Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1965, Síða 297

Chapter V. Theodoricus Monachus. The Norwegian work Historia de
antiquitate regum Norwagiensium by the monk Theodoricus comprises
the history of Norway from the time of Harald Fairhair to the death of
Sigurd the Crusader in 1130 and probably was written during the years
1177-80. To all appearances the author was a monk in the monastery
of Nidarholm near Trondheim. His work is clearly characterized by
having been written by a devotee of Archbishop Eystein’s policy.
Among his Norse sources Theodoricus gave prominence to the Ice-
landers, in whom the tradition about the events of the past was par-
ticularly well preserved, because it was supported by scaldic poems. This
does not, however, preclude that Norwegian tradition was also utilized
by Theodoricus. While he only seems to have known Icelandic tradition
in its oral form, he mentions a written source, the Catalogus regum Nor-
wagiensium, which must be supposed to be of Norwegian origin and, if
anything, composed at the archiepiscopal see at Trondheim. Further-
more, Theodoricus’s statements indicate that he knew a written Trans-
latio Sancti Olavi. On the other hånd there is hardly reason to believe
that the Passio Olavi composed by Archbishop Eystein was among
Theodoricus’s sources. On the contrary, a comparison between the two
works gives reason to believe that Theodoricus’s work was the basis of
the presentment in the Passio Olavi.
In previous research (Storm, ASalbjarnarson, A. O. Johnsen, and
others) little importance has been attached to the Catalogus regum Nor-
wagiensium as a source of Theodoricus’s account. Certain remarks by
the author, however, show that already before he wrote his work, the
outline of Norwegian history since Harald Fairhair was well known at
the archiepiscopal see at Trondheim, and the faet that Theodoricus’s
information about the lengths of the reigns of the various Norwegian
princes differs materially from the Icelandic chronology, suggests that
the author had derived it from a Norwegian source. An analysis of
Theodoricus’s text now shows that all the information given as to
lengths of reigns occurs in sections which hold an isolated position in
relation to the description of the historical events, in which the author
must be assumed to build on the statements of his Icelandic authorities.
Besides information about the number of years of reign these sections
contain a brief mention of the descent of the princes as well as informa-
tion of special interest to the Church, especially as regards building ac-
tivities, in a few cases also about burial-places. To these pieces of in-
297