Rauðúlfs þáttr

Rauðúlfs þáttr is a short allegorical story preserved in Iceland in a number of medieval manuscripts.

The story is about Saint Olav's (Olav Haraldsson II king of Norway 995–1030) visit to a wise man named Rauðúlfr (also called Rauðr and Úlfr), their entertainment in the evening, the staying overnight in a round, rotating and richly decorated house and a vision the king had in his dream that night.

[1] The story relates King Olav's trip with his retinue, including the queen and bishop, to “Eystridalir” (now Østerdalen) a then rather remote part of Norway, bordering on Sweden.

Rauðúlfr and his two sons, Dagr and Sigurðr, turn out to be wise men, skilled in astronomy, time reckoning and physiognomy among other things.

The bedposts had large spheres of gilded copper and projecting iron bars, each supporting a tripartite candle.

The head was made of red gold (Icelandic: rautt gull) which glowed like ‘lýsigull’ (bright gold[2]) and had long and golden hair, the neck was of copper, surrounded by Greek fire, and the breast and arms were of pure silver engraved with the paths and figures of the heavenly bodies.

The uppermost part of the belly was made of polished iron decorated with the deeds of some ancient heroes like Sigurðr Fáfnisbani, Haraldur hilditönn and Harald fairhair.

The middle part of the abdomen was made of impure gold and was decorated with trees, herbs, and terrestrial animals.

By a series of ingenious puns Rauðúlfr linked the character of each of King Olav's successors (or their reign) with the material or decoration of the corresponding part of the crucifix.

Before the king departed Rauðúlfr demonstrated the use of a (legendary) sunstone to locate the sun in an overcast sky.

Early researchers noted the debt Rauðúlfs þáttr owed to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in the Old Testament.

The round house in the French song has been compared with “abodes of the Sun” in Greek medieval romances.