of the
destructive forces in the world, a deeivilizing agent. Kolbeinn, on
the other hand, represents the progressive forces which constantly
strive to raise humanity to a higher level of civilization.