Thorvald Kodransson

[4] The story (þáttr) constitutes a portion of the Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta, with a shorter recension found in the Flateyjarbók,[5][6] but accounts given in these sources are considered historically unreliable.

[14][5] According to the legend, Thorvald was the unfavored son of Kodran (Koðrán) treated poorly in his upbringing, until a spaeing-woman intervened and persuaded the father that Þorvaldr will be successful man in the future, and to provide him seed money to seek fortune abroad.

Þorvaldr joins the viking raids (headed by Danish king Sveinn Forkbeard) but develops an impeccable reputation by using his booty to aid the needy and even captured prisoners.

[15] Thorvald eventually meets the Frankish bishop and missionary Frederick (Friedrich, Friðrekr) in Saxony, and learns the German language, after which the clergyman suggests going to Iceland together to convert the folk there.

The spirit (referred to as ármaðr in Kristni saga[a] and called a diviner (spámann by Kodran in the Story[18]) benefitted its worshipper by foretelling events, counseling what to do and to avoid, and guarding livestock.

[25][23] According to the sagas, Thorvald later went to Jerusalem, then to Miklagarðr (Constantinople), where he was allegedly conferred by the Byzantine emperor (Basil II) with plenipotentiary ambassadorship over the East-Way (Austurvegr), i.e., over the kings of all of Rusland and Garðaríki (North Russia, or Kingdom of Kiev).