Skofnung (Old Norse: Skǫfnungr) is in medieval Icelandic literature the sword of legendary Danish king Hrólf Kraki.
According to Hrólfs saga kraka "The best of all swords that have been carried in northern lands",[1] it was renowned for supernatural sharpness and hardness, as well as for being imbued with the spirits of the king's 12 faithful berserker bodyguards.
[citation needed] Skofnungr appears in a saga unrelated to Hrólfr: it is said that an Icelander, Skeggi of Midfirth (or Miðfjarðar-Skeggi),[2] who was chosen by lot to break into a gravemound and plunder it, recovered the sword while doing so.
[3]: 17 Other similar incidents are found in Norse literature, such as Grettir the Strong's recovery of a sword from a burial mound.
Skofnungr is briefly lost when Þorkell's ship capsizes while sailing around Iceland and all of those on it drown.